32 Actors Who Played Marvel Heroes Before the MCU

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As a die-hard cinema enthusiast, I can’t help but reflect on the remarkable impact that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has had on shaping my love for superhero films. It’s fascinating to consider how it breathed life into some of Marvel Comics’ most legendary figures, such as Iron Man and Thor, for an entire generation of fans like me. Yet, let us not forget the talented actors who embodied these characters long before they graced our screens in the MCU. Let’s pay homage to them for bringing these iconic heroes and villains to life on both the big and small screen.

Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man)

In the past, some Marvel Comics enthusiasts have voiced concerns about Tobey Maguire being cast in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, as they felt he was too old for the part when Peter Parker got bitten by a radioactive spider. However, even though Tom Holland appeared to be a more fitting choice for a teenage crime-fighter in later years, Maguire continues to be celebrated as one of the top Spider-Man actors. Moreover, many believe that he wore the most impressive cinematic Spiderman suit ever made.

Jessica Alba (Invisible Woman)

After her highly acclaimed debut on Dark Angel, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination, Jessica Alba became a frequent face in the early 2000s. Interestingly, she first appeared in a comic book movie, Tim Story’s Fantastic Four, as Sue “Invisible Woman” Storm, a character known for being invisible. This role would later be reprised in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Vanessa Kirby.

Ben Affleck (Daredevil)

Ben Affleck could create a humorous, yet potentially divisive, impact as he stepped into the lineup of live-action Batman actors within Zack Snyder’s now defunct DC Extended Universe. Over ten years prior, Affleck had gained experience in superhero roles by portraying the lead character in the 2003 film “Daredevil”, which was later reprised by Charlie Cox for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in his successful series.

Djimon Hounsou (Black Panther)

Back in 2014, I stepped into a small role as Korath the Pursuer in “Guardians of the Galaxy”. Interestingly enough, four years prior to that, I lent my voice to the Black Panther for a BET original animated series. Fast forward to more recent times, and I found myself sharing the screen with none other than T’Challa, portrayed by Chadwick Boseman, as Korath, in an episode of the animated anthology series “What If…?”. Quite the journey it’s been!

Wesley Snipes (Blade)

The character Blade from Marvel, known for his vampire-hunting exploits, had his initial appearance within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) when Mahershala Ali provided a voiceover in the post-credit scene of the 2021 film “Eternals”. However, Wesley Snipes, who originally played Blade in three movies, was the first to appear as this character in a live action within the MCU, doing so in the film titled “Deadpool & Wolverine”.

Dolph Lundgren (The Punisher)

It’s tough to envision Dolph Lundgren, famous for his role in “Rocky IV,” sporting jet black hair, but he did so to portray Frank Castle in a direct-to-video version of “The Punisher” in 1989. The character of the vengeful vigilante was passed on to others a few times before Jon Bernthal became the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s definitive version, but Lundgren later reappeared in comic book movie acting as King Nereus in the “Aquaman” films starring Jason Momoa.

David Hasselhoff (Nick Fury)

In the Marvel universe, Samuel L. Jackson’s portrayal of Nick Fury has become iconic to the point that they modeled the comic version from him in the Ultimate universe. Interestingly, the character as originally conceived in the comics bears a stronger resemblance to David Hasselhoff, who was cast to play him in the 1998 TV movie “Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.”, which was intended to be the pilot for an unrealized series on Fox.

Jennifer Garner (Elektra Natchios)

Jennifer Garner portrayed a more playful version of Matt Murdock’s assassin lover, Elektra Natchios, in the 2003 movie Daredevil and its standalone film two years later. Although Garner returned to the role in Deadpool & Wolverine, the version of Elektra that appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, debuting in Season 2 of the Daredevil series, is played by Élodie Yung.

Chris Evans (Human Torch)

Chris Evans is among a small group of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) actors who can claim they once portrayed a superhero from another part of the Marvel Multiverse. Prior to his role as Steve Rogers in Captain America: The First Avenger, he appeared as the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four films from the 2000s, a fact he humorously referenced in Deadpool & Wolverine. Later on, the MCU introduced its own version of Johnny Storm, played by Joseph Quinn.

Lou Ferrigno (Hulk)

Initially, before Mark Ruffalo donned a motion capture suit to embody Bruce Banner’s monstrous alter ego, he was portrayed on the popular TV series, “The Incredible Hulk.” Lou Ferrigno stood in for Bill Bixby as David Banner when he would get enraged, with Ferrigno himself bringing the character to life in live-action. The renowned bodybuilder also provided the voice for the character in the “Incredible Hulk” animated series and made a brief appearance as a security guard in both the 2003 film “Hulk” and the MCU’s first outing featuring Edward Norton.

J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jameson)

Among the select group of actors who have portrayed the same Marvel character in and out of the MCU, J.K. Simmons stands out. This Academy Award winner captivated audiences with his portrayal of the editor-in-chief at the Daily Bugle in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man series, and later transformed the role into that of a conspiracy theorist and podcast host in the more recent films featuring Tom Holland.

Doug Jones (Silver Surfer)

In the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film titled “The Fantastic Four: First Steps“, Emmy-winning actress Julia Garner will bring a distinctive take on the Silver Surfer to life. Doug Jones, known for his expertise in roles requiring performance capture and extensive makeup transformations, collaborates with Laurence Fishburne to portray the initial live-action depiction of the Silver Surfer’s metallic-skinned alien character, which was introduced in the 2007 film “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” through voiceover by Laurence Fishburne.

Robert Hays (Iron Man)

It’s tough to envision any other actor embodying Tony Stark like Academy Award winner Robert Downey Jr., but Iron Man had a starring role in an animated series back in the mid-90s. The voice behind the wealthy vigilante was none other than Robert Hays, who is famous for his part as Ted Striker in the iconic comedy film, “Airplane!”.

Neil Patrick Harris (Spider-Man)

In the year 2003, MTV broadcast a TV series titled “Spider-Man: The New Animated Series“, which was only distantly related to Sam Raimi’s Marvel movies. Instead of Tobey Maguire, Neil Patrick Harris, who would later be part of the cast of “How I Met Your Mother,” lent his voice to Peter Parker. This same Neil Patrick Harris also participated in the 2010 video game, “Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions“.

Eric Allan Kramer (Thor)

Prior to Chris Hemsworth’s iconic portrayal of Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Eric Allan Kramer, known for his roles in Robin Hood: Men in Tights and Good Luck Charlie, was the first actor to play Thor in a live-action setting, appearing in the 1988 TV movie The Incredible Hulk Returns. It’s important to note that Vincent D’Onofrio, who portrayed Dawson in Adventures in Babysitting a year earlier, shared a strong resemblance with Thor, making his performance precede Kramer’s by a year.

Rosemary Harris (Aunt May)

Marisa Tomei, who won an Oscar, may not be the initial choice to portray Aunt May in the Marvel Cinematic Universe due to her image, but Rosemary Harris is remarkably similar to the comic book character and delivers a poignant, memorable performance as May alongside Tobey Maguire’s Peter in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy.

Matt Salinger (Captain America)

A notable portrayal of Steve Rogers before Chris Evans’ version was seen in the 1990 straight-to-video movie “Captain America.” Interestingly, this role was played by Matt Salinger, who is the son of J.D. Salinger, the author of “The Catcher in the Rye,” as he shared with The Guardian.

James Avery (War Machine)

James Avery is primarily recognized as Philip Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air cast, but prior to this role, he also provided the voice for James “Rhodey” Rhodes, also known as War Machine, in the Iron Man animated series. This was years before Don Cheadle and even Terrence Howard portrayed Tony Stark’s companions in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Nicholas Hammond (Spider-Man)

Initially, Nicholas Hammond was the one who embodied the character of Peter Parker in live-action, prior to Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland. Known for his role in “The Sound of Music,” Hammond starred in the CBS series “Spider-Man” and its two TV movies in the late 1970s.

Jennifer Connelly (Betty Ross)

In 2008, Liv Tyler took on the role of Betty Ross, a coworker and romantic interest for Edward Norton’s character Bruce Banner, in the movie “The Incredible Hulk.” Interestingly, Jennifer Connelly, who won an Academy Award, portrayed Betty in the 2003 film “Hulk.” Moreover, she subtly joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe by providing the voice for Karen, an AI within Peter Parker’s advanced suit, in the movie “Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Thomas Jane (The Punisher)

Three different actors were considered before Jon Bernthal landed the role of Frank Castle in the MCU. Thomas Jane was one of them, playing the character in 2004’s “The Punisher.” In this film, Jane portrayed the anti-hero who sought revenge against a corrupt businessman responsible for his family’s untimely deaths, becoming the first to bring the vigilante into the modern era.

Cree Summer (She-Hulk)

Cree Summer is a renowned voice artist, famously lending her voice to numerous animated characters like Susie Carmichael from Nickelodeon’s Rugrats. Additionally, she was one of the first actresses to voice Jennifer Walters, Bruce Banner’s cousin, on the Incredible Hulk TV series nearly two decades before Tatiana Maslany took up the lead role in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law on Disney+.

Michael Chiklis (The Thing)

In their portrayals of Ben “The Thing” Grimm in different movie adaptations of the Fantastic Four comics, Jamie Bell and Ebon Moss-Bachrach utilized computer-generated imagery (CGI), while Michael Chiklis opted for traditional means by wearing a substantial amount of prosthetics to embody the orange, rocky superhero in Tim Story’s films from 2004 and 2007.

Sam Elliott (Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross)

After the death of William Hurt, Harrison Ford took over the role of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in “Captain America: Brave New World”. In this film, the military general-turned-US president transforms into the Red Hulk. Nevertheless, it could be argued that Sam Elliott’s portrayal of the character in 2003’s “Hulk” remains the most intimidating.

Peter Hooten (Dr. Strange)

It’s no wonder that the trippy, otherworldly visuals of the Doctor Strange comics made their way onto our screens in the 1970s, with CBS giving it a try by creating a series centered around Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme. The role was initially played by actor Peter Hooten, but eventually, Benedict Cumberbatch took over as the MCU’s version of Doctor Strange.

Lisa Rinna (Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine)

Lisa Rinna, who currently shines on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, was also the first actor to bring Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine to life in a live-action role back in 1998’s Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this Italian-American noblewoman and CIA director is portrayed by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, best known for her role on Seinfeld.

Conan Stevens (Man-Thing)

In 2005, SyFy broadcasted a weekly horror movie based on the Marvel comic book character Man-Thing, played by Conan Stevens. This character is similar to DC’s Swamp Thing in terms of being a humanoid plant creature. However, in the Disney+ Halloween special, Werewolf by Night, he was depicted more compassionately, with Carey Jones using motion capture to bring him to life on screen.

Ed Asner (J. Jonah Jameson)

Ed Asner, who won an Emmy, played the grumpy journalist Lou Grant for many years on the popular sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and its spin-off titled after the character. This role made him a fitting choice to voice J. Jonah Jameson in “Spider-Man: The Animated Series” during the 1990s. In simpler terms, he was an excellent pick for the role of J. Jonah Jameson in the animated series.

Eric Bana (Bruce Banner)

The initial movie adaptation of Marvel’s “The Incredible Hulk” comics, directed by Ang Lee, featured Australian actor Eric Bana as Bruce Banner. This brilliant physicist was then reprised for the big screen within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Edward Norton played him first in his standalone film released in 2008, and Mark Ruffalo assumed the role in later films.

Ed Gale (Howard The Duck)

One of Marvel Comics’ most peculiar characters, Howard the Duck, is present in the MCU, initially appearing in the post-credit scene of “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Known for his role by Seth Green, this cosmic duck detective first starred in a standalone movie produced by George Lucas. On set, Ed Gale, known for portraying Chucky in “Child’s Play,” wore a duck costume while Chip Zien supplied the voice for the character.

Ioan Gruffudd (Mr. Fantastic)

Prior to Pedro Pascal taking on the role of Reed Richards in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd had previously portrayed the elastic superhero, also known as Mr. Fantastic, in Tim Story’s “Fantastic Four” film series.

Sticky Fingaz (Blade)

It’s important to clarify that Mahershala Ali isn’t directly taking over Wesley Snipes’ role as Blade, as some might assume. Instead, it was rapper Sticky Fingaz who portrayed the vampire hunter in a brief TV series back in 2006.

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2025-06-28 01:41