At nearly two decades into the Marvel Cinematic Universe at this point, a whole lot of actors have passed through this franchise. It can be hard to keep track of them all, especially depending on their arc, but there are a few major names that seem to slip through the cracks more often.
For some, their appearance was a huge moment to experience in theaters, and led to a lot of excitement for the future. For others, the MCU was just a fun stop in their career, not designed to go much further than the movie they appeared in. Nonetheless, you might find yourself rewatching at some point, and going “Oh my god, I fully forgot they were in this.”
Here are five actors you almost certainly forgot had somewhat major roles in the MCU.
Charlize Theron
Four years ago, Charlize Theron made her MCU debut, and sure enough, we haven’t heard from or even about that character since. So, you would be forgiven for forgetting that she’s actually in there.
Theron plays Clea, who was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko for “Strange Tales” No. 126, published in November 1964. In the comics, she’s from the Dark Dimension and is the niece of Dormammu (the big bad from the first “Doctor Strange” movie). Her first MCU appearance came in the post-credits scene of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”
Theron appears wielding a big magical sword that can tear a hole through universes and tells Strange that his multiversal adventures have caused an “incursion,” which is when two universes start to collide.
It could lead to one or more universes completely collapsing in on themselves. Another universe’s Strange caused an incursion, and their ruling group of superheroes, known as the Illuminati, straight-up murdered Strange for the offense. So, Clea recruits this Strange to go help her fix it.
Must be going pretty slowly!
Sam Rockwell
This was all the way back in Phase One, folks. Remember that time? It’s okay if you don’t, because then you get the joy of rediscovering that Sam Rockwell is part of the MCU. It wasn’t a small role either; that man was one of the main villains in “Iron Man 2.”
He played Justin Hammer, a defense contractor who rivals Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). He’s actually technically responsible for creating the War Machine armor, after he tries to modify Stark’s own technology, and hires Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) to do it.
Hammer ends up in prison at the end of “Iron Man 2,” but we have seen him one more time since then. He appeared in Marvel’s one-shot “All Hail the King,” and in the animated series “What If…?”
Harry Styles
Ah, another character left dangling during the later phases of Marvel. Yes, Harry Styles has a role in the MCU, and in theory, it could have been a big one.
He showed up in the post-credits scene of “Eternals,” playing Eros, also known as Starfox. Eros just so happens to be the brother of Thanos (don’t worry, they look nothing alike).
Starfox was created by Jim Starlin and first appeared in “The Invincible Iron Man” No. 55 in 1973. Starfox’s Eternal power is that he can control other people’s emotions. He was also, at various points, a member of both the Avengers and the Dark Guardians in the comics.
Alas, “Eternals” was poorly received and hasn’t factored into the MCU at large beyond “Captain America: Brave New World.” And thus, Styles’ surprise role has largely been forgotten.
Brett Goldstein
Sensing a trend here? Marvel is real good at introducing characters in post-credits scenes that then disappear almost entirely. Add “Ted Lasso” star Brett Goldstein to that list, as he appeared in the post-credits scene of “Thor: Love and Thunder.”
Goldstein was cast as Hercules, the son of Russell Crowe’s Zeus. Hercules is tasked with killing Thor (Chris Hemsworth) after the god of thunder steals Zeus’ lightning bolt and throws it through his chest. Obviously, this didn’t kill the god, just genuinely pissed him off. So, he sends in his son.
But once again, we’ve not seen or heard from/about him since the film. For all we know, he could still pop up again!
Walton Goggins
Walton Goggins is beloved for many roles, but you might not immediately jump to “Ant-Man and the Wasp” as one of them. But yes, he was in that — in fact, he was one of the main antagonists in it.
Goggins plays Sonny Burch, a black market tech dealer who double-crosses Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and tries to steal Pym’s research. Burch’s men are the ones responsible for giving Luis the truth serum that makes him rattle off where Scott (Paul Rudd) and the others are.
It’s really a delightful role for Goggins, but then again, most of his characters are.
