10 A-List Actors You Didn't Remember Were Part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

      Matthew Shepherd highlights ten A-list stars you may have forgotten appeared in the MCU…

      The MCU has cast what seems like half of Hollywood over the last twenty years. Generally, the casting choices are logical — a familiar face in a recognizable role, contributing to a bigger picture. However, occasionally a genuinely surprising name turns up in a minor role, stays for a brief moment, and then vanishes from franchise memory. Some were cameos from stars who were just starting their careers before hitting stardom, while others were established actors taking a risk that didn’t quite pay off. In either case, they have mostly slipped from memory. Here are ten worth recalling.

      Mads Mikkelsen

      Mikkelsen portrayed Kaecilius in Doctor Strange (2016) — a former Master of the Mystic Arts who betrays the order to serve Dormammu. This should have been a role that showcased him to mainstream audiences as one of the finest actors around. Unfortunately, he was obscured behind geometric facial makeup and given very little to work with in the script. Marvel’s villain issues were well acknowledged during this period, and Kaecilius exemplifies that problem clearly. Mikkelsen has since become a true household name through other franchises, yet most still don’t associate him with Doctor Strange.

      Natalie Dormer

      Prior to her rise to fame from Game of Thrones, Dormer made a brief appearance in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) as military private Lorraine. She has just one scene — where she approaches a newly transformed Steve Rogers to thank him for his service and kisses him just as Peggy Carter arrives. It’s a quick cameo that came right before her career took off. Watching The First Avenger now provokes a genuine second look.

      Glenn Close

      James Gunn filled Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) with a quirky blend of character actors and Hollywood stars, yet Glenn Close stands out as one of the most unexpected names on the cast list. She played Nova Prime Irani Rael, the leader of the Nova Corps on Xandar, bringing significantly more depth to the character than the material warranted. However, Thanos later destroyed Xandar off-screen before Infinity War, and her character was never referenced again. Having a six-time Oscar nominee as a minor character in a cosmic franchise is something you wouldn’t anticipate.

      Christopher Eccleston

      Eccleston portrayed Malekith in Thor: The Dark World (2013) — the leader of the Dark Elves who seeks to envelop the universe in darkness with the Aether. The production covered him in heavy prosthetics and black contact lenses, while a created alien language obscured his character’s backstory, much of which was cut in editing. Eccleston has openly criticized his experience making the film, which speaks volumes. Malekith is frequently listed as one of the weakest villains in the franchise’s history, and given how they handled one of Britain’s finest character actors, that isn’t surprising.

      Kate Mara

      Mara appeared in Iron Man 2 (2010) as a US Marshal, standing by Tony Stark’s car to deliver a congressional subpoena. She is on screen for about five seconds. This is particularly noteworthy because she later starred in Fox’s Fantastic Four reboot, meaning she has now been in two different attempts at Marvel adaptations — one of which is easily forgotten and one that is remembered for all the wrong reasons.

      David Dastmalchian

      Dastmalchian played Kurt, the Russian hacker in Scott Lang’s heist team in Ant-Man (2015). He is genuinely entertaining in the role, playing off Michael Peña well in a dynamic that the film needed. However, when Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania shifted entirely to the Quantum Realm, Kurt and the rest of the street-level crew vanished from the story. Dastmalchian has built a serious career in various high-profile projects since then. Most viewers who have seen both wouldn’t connect his two performances.

      Sylvester Stallone

      Stallone appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) as Stakar Ogord, a senior Ravager leader with a history with Yondu. He showed up, delivered his lines with the expected gruff authority, and then departed. The character reappeared in later films without contributing much. The main takeaway is that Rocky Balboa technically commands a fleet somewhere in the Marvel universe — a fact that should make a larger impact than it actually does.

      Ty Burrell

      Before he became a household name on Modern Family, Burrell played Leonard Samson in The Incredible Hulk (2008) — a psychiatrist who is dating Betty Ross during Bruce Banner’s exile. In the comics, Samson is a gamma-powered superhero. In the film, he simply wears a sweater and serves as a minor inconvenience. Marvel spent the next decade quietly disregarding The Incredible Hulk, which entirely erased any narrative connection Burrell had. The film’s awkward position