MCU Actors Who Made Surprising Comebacks

In the vast, interconnected world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, nothing is ever truly certain — not even when or where you might next see your favorite characters and the actors who play them. Some stars may be expected to return for a sequel or spin-off, only to go curiously missing, with no explanation. In reality, it might be because of a scheduling conflict or even a falling out with the studio, and other times their characters are simply written out of the action to make room for someone new. 

But thanks to the vast scope of the MCU, some of them can burst back onto the scene with an unexpected return, arriving in places you might least expect. From the depths of the Quantum realm to the farthest reaches of outer space, we've seen some shocking reappearances from our favorite Marvel actors. Whether they're villains we thought we'd never see again, or heroes resurrected from canceled TV shows, they're living proof that Marvel never can say goodbye forever. So suit up, true believers, because we're looking back at some of the best MCU actors who made surprising comebacks.

Marvel went fully cosmic for the first time in "Guardians of the Galaxy," introducing a whole host of interstellar heroes and villains. In addition to Star-Lord, Drax, and Gamora, there were the cosmic tyrant Ronan the Accuser and his enforcer, Korath the Pursuer, played by Lee Pace and Djimon Hounsou, respectively. Both baddies were killed in their battle with the Guardians of the Galaxy, seemingly putting an end to their time in the MCU. But five years later, despite their deaths, they made an unexpected return in the 2019 film "Captain Marvel."

Both Pace and Hounsou appeared, thanks to the film being set decades before the events of "Guardians of the Galaxy." But perhaps the biggest surprise was that Korath was not even a villain this time around: In his earlier days, he was a member of Starforce, a highly-trained group of Kree military soldiers. Of course, it's later revealed that Starforce wasn't quite as noble as they seemed, as the Kree were the aggressors in their war with the Skrulls, and were attempting to wipe out the entire race of shapeshifting aliens.

In 2013, Netflix and Marvel signed a deal for the streaming giant to create four original shows based on some of their darker superheroes, including Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones. British actor Charlie Cox snagged the coveted role of Matt Murdock and quickly became a beloved mainstay of Marvel television. He starred in three seasons of "Daredevil", which became a critically acclaimed hit among critics and fans alike. But in 2018, Cox seemingly hung up the red boots for good as Netflix wound down its Marvel shows.

Many, including Cox himself, seemed resigned to never seeing the character again. That is, until Marvel regained control of the character officially after the expiration of their deal with Netflix. In addition to the streaming shows being added to Disney+, Marvel inked Cox to a new contract that saw him return as Murdock and Daredevil, with his first appearance in "Spider-Man: No Way Home." Though his cameo was one of the worst-kept secrets of the film full of surprises, Cox's comeback in the film was followed by an appearance in the Disney+ series "She-Hulk," while his new series, "Daredevil: Born Again," was announced shortly thereafter.

Natalie Portman starred in "Thor" as the Asgardian's love interest Jane Foster, and she returned for the film's sequel a few years later. But after a reported falling out with the studio over their choice of director on "Thor: The Dark World," Portman was said to be uninterested in working with Marvel, and she was nowhere to be seen in "Thor: Ragnarok." As a result, everyone was surprised when at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced she would be returning to the franchise.

"Thor: Love and Thunder" — based on a popular comic book storyline — saw Portman back as Jane Foster, this time with the powers of Thor himself, as she wielded the hammer Mjolnir. According to Marvel's head honcho, it was a meeting between Taika Waititi and Portman that paved the way for her comeback, as the director was able to smooth things over between the star and the studio and convince her to return. For Portman's part, though, it wasn't a tough decision.

"[Taika Waititi] came with the comic books where Jane becomes the Mighty Thor and was like, 'What do you think about this?'" Portman told IndieWire upon her return. "So it was this kind of a twofold opportunity, one to work with [Taika] and the other to get to have Jane evolve into this superhero, which was really exciting."

For 2014's "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," Marvel reimagined the goofy '60s villain Batroc the Leaper into a French mercenary who seeks to hijack a S.H.I.E.L.D. vessel at sea. Roundly rousted by Captain America himself in a hand-to-hand melee, Batroc was the subject of inspired casting, with real-life MMA fighter Georges St. Pierre taking on the role in his brief appearance at the start of the film. For fans of the character, though, it was an all-too-brief part, and especially wasteful because of how good Pierre was in his scenes. But while it took some time, Pierre was unexpectedly called back into service as Batroc in 2021.

That year, Disney+ saw the release of "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," a small-screen spin-off of the "Captain America" films that pits Steve Rogers' two sidekicks against a newly emerged terrorist group called the Flag Smashers. Aiding them is Batroc, who in the aftermath of the Blip — when half the world's population disappeared — is working to take advantage of the chaos. After being beaten by Falcon during a kidnapping plot, he teams up with the Flag Smashers in an attempt to exact revenge. Unfortunately, we may not see Pierre return, as Batroc was shot and killed by turncoat hero Sharon Carter, who had become the sinister Power Broker.

In spite of the cancelation of Netflix's "Daredevil" series in 2018, Marvel fans remained hopeful that it wouldn't be the last time they'd see the character in action. They got their wish in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" with the reappearance of Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, but it remained to be seen if Vincent D'Onofrio — who played Daredevil's arch nemesis Wilson Fisk — would return to continue the battle against him. But while many fans held out hope that he would, few ever anticipated his return coming where it did.

Released in 2021 on Disney+, "Hawkeye" was a limited series that saw Jeremy Renner finally take the spotlight. In the series, he trains a teenager named Kate Bishop who takes it upon herself to battle the New York mafia. But as the series progresses, it teases a greater threat, and all clues point to Wilson Fisk. Arguably one of the most highly-anticipated MC reveals, his debut in the fifth episode saw Vincent D'Onofrio back in the role.

The very first MCU film "Iron Man" introduced a new character to the MCU, an A.I. assistant to the Armored Avenger, named after the team's butler in the comics. It was soon revealed that the A.I. was named — in-universe — for the butler who worked for the Stark family when Tony was a child. We didn't meet him until 2015, though, in the ABC series "Agent Carter." Set in the 1940s, the series' main cast includes James D'Arcy as Edwin Jarvis, who aids the titular heroine in her adventures. There didn't seem to be any room for the MCU to feature him on the big screen, however, and with the series ending in 2015, a return for D'Arcy seemed highly unlikely.

But all that changed when the Avengers found themselves jumping through time in 2019's "Avengers: Endgame." Sure enough, Steve Rogers and Tony Stark hop back to 1970, and arrive at Camp Lehigh at the same time that Tony's father — played by John Slattery — is arriving on some business of his own. With him is D'Arcy back in the role of Edwin Jarvis, who is a little older and grayer than when we last saw him.

Probably the most unlikely return in the history of the MCU, actor Anson Mount showed up in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" as Black Bolt, leader of the Inhumans, much to the delight of fans. But that delight was once thought impossible, as Mount had entered the pantheon of Marvel heroes years earlier in the ill-fated — and frankly ill-conceived — small screen series "The Inhumans" back in 2017. Launched to much fanfare, the series premiere debuted in IMAX theaters, but never came close to meeting its lofty expectations.

Savaged by both critics and fans, the series — led by Mount as Inhuman leader Black Bolt — was a boring, cheap-looking mistake, and everyone seemed happy when it was canned not long after its first eight episodes had aired. So bad was the series that few ever could have expected to see the MCU acknowledge its existence, let alone have any of its stars return. But return Mount did in the multiverse "Doctor Strange" sequel, with a new look and a chance to atone for the past. Fans were flummoxed, but they were also happy to see Mount mounting a comeback in the role, perhaps portending a better version of the Inhumans somewhere down the line.