Marvel Studios has a long history of picking up the best and biggest actors in Hollywood to fill up its casts. Oscar-winning actors like Christian Bale, Brie Larson, and more have all tackled major roles within the Marvel universe, and yet the studio has rarely seen much success in its own right when it comes to awards.
The studio has long been snubbed for nominations and wins at the Oscars, and now, Marvel has the opportunity to be ignored in a new area as Disney+ brings the MCU to TV and the Emmy Awards. That being said, Marvel Studios did see some success last year as WandaVision picked up the first Emmy Award for the studio.
Recently, Disney and Marvel have begun Emmy Award campaigns for several of its biggest series - including many of its actors. While the studio only picked up a few of the nominations it was hoping for, many of the stars involved in the MCU have received nominations for their other projects.
Every Marvel Actor Nominated for 2022's Emmy Awards
Donald Glover
Donald Glover's time in the MCU as his only cameo came in Spider-Man: Homecoming when he played Miles Morales' uncle, Aaron Davis, aka the Prowler. The actor famously created and stars in Atlanta, a comedic exploration of a fictional rapper. Glover has now been nominated for "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" for his role as Earnest "Earn" Marks, maintaining his trend of receiving an acting Emmy nomination for every season of Atlanta.
Nicholas Hoult
Nicholas Hoult once played Beast in Fox's X-Men universe, now he's going up against Glover for "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series." The former Marvel star was nominated for his role as Peter III of Russia in The Great, a historical Black-comedy set in 18th century Russia.
Issa Rae
Issa Rae has yet to make her Marvel debut, but she will do so soon as she voices Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse next year. For now, she's up for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series" for her portrayal of Issa Dee in Insecure.
Brett Goldstein
Brett Goldstein only just made his MCU debut in the post-credits stinger of Thor: Love and Thunder as he was introduced to the world as Hercules. Goldstein is by far best known for his performance as Roy Kent on Apple TV+'s sports-comedy Ted Lasso, which earned him a nomination for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series" opposite several of his co-stars.
Henry Winkler
Many may not be aware that Henry Winkler, best known for appearing in Happy Days, had played a Marvel role, and justifiably so. Winkler played Star-Lord's grandpa in the Guardians of the Galaxy animation series. Now, he plays acting coach Gene Cousineau on Barry, placing him in the running for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series."
Christopher McDonald
Secret Invasion will soon see Christopher McDonald join the MCU in an unknown role, but for now, he's nominated for "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series." McDonald appeared in a guest role as casino CEO Marty Ghilain in Hacks, earning him his Emmy acknowledgment.
Sam Richardson
Sam Richardson voiced Gary in the recently-canceled MODOK animated series, but he also played Ghanaian billionaire Edwin Akufo in Ted Lasso, justifying his "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series" nomination.
Brian Cox
Brian Cox hasn't appeared in the Marvel world for almost 20 years, as he played the CIA's William Stryker in X-Men 2. This year, the Scottish star was nominated for Succession in the category of "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" after starring as media conglomerate CEO Logan Roy.
Zendaya
Zendaya needs no introduction after playing Peter Parker's love interest MJ in the MCU Spider-Man trilogy opposite Tom Holland. She's also recently become widely recognized for her role as high school drug addict Rue in Euphoria, earning her a nomination for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series," making her the youngest two-time lead acting nominee in Emmy history.
Sydney Sweeney
Once again earning her nomination for Euphoria, this time in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series," Syndey Sweeney will join Sony's corner of the Marvel universe next year with Madame Web, in which she will play an unknown role.
Arian Moayed
Arian Moayed has had two MCU appearances as Damage Control's Agent Cleary: Spider-Man: No Way Home and Ms. Marvel. His nomination is for "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series" for his appearance in the immensely popular Succession as Stewy Hosseini.
James Cromwell
Having been nominated for "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series" for Succession, in which he plays Ewan Roy, James Cromwell hasn't appeared in the Marvel world for 15 years. The actor played Captain Stacy, the father of Gwen Stacy, in Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man 3.
Tom Pelphrey
Tom Pelphrey is also up for "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series," but his nomination is for his performance as Ben Davis in Ozark. The actor joined the Marvel universe in Iron Fist, in which he played the villainous Ward Meachum.
Hope Davis
Captain America: Civil War featured a brief hologram-induced flashback to Tony Stark's childhood, which placed a lot of emphasis on his relationship with his father. But his mother, Maria Stark, was also present and was played by Hope Davis, who has this year been nominated for "Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series" for Succession.
Martha Kelly
Martha Kelly has also been nominated for "Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series," this time for appearing as Euphoria's Laurie. She has only had a minor stint in the MCU, and that was as a tour guide in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Andrew Garfield
Speaking of Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield is up for his second major acting nomination this year, having previously been put forward for the Oscars' "Best Actor" award. This time, he's nominated for "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie" for Under the Banner of Heaven.
Oscar Isaac
The award for "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie" is stacked with Marvel stars, including Oscar Isaac. The Moon Knight star may not be nominated for his highly-acclaimed MCU performance as Steven Grant/Marc Spector, but he is up for Scenes from a Marriage.
Michael Keaton
Put forward in the same category, Michael Keaton, aka Marvel's Vulture and DC's Batman, is in the running for his performance in Dopesick. One can only imagine in the scripts there was a drastic improvement on what he was given to work with for Morbius' post-credits scene.
Sebastian Stan
Once again for starring in a limited series, Sebastian Stan, who was last seen as Bucky Barnes in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, is nominated for his starring role in the popular Pam & Tommy. The biographical drama chronicles the real-life marriage between Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee.
Murray Bartlett
Murray Bartlett is in Emmy contention for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie" after appearing in The White Locus. Bartlett appeared as psychiatrist Paul Edmonds in Iron Fist, in which he treated Finn Jones' Danny Rand.
Will Poulter
British star Will Poulter just wrapped production on his MCU debut, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, in which he will play Adam Warlock. There's still almost a year to go before his first appearance in May 2023, but for now, Poulter is nominated for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie" for Dopesick.
Michael Stuhlbarg
Opposite Poulter for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie" is his Dopesick co-star Michael Stuhlbarg. Despite only seeing a minor role as Dr. Nicodemus West in both Doctor Strange movies, Stuhlbarg received top billing on the cast listings for his two MCU appearances.
Chadwick Boseman
Two years after passing away, Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman received his first and last Emmy nomination for his MCU role as T'Challa/Star-Lord in What If...?. The acknowledgment is for "Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance," and Boseman goes up against two of his Marvel co-stars.
Jeffrey Wright
Much like Boseman, What If...?'s The Watcher actor Jeffrey Wright is up for "Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance" for his MCU performance. Wright's nomination specifically names his acting in Episode 8, "What If… Ultron Won?," where The Watcher played by far his biggest role.
F. Murray Abraham
In another corner of the MCU, F. Murray Abraham caught a nomination for "Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance" for playing Khonshu in Moon Knight Episode 3, "The Friendly Type." Only time will tell if any of the three actors can take home the award to win Marvel Studios its first acting Emmy.
Stanley Tucci
Within the same category, Captain America: The First Avenger's Abraham Erskine actor Stanley Tucci was nominated for Central Park. The musical adult animated sitcom stars many major actors, including Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn, but only Tucci saw a nomination.
Maya Rudolph
While it wasn't technically a Marvel production, 2014's Big Hero 6 animated movie was based on the publisher's comics of the same name. Maya Rudolph played Aunt Cass in the Disney flick and is now nominated for "Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance" for Big Mouth.
Jessica Walter
Arrested Development star Jessica Walter tragically passed away in March, and now, she has received an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance" for Archer. Most will be unfamiliar with Walter's Marvel appearance, as she played Morgan LeFay in Dr. Strange (1978), an adaptation most MCU fans probably won't even be aware exists.
Lupita Nyong'o
In a lesser-known category, Lupita Nyong'o earned a nomination for "Outstanding Narrator" for Serengeti II, a wildlife documentary series exploring the African region. Nyong'o will soon reprise her role as Nakia in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on November 11.
Jacinte Blankenship
Lastly, Jacinte Blankenship received an acknowledgment for "Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series" for Intersection. Blankenship's only Marvel appearance was a brief one as she appeared as one of General Ross' agents in 2021's Black Widow.
Marvel Nabs the Best Talent
Marvel has recruited countless star-studded and talented actors over the years, and the whopping 30 nominations collected by its actors certainly signify that. So, even though Marvel Studios didn't pick up any acting nominations of its own, except for the three voice-over acknowledgments, this list is still a testament to the talent of its stars.
Loki looks to be Marvel's biggest Emmy success story of 2022, having scored six nominations across various categories. Only time will tell if Tom Hiddleston's Disney+ series can take home any of its potential prizes, but it would undoubtedly be an excellent boost for the show ahead of next year's Season 2.
The 2022 Emmy Award winners will be announced at the official ceremony on Tuesday, September 13.
