Kevin Bacon + 12 Other Actors To Play Multiple Marvel Characters
We recently reported that Kevin Bacon is going to play himself in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. It’s not his first time playing a character in a…
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 01: Kevin Bacon attends the 72nd Writers Guild Awards at Edison Ballroom on February 01, 2020 in New York City.
(Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Writers Guild of America, East)We recently reported that Kevin Bacon is going to play himself in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. It’s not his first time playing a character in a Marvel story. Which is weird. But actors playing more than one Marvel role is more common than you would think.
Why is that? Today, Marvel Studios is one of the most powerful studios in Hollywood, cranking out multiple hit films (and TV shows) each year. But years ago, Marvel was simply a comic book company, and they licensed their characters to various movie studios. Marvel Comics is the home of Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, the X-Men, Daredevil, the Punisher and the Hulk, among others. DC Comics, their main rival, is the home of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Shazam and Aquaman.
Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four live in the same comic book universe and frequently team up in the comics. But that couldn’t happen in the films. Spider-Man is a Sony property, and Fox had the film rights to the Fantastic Four. It gets complicated, but when Marvel Studios (which got bought out by Disney) launched, they had the rights to a lot of iconic characters, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Ant-Man, Captain Marvel, the Black Widow and the Guardians of the Galaxy.
But Fox had the rights to the Fantastic Four and the X-Men (including Wolverine and Deadpool). Spider-Man, among other characters, was under the Sony umbrella (to this day, every Spider-Man appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe requires a deal between Sony and Disney). Further complicating things, prior to Disney+, Marvel’s movie and TV productions didn’t really work together. So, while Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and the Punisher all had shows on Netflix, they didn’t really interact with the characters in the Marvel films (even though they vaguely referenced events of the movies).
Plus, Marvel had some shows that aired on ABC: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter and The Inhumans. Those also reflected storylines from the films. But as with the Netflix properties, nothing that happened on those shows was ever referenced in a movie.
In October of 2019, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige became Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment. He now oversees all of the movie and tv projects. Also in 2019, Disney purchased 20th Centry Fox’s film studio. That’s why we’ve seen Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk/Kingpin in the MCU. Cox appeared as Murdock in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home and more recently in the Disney+ show She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (as both Murdock and Daredevil!). D’Onofrio appeared in the 2021 Disney+ series Hawkeye. Meanwhile, 2022's Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness had cameos from characters from the Inhumans (Anson Mount’s Black Bolt), the X-Men (Patrick Stewart’s Professor Charles Xavier) and the Fantastic Four (John Krasinski played Reed Richards, although there’s no indication that he’ll play him in future films).
Here are a few actors who have taken advantage of Marvel’s previously splintered multiverse and got to play more than one Marvel character.
Kevin Bacon
(Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 27: Kevin Bacon attends the "THEY/THEM" New York Premiere at Studio 525 on July 27, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
Chris Evans
(Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 28: Actor Chris Evans poses in the press room during the 88th Annual Academy Awards at Loews Hollywood Hotel on February 28, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Michael B. Jordan
(Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 15: Michael B. Jordan attends "The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power" Los Angeles Red Carpet Premiere & Screening on August 15, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Mahershala Ali
(Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Deadline)NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 04: Producer/Actor Mahershala Ali from Apple Original Films' "Swan Song" attends Deadline Contenders Film: New York on December 04, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Deadline)
Alfre Woodard
(Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 25: Alfre Woodard attends the 2022 Governors Awards at The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center on March 25, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Rebecca Romijn
(Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Paramount+)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 08: Rebecca Romijn attends "Star Trek" Day on September 08, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Paramount+)
Peter Dinklage
(Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival )NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 11: Peter Dinklage attends the "American Dreamer" premiere during the 2022 Tribeca Festival at BMCC Tribeca PAC on June 11, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival )
Michelle Yeoh
(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Michelle Yeoh attends the 2nd Annual Academy Museum Gala at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on October 15, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Olivia Munn
(Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Global Citizen VAX LIVE)INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA: In this image released on May 2, Olivia Munn attends Global Citizen VAX LIVE: The Concert To Reunite The World at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Global Citizen VAX LIVE: The Concert To Reunite The World will be broadcast on May 8, 2021. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Global Citizen VAX LIVE)
Josh Brolin
(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Amazon Studios)BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - MAY 15: Josh Brolin attends The Prime Experience: "Outer Range" on May 15, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Amazon Studios)
Jon Favreau
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)SAN DIEGO, CA - JULY 14: Actor Jon Favreau speaks at Marvel Studios "Iron Man 3" panel during Comic-Con International 2012 at San Diego Convention Center on July 14, 2012 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Patton Oswalt
Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 21: Patton Oswalt speaks onstage at the Inside "Severence" Panel during 2022 Comic-Con International: San Diego at San Diego Convention Center on July 21, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Linda Cardellini
Jon Kopaloff/Getty ImagesLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 15: Linda Cardellini attends Netflix's "Dead to Me" Season 3 Premiere at Netflix Tudum Theater on November 15, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)
Special Mention: Jessica Henwick
(Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for BFI)LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 16: Jessica Henwick attends the "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" European Premiere Closing Night Gala during the 66th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 16, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for BFI)
