The Walking Dead Actors Who Also Landed Roles In The MCU

When it first hit the airwaves, AMC's "The Walking Dead" was a force to be reckoned with. The series premiered in 2010 and continued for 11 seasons, ending in 2022 with 177 episodes in the can. The series was based on Robert Kirkman's groundbreaking comic book series of the same name but diverged from that narrative early in its production run. One of the most significant changes involved the introduction of new characters, including the likes of Merle and Daryl Dixon.

Over the years, "The Walking Dead" managed to score some top talent, and hundreds of named cast members showed up for an episode or two, got bit, and met a precipitous end. Throughout its 12 years of production, "The Walking Dead" featured actors who played characters in other popular television series and films, including many who landed roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Like "The Walking Dead," the MCU has become an unstoppable force in the industry. Beginning in 2008's "Iron Man," the franchise exploded to include more than 30 feature films and dozens of television series spread across numerous networks and streaming platforms. The actors on this list have already had the honor of playing a living, breathing character on "The Walking Dead." But if that wasn't good enough for their careers, they also managed to jump on board the biggest franchise in cinematic history with a role in the MCU.

Travis Love began his professional career as a public school teacher before transitioning to the silver and small screen. His first acting role came in 2010 when he played Trigger in "Champion Road: Arena," a low-budget fighting flick. Love continued working in the industry and has since appeared in several television series and movies. His second acting gig was on "The Walking Dead," where he ended up playing two different characters across 12 episodes, making him one of just a handful of actors to do so.

Love played an unnamed Vatos thug in the first season of "The Walking Dead," where he held Glenn hostage at the nursing home. He returned in the third season to play Shumpert, the Bowman, one of the Governor's most trusted soldiers in the Woodbury army. He was one of the antagonists against the survivors at the prison but reconsidered his actions after the Governor's massacre. He bailed on the Governor alongside Martinez, but after he was bitten, Martinez had to put him down.

Over in the MCU, Love played an unnamed Jabari warrior in "Black Panther," although he wasn't initially credited with the role. He accompanied M'Baku when he challenged T'Challa for the throne of Wakanda. Love returned in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" as the same character, now credited as M'Bele. He fought alongside M'Baka and the rest of the Wakandans as they opposed Namor and his forces. When M'Baku took up the mantle of King at the end of the film, M'Bele likely accompanied him.

Corey Hawkins started out in the theater before adding the silver and small screens to his resume. He managed to gain attention fairly early in his career via performances in "Straight Outta Compton," "Kong: Skull Island," and "BlacKkKlansman." He's done equally well in television with leading roles in "24: Legacy" and "Survive," though he's probably best known to anyone reading this article for his work on "The Walking Dead."

Hawkins played Heath on "The Walking Dead" and was one of the members of the Alexandria Safe-Zone community. He functioned primarily as a supply runner and became involved in many of the primary stories from the sixth and seventh seasons. Eventually, he's captured by the Scavengers alongside Tara and is traded to the Civic Republic Military for some supplies. While his true fate is unknown, he appears in Michonne's hallucination in the series finale, where she shoots him in the head during the raid on the satellite outpost. Regardless, his fate remains a mystery.

While his role in "The Walking Dead" was significant, Hawkins' time in the MCU was comparably less so. Hawkins played a Navy Operations Specialist in "Iron Man 3" and has only a brief moment on screen. He's the OS who lets an Air Force Major know that Air Force One has been compromised and shows him some video of the plane, with War Machine flying away right before it cuts back to Air Force One and Iron Man's arrival.

Joshua Mikel began working in the theater before transitioning into film via a series of shorts created throughout the mid-2000s. He's another actor with "We're the Millers" on his resume, having played the inimitable Gutter Punk #2 in the film. Mikel landed a number of roles throughout his career, appearing in television series and feature films. It wasn't until he found his way onto the set of "The Walking Dead" that he landed a significant role on a popular show.

Mikel played Jared on "The Walking Dead" for 11 episodes. Jared is one of the Saviors who goes up against the survivors of the Kingdom on multiple occasions. He's one of the Saviors' many bullies and thoroughly enjoys terrorizing the people under his thumb. This serves him well at first, but he pays dearly when he runs afoul of Morgan. During their final confrontation, Morgan manages to trap Jared between a fence and a horde of walkers who devour him alive.

In 2018, Mikel played one of Sonny Burch's unnamed bodyguards on "Ant-Man and the Wasp," though he was uncredited for the role. He is one of the first goons to take a blast from Hope after she fails to acquire tech from Sonny peacefully. Mikel gets thrashed fairly easily by Hope and is seen only briefly in the film. Interestingly, Mikel also spent some time in the DCEU, having played Imaginary Jesus in "Doom Patrol," making him a rare example of an actor in all three franchises.

Christopher Berry spent most of his career in feature films, with notable performances in "3:10 to Yuma," "Django Unchained," and "12 Years a Slave." Simultaneously, Berry appeared in a number of television series, including two roles on "Dawson's Creek" and "True Detective." He landed recurring roles in "Resurrection" and "Salem," and while he wasn't in "The Walking Dead" for long, his character isn't easy to forget.

Berry played one of Negan's men for two episodes. While he wasn't credited with a name, Berry referred to his character as "Bud." He is one of the biker Saviors who confronts Daryl, Sasha, and Abraham, informing them that "your weapons ... they're not yours ... your truck, the fuel in your truck, if you got mints in your glove compartment, if you got porn underneath the seat, change in the seats, hell, the seats themselves, the floor mats, your maps, little stash of emergency napkins you got there in the console. None of those things are yours anymore. Your property now belongs to Negan" (via NZHerald). He and his crew are later dispatched by Daryl's RPG.

Berry appeared in "Spider-Man: Homecoming," where he played Randy Vale, one of Adrian Toomes' men. He is with Toomes when Damage Control takes over the cleanup of the Battle of New York and remains with him when they transition into arms dealing. He later shows up at Peter's school, looking for some misplaced tech, and is captured following the Staten Island Ferry disaster.

While she started in film shorts, Briana Venskus is best known for her work in television. Venksus played recurring roles in "Nashville" and "Hindsight" before landing the role of Agent Susan Vasquez in "Supergirl." That was her second time in the DC Universe, having appeared in the failed "Wonder Woman" pilot in 2011. Venskus is one of the rare examples of an actor who appeared in "The Walking Dead," a Marvel Series, and a DC Series.

Venksus joined the cast of "The Walking Dead" as Beatrice in 2016. While she only appeared in ten episodes, her work was spread out over several years from 2016 to 2018, and her final appearance came two years later. Beatrice is a resident of Oceanside, and despite fearing the Saviors, she joins the fight against them. When the war with the Saviors ends, Beatrice exacts vengeance against Justin, the man who killed her husband. She is later stabbed by a Whisperer while moving amongst a herd, resulting in a cry of pain that draws the dead to consume her.

Venksus played Agent Piper on "Agents of SHIELD," where she functions as a member of the Operations division. She participates in several of the series' primary storylines, including the fight against Aida, the Battle of Chicago, and more. She survives everything thrown at her and is one of the few members of the team who arrive unscathed at the series finale.

Kerry Condon is a classically trained Shakespearean actor, first gaining critical attention by playing Ophelia in "Hamlet" when she was 19. While she's well known for her theatrical work, Condon hasn't shied away from working in film and television. Some of her noteworthy work includes "Angela's Ashes," "Rome," and "The Banshees of Inisherin." In 2013, she joined the cast of "The Walking Dead" for three episodes.

Condon played Clara, a woman who loses herself after her husband, Eddie, dies and becomes a walker. She keeps his decapitated head with her, even going so far as to feed him what meat she can find. She lures Rick to her camp and tries to kill him as a treat for Eddie. Of course, Clara fails and shows immediate remorse. Rick leaves her alive so she can die and join Eddie as a walker, making her story incredibly heartbreaking and indicative of the apocalypse's effect on everyday people.

While you don't see Condon in the MCU, she had a significant role. After Tony Stark and Bruce Banner create Ultron, putting JARVIS out of action, Tony boots up his girl FRIDAY as a replacement. He plugs FRIDAY's artificial intelligence into his suit to take JARVIS' place, and she's voiced by none other than Condon. Since appearing in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," Condon played FRIDAY in "Captain America: Civil War," "Spider-Man: Homecoming," "Avengers: Infinity War," and "Endgame."

The vast majority of Michael James Shaw's performances have been on the small screen. His first, albeit uncredited, role was in 2008, when he played a homeless man on "The Wire." He later joined the DC Universe as Papa Midnite in "Constantine" and landed a leading role in "Limitless" after that series ended. Shaw joined the main cast of "Blood & Treasure" playing Aiden Shaw, but he's probably best known these days for his work on "The Walking Dead."

Shaw played General Michael Mercer, the commanding General of the Commonwealth Army. He stands out for two reasons: his massive physique, and he is the only soldier to wear bright orange armor, while everyone else wears white. Mercer's sister, Maxxine, is instrumental in bringing the Alexandria, Hilltop, and Oceanside communities into the Commonwealth, which puts Mercer in a difficult position. He ultimately sides with the newcomers and stands up against the governor. After the conflict ends, he becomes the lieutenant governor of a new, better Commonwealth.

Shaw stands out in a crowd, but there's a good chance you'd never recognize him in the MCU. He played Corvus Glaive, one of the Children of Thanos in "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame." He fights and attempts to kill Vision to get the Mind Stone from his forehead, but his prey manages to turn the tables, killing him. In "Endgame," the Corvus Glaive from 2014 returns and fights in the final battle between Thanos' forces and the combined might of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

While Ross Marquand has spent a lot of time in front of the camera, much of his career is filled with voice-acting roles. His talents behind the microphone have afforded him numerous opportunities over the years. He voiced 16 characters in "Robot Chicken," Han Solo in "Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars," five characters in "Invincible," and so much more.

Marquand is probably best known for playing Aaron on "The Walking Dead." He joined the cast in the fifth season and remained until the end, appearing in 70 episodes. Aaron starts out as a recruiter for Alexandria alongside his husband, Eric. He eventually loses his right arm below the elbow and is outfitted with an iron hand. He occasionally swaps it for a spiked mace, which makes short work of walkers, people, and anything else that gets in his way.

Marquand's work in the MCU has been extensive. When Hugo Weaving didn't return to play the Red Skull in "Avengers: Infinity War," Marquand stepped in. He played the character so well that many didn't realize it wasn't Weaving until the credits rolled. He's also voiced several characters in "What If...?" In addition to reprising the Red Skull in the animated series, he voiced Ultron. Marquand also voiced the Ultron Drones in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."

Michael Rooker stormed onto the scene in 1986 as Henry in "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer," and he continued to land impressive roles in "Mississippi Burning," "Days of Thunder," and "JFK," to name a few. His film credits are long and impressive, and they include work in the DC universe via "DC Showcase: Jonah Hex" as Red Doc. Rooker also worked in television for several years, though he usually showed up for a single episode on a hit series before finding his way to "The Walking Dead."

Rooker played Merle Dixon on "The Walking Dead," a new character not seen in the comics. He is part of the initial cast and isn't the most likable person in the world. Merle is a racist jerk who rubs Rick the wrong way almost immediately. Rick handcuffs him to a bar on the roof of a building in Atlanta, Georgia, resulting in the loss of his hand. Ultimately, Merle joins forces with the Governor, and despite his love for Daryl, he becomes an antagonist to the group. The Governor eventually kills him, and Daryl is forced to put him down.

Rooker played Yondu Udonta in both "Guardians of the Galaxy" films as well as the "Holiday Special" and "What If...?" Yondu appeared to be a villain in the first film but had a redemption arc in the second, ultimately sacrificing himself to save Peter Quill as they escaped from Ego's planet.

Before she began acting, Lauren Ridloff was a pageant queen, having won Miss Deaf Illinois and Miss Deaf America in 2000. She went on to teach at a public school in Manhattan, New York, before making a move to acting. Her first role came in 2017's "Sign Gene: The First Deaf Superheroes," where she played a QIA agent. She followed this with "Wonderstruck" and the theatrical production of "Children of a Lesser God," which earned Ridloff a Tony Award nomination for best actress in a play.

Ridloff joined the cast of "The Walking Dead" in the ninth season, playing Connie, a deaf survivor who joins the people of Alexandria alongside her sister Kelly. Connie communicates through her sister and via writing, but many survivors, including Daryl, learn ASL to better communicate with her. Connie is believed dead for a long time but manages to survive and makes it to the Commonwealth, where she resumes her pre-apocalyptic job of reporting for the Commonwealth Tribune. She helps uncover the corruption of the Commonwealth and survives to the end of the series.

In 2021, Ridloff played Makkari in "Eternals," a character who is instrumental in introducing the concept of sign language to humanity. She helps stop the emergence of Tiamut the Communicator, which would have destroyed the Earth.