The best actors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Yeoh brought martial arts gravitas to “Shang-Chi,” having previous been in the beloved “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” Of course, these days she’s getting a ton of attention from the surprise breakout film “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Jackson has been in some less-than-good films, but he knows it. The man likes to work. When he’s in something quality, though, Jackson rises to the occasion. He’s also ubiquitous in the MCU, playing Nick Fury in several films over the years.

The GOOP of it all means some people don’t like Paltrow, but her acting skills rise above her weird place in the murky world of “wellness.” After all, she has an Oscar for “Shakespeare in Love,” and she does a solid job as Pepper Potts in an oft-thankless role in Marvel movies.

Fishburne has been acting since he was a teenager and lied about his age to be in “Apocalypse Now.” He’s best known for playing Morpheus in the “Matrix” movies, but he lent his stature to “Ant-Man and the Wasp” as well.

With one Oscar nomination to his name, Ejiofor has done a lot of serious dramatic work. Like a lot of British actors, though, he seems to think of work as work. Why not sign up to play Baron Mordo in “Doctor Strange?” He lends his voice to “Sherlock Gnomes.” The guy is clearly game, and also clearly talented.

We’re glad to have Portman back with a meatier role in “Thor: Love and Thunder.” Jane didn’t exactly get to have a lot of fun in the first two Thor films. Portman now has roles in both the world of Marvel and “Star Wars,” and of course she has her Oscar for “Black Swan” as well.

Gyllenhaal doesn’t have an Oscar, but he has turned in stellar performances in movies like “Brokeback Mountain” and “Nightcrawler.” He seems to like to get weird, and he largely has been able to handle it. He also seems like a guy who could play a superhero, making him a perfect choice for Mysterio in “Spider-Man: Far from Home.”

Want to see the scope of this Oscar winner's skills? Watch him be funny as Trevor in the MCU. Then, watch him in “Sexy Beast.” The man can be delightful and terrifying when called upon. No wonder he’s Sir Ben Kingsley.

Another Oscar winner in the MCU. Douglas personified 1980s sleaze on screen, and we mean that as the highest compliment. He could make almost any creep compelling, but he was also able to be brusque but charming. That’s more the role he is in when it comes to playing Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man, in the world of Marvel.

Hey, a guy who has been in both Marvel and DC movies! Of course, Jones famously could not sanction Jim Carrey’s buffoonery on the set of “Batman Forever.” Jones won an Oscar for “The Fugitive,” has been great in serious dramas like “No Country for Old Men” and fun blockbusters like “Men in Black.” Plus, he gave his aura to the first Captain America movie, which it kind of needed.

Wow, Marvel collects Oscar winners like we collected Pogs in the ‘90s. Swinton, another actor who first appeared in “Doctor Strange,” won her Oscar for a straightforward role in “Michael Clayton.” However, Swinton likes to get weird. Just watch “Suspiria” or one of the four Wes Anderson films she's appeared in for proof of that.

Speaking of Doctor Strange, Cumberbatch is the surgeon turned sorcerer, and he’s also many people’s favorite Sherlock Holmes. The MCU has maybe tamped down Cumberbatch’s dramatic work, but he did pick up an Oscar nomination for “The Power of the Dog” in 2022 to go along with his previous Best Actor nomination for 2015's "The Imitation Game."

Brolin is buried behind the look of Thanos, but he gives one of the best performances in the MCU. Outside the MCU, he’s excelled as well, and has a career that goes hand-in-hand with Tommy Lee Jones. They are both in “No Country for Old Men,” and Brolin plays the young K in “Men in Black III.”

Hopkins was a wise choice for Odin, given the presence he brings to the screen. The Welsh actor has not one, but two Oscars. Sure, one of those was for “Silence of the Lambs,” not exactly a regal role, but an indelible performance to be sure.

When the MCU swapped out Terrence Howard for Cheadle they got themselves a real boost. Cheadle may not have an Oscar yet, but we’re betting on him winning one already. He does the most with every role he’s given. Just maybe don’t ask for a believable British accent from him, as “Ocean’s Eleven” showed us.

Getting Redford for the MCU was a real coup. He was one of the biggest movie stars in the 1970s and 1980s. The man oozes charisma and talent. Redford’s casting in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” was a nod to that film’s conspiracy movie inspirations.

Edward Norton is a good actor himself, but Ruffalo is decidedly an improvement as Bruce Banner and the Hulk. One, he fits into that role better than Norton did. Two, he’s just simply a better actor. Ruffalo has shown he can do just about anything, from gritty drama to action to romantic comedy.

Bale is many people’s favorite Batman – Michael Keaton was close to making this list, by the way – and now he’s a villain in the “Thor” world. He is an actor who loves to remake himself, and his body, but that sometimes overshadows the fact he’s one of the best actors of his generation. He won an Oscar for “The Fighter,” and seems like a good bet to win another at the least.

Robert Downey Jr. is the lodestone the MCU was built upon. He’s indelible as Tony Stark. It helped that in the first Marvel movie he had Bridges to play off of as the villain. Bridges is an icon of the screen. Inexplicably, he didn’t win an Oscar until “Crazy Heart,” and frankly should have won the next year for “True Grit.” He’s an incredible actor. He’s also, of course, The Dude.

Topping the list, though, is Blanchett. Man, the “Thor” movies have really gotten themselves some incredible actors in the mix. In “Thor: Ragnarok,” Blanchett plays the villain, and she’s a big reason why that movie completely revamped that particular series of films. She’s won two Oscars and been nominated for eight. Some consider her the best actor on the planet, full stop. She’s atop the Marvel actor rankings, at the very least.