Marvel Studios has over a dozen heroes who call New York City (NYC) their home base of operations. Naturally, as the most populous city in the United States by a wide margin, New York City is one of the biggest settings across the entire MCU. Eighteen years into the franchise's run, it continues to be one of the most important locations for a vast number of heroes still putting in work as Earth's protectors.
Camila Rodriguez reprised her role as Angela Del Toro in Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again after debuting in Season 1. This season, she also takes over the mantle of the White Tiger, fighting alongside Daredevil and Karen Page against the rising crime spree in New York City under Wilson Fisk's rule as mayor.
Angela follows in the footsteps of her uncle, Kamar de los Reyes' Hector Ayala, who was the original White Tiger in Born Again Season 1. de los Reyes passed away in December 2023 before his character was killed early in Season 1.
This makes Angela Del Toro's White Tiger the 14th hero based in New York City in the MCU. Ahead are the other major characters in the MCU who call the city that never sleeps home.
Every MCU Hero Living in New York City
Spider-Man
One of the Marvel heroes most closely tied to New York City, especially in the MCU, is Tom Holland's Spider-Man. About to make his seventh MCU appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, this young hero was introduced to the franchise in 2016's Captain America: Civil War, which set his hometown as the borough of Queens, New York.
Outside of Spider-Man: Far From Home, all his solo stories have been primarily set in New York, and he is seen there briefly in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War and 2019's Avengers: Endgame. Brand New Day will bring him back to the Big Apple once again, likely taking place almost entirely in this city.
Doctor Strange
Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Stephen Strange has called New York home for his entire MCU tenure. Starting his run in 2016's Doctor Strange, almost every movie he has appeared in has shown him in one part of the city or another.
Originally a top neurosurgeon in NYC, he moved to the New York Sanctum when he began practicing the Mystic Arts. He eventually became the master of the New York Sanctum, which he has called his home base for years.
Bruce Banner
One of New York City's staples in the MCU is Bruce Banner, who has called the Big Apple home for years. Traveling worldwide to deal with his angry green alter-ego in his early days, he has since settled at multiple Avengers facilities.
Mark Ruffalo will play Bruce Banner once again in 2026's Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Here, he may be either a teacher or a guest lecturer at one of New York's colleges, as Peter is seen approaching him while wearing an Empire State University sweater (a fictional college in Marvel's NYC), though it is unclear whether Peter is a student here.
Daredevil
Known as "The Devil of Hell's Kitchen," Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock is one of New York's most prominent vigilantes. Starting in his early days on Netflix (which are now considered canon to the greater MCU), he suited up as Daredevil to protect Hell's Kitchen and the city from villains like Wilson Fisk, the Hand, and Bullseye.
Moving into his days under Marvel Studios' watch, all of his appearances in Phase 4 and beyond have set him in New York City (outside of his detour to Los Angeles, California, in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law). He now returns to New York City in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, bringing justice to Wilson Fisk as he terrorizes the city as mayor.
The Punisher
Just like Matt Murdock, Frank Castle/The Punisher is a longtime New York City regular. Entering the MCU in The Punisher Season 2, Jon Bernthal's hero began inflicting his more violent brand of justice on the city and continued doing so in his solo The Punisher series, specifically in the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.
After coming back to the MCU in Born Again, Frank will return to New York City in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as teased by a wild interaction with Spider-Man in the first Brand New Day trailer. His upcoming Disney+ Special Presentation, The Punisher: One Last Kill, will do the same, setting him up for a battle with the Guncci crime family.
Jessica Jones
Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones is one of the MCU's longest-tenured New York City heroes/vigilantes. Just like Charlie Cox's Daredevil, Jessica operates out of Hell's Kitchen in the three seasons of her Netflix solo show, only rarely leaving the confines of the Big Apple for her work and superhero antics.
This will continue to be the case for Jessica when she returns in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, which is expected to happen in the near future. She will be back in New York next to Daredevil, joining him in the fight against Kingpin.
Kate Bishop
Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop has not seen action in the MCU outside of New York City during her five-year tenure with Marvel Studios. Initially living in an NYC penthouse with her parents during the Battle of New York, she has her own apartment above Hearman's Hearty Slice in Hawkeye before the Tracksuit Mafia burns it down.
While her current location is unknown, she was confirmed to still live in New York in the final scene of The Marvels, which showed her first interaction with Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan.
Yelena Belova
Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova did not start out as a New Yorker; her story began in Russia as a Black Widow operative. Spending 2021's Black Widow out of the United States, her first experience in New York City was in Hawkeye, as she hunted down Clint Barton and initiated her strange bond with Kate Bishop.
She then spent most of 2025's Thunderbolts* in the Big Apple, fighting the threat of the Void alongside other former associates of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. By the end of the movie, she establishes herself firmly in the city, as she and the New Avengers take over the building formerly known as the Avengers Tower.
Red Guardian
David Harbour's Alexei Shostakov, better known as the Red Guardian, is another newcomer to New York City. After years as the Soviet Union's top supersoldier, he was imprisoned in Russia during Black Widow before being rescued and helping Natasha Romanoff.
Thunderbolts* showed him living in Washington, D.C., at the start of the movie, before he teamed up with the rest of the Thunderbolts (a team name he created). By the end of the movie (complete with a colorful, advertisement-filled tracksuit), he took residence in the New Avengers' tower alongside Yelena.
Ghost
Hannah John-Kamen's Ava Starr/Ghost has spent time all over the world during her MCU tenure. First seen in 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp, she was shown to have lived in Argentina with her parents before their deaths, then moved to an orphanage and eventually was taken in by Bill Foster and SHIELD.
Her first appearance sets her up living in a hideout in San Francisco before she meets Yelena Belova, John Walker, and Bob Reynolds in Malaysia in Thunderbolts*. By the end of the movie, she joins the rest of the New Avengers in their tower, establishing herself in New York City.
Bob (Sentry)
Lewis Pullman's Robert Reynolds, later known as Sentry, is first seen in Val's OXE facility in Malaysia in Thunderbolts*. While his origins are unknown, his file in the movie notes that he is from Sarasota Springs, Florida, before he is locked up by OXE and later returns to the United States.
He spends much of Thunderbolts* being built up by Val as a new hero before his dark alter-ego, the Void, takes over and engulfs New York City in darkness. After coming out victorious, he moves into the New Avengers' tower, establishing residence in NYC.
Bucky Barnes
Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes is one of the MCU's earliest NYC residents, although he has also been all over the world. Born in 1917, he moved to New York in his youth and befriended Steve Rogers in Brooklyn, eventually enlisting in the United States Army and serving overseas.
Taken by the Russians and turned into the Winter Soldier, he defies his programming and rediscovers himself across the MCU, eventually becoming a United States Congressman representing his hometown of Brooklyn. He is still a New York resident by the end of the film, as one of the leading members of the New Avengers.
John Walker
Wyatt Russell's John Walker is originally from Georgia, but much of his action in the MCU takes place in New York City. Starting in 2021's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Walker operated as the new Captain America before his rebranding as the U.S. Agent.
He returned in Thunderbolts* alongside Yelena, Ghost, and the rest of the team before jumping into battle against the Void. As with the rest of the team, Walker is an established resident of the former Avengers tower by the end of the movie.
BONUS: Wong
Benedict Wong's Wong has been a mainstay in the MCU's New York scene since his debut in 2016's Doctor Strange. Originally based in Kamar-Taj in Nepal in the original movie, his work with Benedict Cumberbatch's Stephen Strange most often takes him to the New York Sanctum on Bleeker Street.
Seen often across the MCU's Phase 4 slate, most of Wong's MCU appearances have put him in New York City (outside of his work in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law in Los Angeles). Now, he spends plenty of time in New York City working as the Sorcerer Supreme for those studying the Mystic Arts in Kamar Taj
BONUS: Luke Cage
Mike Colter's Luke Cage is a longtime New York regular in the MCU, largely operating out of Harlem. He kept this neighborhood safe throughout his time on Netflix, eventually running Harlem's Paradise nightclub after Mariah Dillard left it to him in her will.
Absent from the MCU since 2018, Colter is expected to reprise his role as Luke Cage in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, as he was seen in set photos alongside the rest of the Defenders stars. While his role is not yet confirmed, he is expected to still be managing Harlem's Paradise when he reunites with his NYC teammates.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
