Robert Downey Jr. Is No Longer the MCU's Most-Recurring Superhero Actor

Robert Downey Jr.'s time as the MCU's most recurring superhero actor has ended, with some fellow Avengers overtaking the Iron Man star's lead. Downey Jr. has long been the face of the MCU, having helped lead the cinematic universe throughout the Infinity Saga as Tony Stark/Iron Man. 

As the MCU has continued to grow, now spanning over 50 projects, it has granted more actors a chance to reprise their superhero roles multiple times, and several of them are now competing for that top spot as the MCU's most regular superhero star. 

Which Superhero Actors Have Appeared the Most in the MCU?

Robert Downey Jr.

For a time, Robert Downey Jr. held the record for the most MCU appearances. As of now, the actor has 11 different MCU projects on record, ten of those as Tony Stark and one as Victor von Doom in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. After Avengers: Endgame killed off his character, it seemed like Downey Jr.'s time in the MCU was complete, until it was announced he would have a new life in the MCU as one of its villains. 

Now that he has a new path forward, Downey Jr.'s number of MCU appearances is only set to go up, and he has a chance at reclaiming the top spot, particularly if the rumors of a cameo in The Fantastic Four: First Steps are true. All of Downey Jr.'s MCU projects are listed below:

1. Iron Man
2. The Incredible Hulk
3. Iron Man 2
4. The Avengers
5. Iron Man 3
6. Avengers: Age of Ultron
7. Captain America: Civil War
8. Spider-Man: Homecoming
9. Avengers: Infinity War
10. Avengers: Endgame
11. Avengers: Doomsday

Sebastian Stan

Another Marvel mainstay, Sebastian Stan's role as Bucky Barnes (aka the Winter Soldier) has afforded him 11 roles in the MCU, which is on par with Downey Jr.'s run. However, if you take into account Stan's voice role in the animated series What If...? then this actually bumps his number up to 12 MCU appearances. 

After initially being introduced as Captain America's best friend in Captain America: The First Avenger, Bucky Barnes has had a fascinating journey in the MCU. He was brainwashed by HYDRA to become the ruthless Winter Soldier, sparked a civil war among the Avengers, fought for the legacy of Captain America's mantle, and then eventually joined the Thunderbolts. 

Stan's MCU appearances are as follows:

1. Captain America: The First Avenger
2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
3. Ant-Man
4. Captain America: Civil War
5. Black Panther
6. Avengers: Infinity War
7. Avengers: Endgame
8. Captain America: Brave New World
9. Thunderbolts*
10. Avengers: Doomsday
11. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier
12. What If...?

Chris Hemsworth

Another founding member of the Avengers, Chris Hemsworth's time in the MCU as Thor Odinson has granted him 14 total Marvel Studios projects. Ten of these appearances are in major Marvel films, including the Thor quadrilogy, and the Avengers films. However, Hemsworth has also appeared in a few unexpected places in the MCU, including in a cut cameo as Throg in Loki Season 1, and as Thor in the two Team Thor short films. He will also reprise his role as the God of Thunder in Avengers: Doomsday.

Hemsworth's MCU projects include:

1. Thor
2. The Avengers
3. Thor: The Dark World
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron
5. Doctor Strange
6. Thor: Ragnarok
7. Avengers: Infinity War
8. Avengers: Endgame
9. Thor: Love and Thunder
10. Avengers: Doomsday
11. Loki (Throg cameo)
12. What If...?
13. Team Thor: Part 1
14. Team Thor: Part 2

Chris Evans

Captain America is one of Marvel's most iconic characters, so it makes sense that Chris Evans has garnered a fair few MCU projects as the character. Evans' total stands at 13 MCU, with three of these appearances as the lead in Captain America films. 

While Evans' run as Steve Rogers came to an end after Avengers: Endgame, the actor had the rare chance to reprise his role as a different hero in the MCU, the Human Torch from Fox's Fantastic Four films, which he did in Deadpool & Wolverine. While the actor has denied it publicly, he is also heavily rumored for a role in Avengers: Doomsday.

1. Captain America: The First Avenger
2. The Avengers
3. Thor: The Dark World
4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
5. Avengers: Age of Ultron
6. Ant-Man
7. Captain America: Civil War
8. Spider-Man: Homecoming
9. Avengers: Infinity War
10. Captain Marvel
11. Avengers: Endgame
12. Deadpool & Wolverine
13. Avengers: Doomsday

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury is the man responsible for assembling the Avengers, so it's fitting that he would be the superhero actor with the most MCU appearances.

In total, Jackson has 15 different projects as Nick Fury under his belt, with his appearances ranging from all corners of the MCU, from Iron Man, to Captain Marvel, and the animated What If...? series. Jackson also earned a lead role in the Disney+ series Secret Invasion and was one of the few Marvel Studios film stars to appear in Agents of SHIELD. All of his MCU appearances are below:

1. Iron Man
2. Iron Man 2
3. Thor
4. Captain America: The First Avenger
5. The Avengers
6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
7. Avengers: Age of Ultron
8. Avengers: Infinity War
9. Captain Marvel
10. Avengers: Endgame
11. Spider-Man: Far From Home
12. The Marvels
13. Secret Invasion
14. What If...?
15. Agents of SHIELD

While these are the superhero actors who have appeared the most in Marvel Studios projects, very few have appeared in all six Phases of the MCU.