9 Oscar Winners Who Have Done Marvel Films, And 9 I Would Love To See Do One
The MCU will be 10x stronger after Frances McDormand has joined.
The MCU — and the interrelated SSU (Sony's Spider-Man Universe) — is chock full of outstanding actors; I'm sure you'll agree. Some are even Academy Award winners!
With the universes set to expand even further in the future, let's take a look back at some Oscar winners who have already made appearances in the MCU/SSU, as well as Oscar winners who should definitely make their Marvel debut asap!
1. Already appeared — Natalie Portman
Oscar win: Best Actress for Black Swan in 2011.
Role in the MCU: Jane Foster in Thor, Thor: The Dark World, and the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder.
2. Should appear — Al Pacino
Oscar win: Best Actor for Scent of a Woman in 1993.
Prospective role in the MCU: I feel like he'd be a good Nick Fury type leader — stern, but his heart is in the right place. Something akin to his House of Gucci character!
3. Already appeared — Anthony Hopkins
Oscar wins: Best Actor for The Silence of the Lambs in 1991 and Best Actor for The Father in 2020.
Role in the MCU: Odin in Thor, Thor: The Dark World, and Thor: Ragnarok.
4. Should appear — Frances McDormand
Oscar wins: Best Actress for Fargo in 1997, Best Actress for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri in 2018, and Best Actress for Nomadland in 2021.
Prospective role in the MCU: I mean, she has to be a villain, right? Someone high up in government with an insidious agenda that gets revealed at the height of the film.
5. Already appeared — Lupita Nyong'o
Oscar win: Best Supporting Actress for 12 Years a Slave in 2014.
Role in the MCU: Nakia in Black Panther and the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
6. Should appear — Olivia Colman
Oscar win: Best Actress for The Favourite in 2019.
Prospective role in the MCU: I kind of want to see Liv as a villain, too! Maybe she could be France McDormand's equally evil sidekick.
7. Already appeared — Gwyneth Paltrow
Oscar win: Best Actress for Shakespeare in Love in 1999.
Role in the MCU: Pepper Potts in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.
8. Should appear — Morgan Freeman
Oscar win: Best Supporting Actor for Million Dollar Baby in 2004.
Prospective role in the MCU: He's played it before, but I'd like to see Morgan as a Pennyworth-type character — caring yet formidable and full of wisdom!
9. Already appeared — Ben Kingsley
Oscar win: Best Actor for Gandhi in 1983.
Role in the MCU: Trevor Slattery/Mandarin in Iron Man 3, Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
10. Should appear — Jeremy Irons
Oscar win: Best Actor for Reversal of Fortune in 1990.
Prospective role in the MCU: I kinda need him to bring that campy villainous Scar energy to the MCU, possibly in an alien warlord type of role à la Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser.
11. Already appeared — Angelina Jolie
Oscar win: Best Supporting Actress for Girl, Interrupted in 2003.
Role in the MCU: Thena in Eternals.
12. Should appear — Javier Bardem
Oscar win: Best Supporting Actor for No Country for Old Men in 2008.
Prospective role in the MCU: I mean, his Bond villain was iconic! However, I would kind of love to see Javier as a sexy, stay at home husband to some sort of badass woman. Basically like a gender swapped Clint and Laura Barton!
13. Already appeared — Jamie Foxx
Oscar win: Best Actor for Ray in 2005.
Role in the MCU: Max Dillon/Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
14. Should appear — Whoopi Goldberg
Oscar win: Best Supporting Actress for Ghost in 1990.
Prospective role in the MCU: She needs to run S.H.I.E.L.D. I mean, COME ON!
15. Already appeared — Cate Blanchett
Oscar wins: Best Supporting Actress for The Aviator in 2005 and Best Actress for Blue Jasmine in 2014.
Role in the MCU: Hela in Thor: Ragnarok.
16. Should appear — Jessica Lange
Oscar wins: Best Supporting Actress for Tootsie in 1983 and Best Actress for Blue Sky in 1995.
Prospective role in the MCU: Jessica's particular strength is playing fierce but damaged women, so why fix what ain't broken? Let's have her play the mum of an existing superhero, and their difficult mother-son relationship gets put under the microscope throughout the film.
I'm expecting a Heath Ledger as The Joker type of performance here!
17. Already appeared — Tilda Swinton
Oscar win: Best Supporting Actress for Michael Clayton in 2007.
Role in the MCU: The Ancient One in Doctor Strange, Avengers: Endgame, and What If...?.
18. Should appear — Meryl Streep
Oscar wins: Best Supporting Actress for Kramer vs. Kramer in 1980, Best Actress for Sophie's Choice in 1983, and Best Actress for The Iron Lady in 2012.
Prospective role in the MCU: I'm tempted to say she should basically play her character from Don't Look Up — a corrupt politician with no allegiance to anyone but herself. Not an out-of-place role for an MCU movie, right?