Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has assembled an incredible cast, many of whom will be familiar to Marvel and DC fans. Thanks to the ever-expanding cinematic universes of the MCU and DCU, it's rare to find a Hollywood A-lister who hasn't touched a superhero project. Nolan's newest film has gathered what might be his most high-profile cast list ever, and with that comes a major crossover of Marvel and DC stars (although one notable Nolan regular will be missing).
The Odyssey is an adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek poem, telling the story of Odysseus and his army as they try to return home after the Trojan War and face a series of dangerous, fantastical obstacles along the way. When audiences head to cinemas on July 17 to see The Odyssey, these are the Marvel and DC stars they'll catch in the new epic.
2026's The Odyssey Movie Features Lots of Marvel and DC Actors
Tom Holland
Tom Holland is having a busy 2026 with his starring role in The Odyssey (his first Nolan film) as Telemachus, along with his return to the MCU as Spider-Man, in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Holland has been the MCU's Spider-Man for ten years now, first appearing in Captain America: Civil War, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be his fourth solo Spider-Man outing. The film will release just a few weeks after The Odyssey, in which Holland's Telemechus, the prince of Ithaca, attempts to find his lost father, Odysseus.
Zendaya
Zendaya is another MCU star working with Christopher Nolan for the first time on The Odyssey. After appearing alongside her on-screen and off-screen partner, Tom Holland, as MJ in the Spider-Man films since 2017, Zendaya will be featured in The Odyssey as Athena, the goddess of wisdom, who appears to Odysseus during his journey. Marvel fans know Zendaya well for her portrayal of MJ in the Spider-Man movies, and she'll be back in the same role for this summer's Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Robert Pattinson
Robert Pattinson will play Antinous in The Odyssey, one of the suitors in Ithaca who attempts to gain leadership of the kingdom by marrying Odysseus' wife, Penelope, in his absence.
Pattinson has worked with Nolan only once before on Tenet, but the pair also share a connection in that they've both adapted one of the most iconic DC characters to screen: Batman. Nolan famously directed The Dark Knight trilogy between 2005 and 2012, but Pattinson took on the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman much more recently, in 2022's The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves.
Pattinson will continue to play Batman in the upcoming sequel, The Batman: Part II, which is likely to be in production when The Odyssey releases in cinemas.
Anne Hathaway
Speaking of Nolan's Batman trilogy, Anne Hathaway is another regular star in the director's films, having appeared in The Dark Knight Rises and the upcoming The Odyssey.
Hathaway was the fourth actress to bring Catwoman to life in live-action in The Dark Knight Rises, where she played a femme fatale foil to Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne. In The Odyssey, Hathaway is playing Penelope, Odysseus' loyal wife who has been holding court at Ithaca in his absence.
Jon Bernthal
Jon Bernthal has been in the Marvel universe for years, starring in Netflix's Daredevil and The Punisher, but he's made a comeback in the MCU in a big way recently, starring in The Punisher: One Last Kill and this summer's Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Bernthal's year is about to get even bigger when The Odyssey is released, in which he stars as Menelaus, the Greek king of Sparta and a mentor to Holland's Telemachus.
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron's time in the MCU has barely begun, but she was set up for a much larger role after she cameoed as Clea in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
While fans wait for that to pan out, Theron will play a different kind of magic-wielder in The Odyssey, where she stars as Calypso, a nymph on the island of Ogygia, who tempts Odysseus to stray from his path.
Lupita Nyong'o
Fans have come to know Lupita Nyong'o as the fierce Wakanda war dog, Nakia, in the Black Panther films.
She will also be present in Nolan's The Odyssey, playing two characters: Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra. Helen of Troy is the wife of Menelaus, whose abduction starts the Trojan War. Meanwhile, Clytemnestra is the wife of Agamemnon, the Greek king of Mycenae.
Elliot Page
It's been some time since Elliot Page starred in a superhero film, last appearing in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past, and before that, 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand. Page plays Kitty Pryde in the films, and with many of his co-stars tapped to reprise their roles in Avengers: Doomsday, it remains to be seen whether Page will do the same.
In The Odyssey, Page will reunite with Nolan for the second time since Inception, although who exactly he is playing is a secret for now.
Matt Damon
Even Odysseus himself, Matt Damon, has played a small part in the superhero world. Damon makes a small cameo as "Loki" in Thor: Ragnarok, where he and Luke Hemsworth play stage actors putting on a play of Thor and Loki's life story while Tom Hiddleston's Loki poses as Odin, ruling over Asgard.
Damon's role will be much more significant in The Odyssey, in which he leads the film as Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, on a perilous decades-long voyage home.
Will Yun Lee
One of Odysseus' shipmates in The Odyssey is played by Will Yun Lee, who fans may recognize from his role alongside Hugh Jackman in The Wolverine in 2013. Lee played Kenuichio Yarada, the head of the Black Ninja Clan and the former lover of Mariko.
Mia Goth
Pearl and MaxXxine star Mia Goth has been cast in The Odyssey as Melantho, one of the handmaids to Odysseus and Penelope in Ithaca. Goth has yet to make her superhero debut, but she was confirmed to be cast in Marvel Studios' Blade film in an undisclosed role. The question now is if it will ever happen or if Goth will be drawn to a different superhero part in the meantime.
Nick E. Tarabay
Nick E. Tarabay may be better known for his roles in Spartacus: Blood and Sand or The Expanse, but he's also spent some time in the superhero world, playing Captain Boomerang in Arrow. Tarabay appeared in three episodes of Arrow as the Australian boomerang-swinging villain. He's also set to appear in The Odyssey this year, but his role remains under wraps.
James Remar
Another actor in an undisclosed role in The Odyssey is James Remar, who has actually appeared in two different Marvel franchises. In 2004, Remar played FBI Agent Ray Cumberland in Blade: Trinity, and in 2011, he appeared in X-Men: First Class as one of the US Generals.
Josh Stewart
Another returning star from Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises days is Josh Stewart, who starred in the Batman film as Bane's second-in-command, Barsad. His role is unnamed in The Odyssey at present.
Jovan Adepo
Having recently starred in IT: Welcome to Derry and 3 Body Problem, Jovan Adepo is about to break out in a big way in The Odyssey, in which he plays an unannounced character. Adepo has also worked in the world of comic books, playing Will Reeves, aka Hooded Justice, in HBO's Watchmen TV series.
