With her most recent Marvel appearance at the end of Phase 5, Marvel star Julia Louis-Dreyfus broke an unexpected MCU record with her role as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Also known as Val, Louis-Dreyfus' character is a major antagonist/antihero in the MCU who helped assemble a team of powered antiheroes/former villains for a new mission in 2025's Thunderbolts*.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus broke the record for most appearances by any actor/actress as a villain in the Multiverse Saga with her appearance in 2025's Thunderbolts*. Initially, many were expecting Jonathan Majors to take that honor after he played Kang the Conqueror in both seasons of Loki and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. However, Majors was fired from his role after being convicted of reckless assault and harassment in December 2023.
Actors & Actresses With the MCU's Most Multiverse Saga Appearances
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Val
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is now tied for the record for the most appearances in Marvel Studios' Multiverse Saga by any actor, and she has the most for any female actress and anyone playing a villain.
She was first introduced in two episodes of 2021's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, a mysterious figure with ties to high-ranking government officials. She then helped John Walker in his rebrand, moving past his Captain America title to label him as U.S. Agent.
Val then showed up a second time in Black Widow's post-credits scene, meeting with Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova and giving her the assignment to take out Hawkeye for supposedly killing Natasha Romanoff. Over a year later, Val was revealed to be the director of the CIA in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, expressing her desire to gain new levels of power with Wakanda's vibranium.
Most recently, Thunderbolts* put Val in a position of vulnerability when she was investigated for her work with the Oxe Group and her practices as the CIA director. She then set the eventual Thunderbolts team up to kill one another, hoping to eliminate threats to her safety, as she hid Project Sentry from the world at the same time.
By the end of the movie, she turned things around on the titular team by dubbing them "The New Avengers" to the press.
Benedict Wong - Wong
Following his initial debut in 2016's Doctor Strange, Benedict Wong is tied with Louis-Dreyfus for the most appearances across the Multiverse Saga as the now-Sorcerer Supreme Wong.
Wong was first seen in 2021's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, training the Abomination in a cage battle before taking the former villain back to his cell. He also shows up in Shang-Chi's final scene and mid-credits scene, bringing the titular hero in for a meeting with the Avengers and diving into the history of the Ten Rings.
Returning for one scene in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans learned of his promotion to Sorcerer Supreme as he warned Doctor Strange against using the Runes of Kof Kal to help Peter Parker with his problems. He returned for an appearance in Disney+'s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, serving as a witness in Emil Blonsky's parole hearing before hiring Jennifer Walters for his own legal battle.
Most recently, Wong played a small role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, defending Kamar-Taj from the Scarlet Witch before reluctantly helping Wanda Maximoff find Mount Wundagore.
Charlie Cox - Matt Murdock/Daredevil
Charlie Cox has quickly racked up appearances in the Multiverse Saga over the last four years, tying Louis-Dreyfus and Wong with four projects in which he has played Matt Murdock/Daredevil.
This started with 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, in which Cox had one short scene offering Peter Parker legal advice and calling himself "a really good lawyer." Less than a year later, he showed back up in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, initially fighting Jennifer Walters in court and in a parking garage before engaging in a fun one-night stand with her and kicking off a fun fling.
2024 brought Cox back for a short cameo in Disney+'s Echo, in which he was shown to have not died from Thanos' Snap as he fought Echo in a warehouse as he looked for the Kingpin.
This led to his starring role in 2025's Daredevil: Born Again, which largely showed him out of the Daredevil suit after losing Foggy Nelson and working to restart his life in a new law firm. Eventually, however, he suited up in the red costume once again, leading to him building a team of fighters around him ahead of Season 2.
Sebastian Stan - Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier
Following multiple Infinity Saga credits, Sebatian Stan continues his tenure as James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes/Winter Soldier in a trio of Multiverse Saga entries.
This starts off with a co-leading role in 2021's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which reunites him with Sam Wilson after being pardoned for his crimes as an assassin. Working with Sam to stop the Flag Smashers, he finds his place as a hero once more and learns how to deal with his dark past and embrace the good in life.
Following a short cameo in 2025's Captain America: Brave New World, which reveals him to be a Congressman, he returns as a key player in 2025's Thunderbolts*. Moving past his time on Capitol Hill, he helps assemble the Thunderbolts to push back against Val and eventually stop Sentry, which leads to the team being branded as the New Avengers as Bucky keeps up his work as a hero.
Florence Pugh - Yelena Belova
Although Florence Pugh was not introduced to the MCU until the Multiverse Saga, her Yelena Belova is quickly becoming one of the saga's most important and popular characters.
Starting her run next to Scarlett Johansson in Black Widow, she was shown to be a Red Room assassin before being broken of the mind control General Dreykov held over her. She then helped Nataha Romanoff take down the Red Room and free countless other Black Widows, starting her path towards redemption.
Yelena then returned for 2021's Hawkeye, building an intriguing relationship with Kate Bishop as she sought to take out Clint Barton for an assignment from Val. Fighting both Kate and Clint in the show's last three episodes, she eventually learned Clint was not responsible for Nataha's death, helping her realize she was being manipulated.
Later, 2025's Thunderbolts* featured her in a headlining role, continuing her story as she worked for Val while trying to find her place in the world after Natasha's death. She found herself leading the team against Val and doing her best to hold Lewis Pullman's Sentry at bay, all before she got leverage on Val when the team became the New Avengers.
Brie Larson - Captain Marvel
After debuting in the MCU at the end of the Infinity Saga, Brie Larson has made three more appearances in the MCU during the Multiverse Saga's first four years.
Her first two appearances came in cameo form, first in 2021's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and then in 2022's Ms. Marvel. Shang-Chi featured her alongside Bruce Banner, Wong, and Shang-Chi as the Avengers were "assembled" at Kamar-Taj, and in The Marvels, she was randomly switched with Kamala Khan into Kamala's bedroom due to an interaction with Dar-Benn's bangle.
Then, fans saw that scene once more in The Marvels, which brought Larson back in a leading role as she joined both Monica Rambeau and Ms. Marvel for a new fight. Together, they stopped Dar-Benn from sending the universe into chaos, kicking off a story that should be a vital part of what's ahead in the Multiverse Saga
Vincent D'Onofrio - Kingpin
Finally reintroduced after three long years, Vincent D'Onofrio is now just behind Louis-Dreyfus, Wong, and Cox with three appearances in the Multiverse Saga in his role as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin.
Fisk was first brought back in 2021's Hawkeye after weeks of teases, being revealed as the person behind the Tracksuit Mafia and seeking to regain a stronghold over New York. The show ended with Maya Lopez/Echo, his adoptive niece, shooting him in the eye, but he would come back as strong as ever in 2024's Echo.
Following a reunion with Maya, Echo concluded with Fisk beginning to plan out his path towards being the Mayor of New York, which came to fruition in Daredevil: Born Again. However, as he pushed to change New York fast in Season 1, he was still as ruthless as ever in hunting down vigilantes and trying to keep the city "safe."
