12 Marvel Actors Who Have Made A-List Status (12 That Didn't Make The Cut)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe or MCU has made billions for Marvel Studios and Disney. People often forget that unlike what Warner Bros. has done with their DC Comics world, the MCU connects everything from the movies to television shows. That means all the shows they have put on Netflix and ABC are connected to the movies, which is awesome!

We've even seen some of the movie actors jump onto the television shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. where Sam Jackson reprises his role as Nick Fury to be an added help to the show. Obviously, not all shows or movies can be successful but it does seem like Marvel Studios and Disney seem to land on all the right things when they put out a product.

Characters that are deep in the comics have had a chance to shine and become well-known to the public as a result of their use in this popular form of media. Overall, the MCU has done well and many of the actors have used it as a launching pad for their careers or as an added resume builder to an already established acting career.

Meanwhile, others have not really reached the major status of their co-stars in the MCU. In this article, we're going to be breaking down the A-Lister versus the one that has to step it up if they are to keep up in the MCU. We hope you enjoy.

Did Not Make The Cut: Karen Gillan

While Karen is often under a ton of make-up to play the part of Nebula, where at one point she had to shave her head...she has had a nice career. This Scottish-born beauty has had a good career that has highlights outside of the MCU movies. She made her debut in the Guardians of the Galaxy film. This allowed her to start off on a nice roll.

She would eventually land parts in movies like The Big Short, The Circle, And Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Karen is gorgeous and will likely have a bigger career. However, with it just starting compared to the veterans on this list...she will need to step it up if she wants to keep up.

A-List Status: Idris Elba

Idris Elba made his debut in the MCU with the first Thor movie and has had a career many would be eager to have. He was already on a roll before getting the role as Heimdall in the MCU, but today Idris is one of the top actors in Hollywood. Outside of the MCU, he has appeared in movies some great films that has allowed him to carve out an amazing career.

Those movies like Pacific Rim, Prometheus, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengence, Mandela: A Long Walk To Freedom, No Good Deed, Star Trek Beyond, The Dark Tower were great. Not to mention his animated movie work where he lends his voice in Finding Dory, The Jungle Book, and Zootopia. He'll also appear in the upcoming Hobbs & Shaw film from the Fast and Furious franchise and he is a finalist to play the next James Bond. Phew!

Did Not Make The Cut: Paul Rudd

Paul Rudd is a great actor, and this is often forgotten due to his great comedic work. However, in movies like Ant-Man, he has been able to show his range and not just be funny...yet the character often called for it. Rudd has had a nice career and was a great comedy actor before he was able to get the role of Ant-Man. He had starred in several films.

Movies we could see him like Clueless, 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sara Marshall, How Do You Know, and Our Idiot Brother were all fun movies. However, once he was able to get the role of Ant-Man...one would conclude he could use his now massive fame to attain bigger roles. Yet he hasn't.

A-List: Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson was already an established movie star before she set foot in the MCU. Yet when the call came to shoot the first Iron Man film and become the Black Widow character, she jumped at the chance. She could be seen in movies like The Other Boleyn Girl, The Prestige, Vickie Cristina Barcelona, and The Nanny Diaries where she met future MCU co-star Chris Evans.

Since her MCU appearance, she has been in great movies like Rough Night, Ghost in the Shell, Don Jon, The Jungle Book, Lucy, Her, and more. With her voice becoming so alluring, she has been asked to give her voice to parts as much as her physical form...which set her career on an amazing path.

Did Not Make The Cut: Anthony Mackie

Anthony Mackie was having an amazing career for the longest time. In part, he still is when people think about it. He had nice parts in movies like Million Dollar Baby, Pain & Gain, Real Steel, The Adjustment Bureau, Runner Runner, and Hurt Locker. Though his parts were mostly supporting actor roles, they were huge for him.

Mackie had the world at his feet seemingly, once he was able to secure a part in the MCU. He's a great interview and fits in a lot of areas, but seemingly has not been a favorite for studios. Either that or he has picked bad movies to take part in since going into the MCU. At most, the movie Detroit has been his biggest accomplishment since becoming Falcon.

A-List: Benicio Del Toro

Benicio Del Toro is a brilliant actor who has been nominated for countless awards in his career. While he might be great, his younger career has few highlights. The Usual Suspects film was his biggest success until 2005 when he began to truly create a big career. He'd star in Sin City and launch from there. Eventually, he'd land in the MCU as The Collector.

Since then he has appeared in movies like Inherent Vice, the Sicario franchise, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Due to his fame growing by the day, Benicio continues to be someone that studios look to for various roles. He keeps being offered great roles, and since joining the MCU and repeatedly appearing, he has become quite a big name in Hollywood.

Did Not Make The Cut: Elizabeth Olsen

Elizabeth Olsen made her debut in the MCU at the end of Captain America: Winter Soldier. She would make her major debut eventually with the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron as Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff. She has done well since joining the MCU truthfully. She appeared in movies like Ingrid Goes West and Godzilla since doing so.

The rub here is that Olsen, despite her great talent, has not been getting as many major roles. It could be due to a lot of factors that we could not even begin to understand, as it's Hollywood...nothing makes sense. It's possible that since Olsen is still very young, she will see an A-List career. Many hold out hope, mostly because she is extremely talented.

A-List: Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson has been one of the most well-known actors in Hollywood for years. When Marvel Studios and Disney managed to secure him to play Nick Fury, it was a huge pick-up for them. Sam was big before the MCU obviously. He was in Goodfellas, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Snakes on a Plane, and the XxX franchise...not to mention the Star Wars franchise before this.

Since joining the MCU he's only seen more movie roles such as The Hitman's Bodyguard, The Hateful Eight, Kingsman: Secret Service, Django Unchained, The Legend of Tarzan, and the upcoming Shaft reboot. It's not even a debate Jackson is an A-Lister, right?

Did Not Make The Cut: Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Aaron Taylor-Johnson debuted in the MCU alongside Elizabeth Olsen in Captain America: Winter Soldier. He'd make his bigger debut as Quicksilver with Avengers: Age of Ultron. Due to a gentleman's agreement with FOX at the time, Disney and Marvel Studios would use Scarlet Witch in the MCU and write out Quicksilver so FOX could have the only one. FOX did the same with Wanda.

Though Johnson has appeared in the Kickass franchise, Godzilla, and Nocturnal Animals...he was spotted doing re-shoots for the MCU. This could mean a return for Quicksilver in the MCU since FOX will end their X-Men movies this year. Johnson is not quite A-List yet but he very well could become it eventually. Like Olsen, he's still quite young.

A-List: Josh Brolin

Josh Brolin has had a huge 2018, especially a huge summer. He has been playing the Thanos character since the start, but Avengers: Infinity War was where he truly made his mark on the MCU. At the same time, he played Cable in Deadpool 2 and appeared in Sicario: Day of the Soldado. That was just this summer, which would raise his status even more.

He's obviously been in some big films before this like Men in Black III, American Gangster, Milk, No Country for Old Men, Inherent Vice, Only the Brave, W. and more. It is hardly a debate about Brolin's status. He is in the best shape of his life and has become a must-see actor in Hollywood. That oozes A-Lister if you ask us.

Did Not Make The Cut: Mark Ruffalo

For some time, Mark Ruffalo's biggest movie was 13 Going on 30. However, he began to get some other roles that allowed him to show much more. The Brothers Bloom, Date Night, and Shutter Island come to mind here. Once he landed in the MCU, many thought his career would be on a huge upswing.

For the most part, it was. He landed in the Now You See Me franchise, Spotlight, and Foxcatcher. The issue is that most of his roles happen to be supporting and rarely star-driven. Unless we did a Hulk movie, it would be tough to put Ruffalo in a movie that was mostly all him and see it do huge box office numbers. Despite some success outside the MCU, he is not in the A-List category...yet.

A-List: Chadwick Boseman

It might be hard to find another black man who can play historical figures better than Chadwick Boseman. He has been on a huge roll for years now. He'd star in movies like 42, Draft Day, Get Up, and Gods of Egypt before joining Marvel's Cinematic Universe.

Though he did a movie outside the MCU with Marshall...his role as Black Panther in the MCU has been massive for him. It has been culture changing. Outside of the Avengers movies, the solo Black Panther movie is the most successful Marvel film of all time. That's A-List worthy.

Did Not Make The Cut: Pom Klementieff

The beautiful Pom Klementieff made her debut in the MCU with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as the very interesting Mantis character. Pom originally started off doing French films, though she was born in Canada. She'd go to acting school in Paris where she was able to secure roles in multiple movies.

Her jump to American movies was met with some hardship, but she was able to land a role in the MCU after appearing in Ingrid Goes West...also starring future MCU co-star Elizabeth Olsen. Pom might very well become an A-lister in the future, but for now, this 32-year-old actress has not quite made the cut.

A-List: Benedict Cumberbatch

Benedict Cumberbatch was one of the better actors in Hollywood before he arrived in the MCU. He truly made his name with the Sherlock Holmes BBC series, and his compelling voice would land him voice-acting roles in films like The Hobbit series. He'd star in War Horse, Star Trek Into Darkness, 12 Years A Slave, The Imitation Game, and Black Mass.

He's one of the newer additions to the MCU, but he was A-List beforehand. The inclusion of his work as Doctor Strange only makes his resume stand out more. He will take on more voice roles soon as he'll star in the new Grinch movie as well as Disney's Mowgli. Both in post-production.

Did Not Make The Cut: Tom Hiddleston

While Tom Hiddleston is a tremendous actor and plays Loki perfectly...he's not exactly flush with a ton of major roles since joining the MCU. While he would have supporting roles in Crimson Peak, War Hose, and Kong: Skull Island...Tom would not stick out as a huge star outside the MCU.

Meaning, he seemingly could not work in a big way outside of it. The Night Manager for the BBC was a great success for him and he's been in contention for other big roles. But we have yet to see him in anything major, so his A-List status is not yet a reality.

A-List: Bradley Cooper

This seems like an odd addition to the list as Cooper is only a voice role for the MCU. He plays Rocket Raccoon and does a brilliant job. Cooper was a star before this to many, having starred in The Hangover franchise, Limitless, A-Team, Silver Linings Playbook, and American Hustle before he joined the MCU as Rocket.

He has since kept busy in movies like Joy, Burnt, War Dogs, and Academy Award-nominated performance for American Sniper. Overall, Cooper is one of the biggest stars of the MCU and the dude does not even appear on camera.

Did Not Make The Cut: Don Cheadle

Don Cheadle took over for Terrance Howard as James Rhodes or War Machine by Iron Man 2 and has remained in the role ever since. Before this he was having a good career, having worked on movies like Hotel Rwanda, Crash, Reign Over Me, and The Oceans franchise. However, he has not done much since joining the MCU.

The only major exception to this is Flight. He would do television/Netflix with House of Lies as well. However, Cheadle has not been A-List status likely ever but he is a solid B currently and that may only improve for him as time goes on.

A-List: Chris Hemsworth

Once taking the role of Thor for the MCU, Chris Hemsworth career seemingly exploded. He became a must-get actor for several roles in drama, action, and comedy. Upon joining the MCU, he would book roles for big movies like The Cabin In The Woods, Red Dawn, The Huntsman franchise, Vacation, In the Heart of the Sea, and 12 Strong.

He'll also be starring in Bad Times at the El Royale. Hemsworth has been in some bad movies too like the Ghostbusters reboot, but other than this most of his movies have been well-liked and he remains a must-get for several studios.

Did Not Make The Cut: Paul Bettany

Paul Bettany originally never thought he would be in the MCU in physical form. He was playing J.A.R.V.I.S. the smart, free-thinking computerized system made by Tony Stark. He would eventually be made into the Vision character. Bettney has had a solid career but sadly he has not become an A-List name as of now.

Before the MCU he would be part of movies like Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang), A Knight's Tale, and The Da Vinci Code. After joining he would be in supporting roles for The Tourist and Transcendence as well as take on a big role in Priest. Due to his appearance in Solo: A Star Wars Story, we'll likely see him become a bigger star as his role increases in the Star Wars universe.

A-List: Zoe Saldana

Zoe Saldana joined the MCU a few years back as Gamora, an assassin and adopted daughter of the cosmic villain Thanos. Zoe was already going through a great career before joining the MCU. She was part of the first Avatar movie and will be in the upcoming sequels. She has even been in the recent Star Trek movies since the reboot.

The Star Trek movies and upcoming Avatar films were mostly being done around the MCU schedule. She has also been part of movies like Live By Night and The Book of Life. Saldana will stick out as an A-lister and remain in this world for a long period of time. Whether that is due to her MCU work or Avatar and Star Trek material.

Did Not Make The Cut: Dave Bautista

Dave Bautista was a former WWE Superstar who made a big name for himself there. The former multi-time World Champion wanted to try his hand at acting and landed the huge role of Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy and has been a great MCU addition ever since. He would also manage to get roles in movies like Spectre, Heist, and now Hotel Artemis.

However, most of his movies have been sort of C-List or B-List at best, barring a few. Dave seems to be on the climb and due to his look, it is hard to not see him get other big offers down the line. For now, though, he is not quite at the A-List level. Yet this is sure to change.

A-List: Chris Pratt

Outside of only one other man, it is likely no one from the MCU has become bigger than Chris Pratt. When Pratt landed the role of Peter Quill/Starlord, he had already been well-established with the NBC show Parks and Recreation and movies like Zero Dark Thirty, Moneyball, and Her. After landing the role in the MCU, he exploded in popularity.

Studios tried to bring him in for everything. He has the starring role in the new Jurassic World franchise and The LEGO Movie franchise currently. Pratt would also take on big roles for The Magnificent Seven and Passengers, and he'll be starring in The Kid(regarding Billy The Kid) by 2019. Pratt is on a roll and will likely remain in A-List status for some time.

Did Not Make The Cut: Chris Evans

You may be wondering how we possible felt Captain America did not deserve A-List status. The reasons are pretty simple, what has Evans done other than play the Captain? Beforehand he was part of the original Fantastic Four movies, Nanny Diaries, TMNT, Scott Pilgrim Versus The World, and Push.

However, since the MCU he has not been in a lot of major roles. He has had some independent movie work, as well as lower-budget films like Snowpiercer. Yet major roles outside the MCU are few and far between. Evans is a great actor with a great look, and it is doubtful he remains out of A-List status for much longer. But for now, he's out.

A-List: Robert Downey, Jr.

"The father of the MCU" most call him. Honestly, it is the role that turned around his career. Robert Downey, Jr. was a brilliant actor who had been nominated for various awards, including an Oscar for Chaplin. Yet due to bad decisions, he was out of Hollywood for some time and Iron Man got him back in. Since taking this role, he has seen a massive career for himself.

He has appeared in movies like Due Date, Tropic Thunder, Chef, The Judge, and played Sherlock Holmes in the recent movie franchise. RDJ is likely the biggest A-Lister in the MCU and will remain as one of its main stars for years to come most likely.

Sources: [IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, YouTube, Entertainment Tonight]

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