MCU Actors Who Are Surprisingly Good Singers

Actors are often people of many talents. The ones listed below have carried the weight of the world on their shoulders playing superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but what you might not know about them is that they can also carry a tune. Being able to see their additional talents adds a lot of fun to watching them fight criminals and supervillains, showing them in an entirely different light. Even though their claims to fame might be starring in the MCU, they are all way more than just spandex and superpowers.

The MCU actors below are ones that you are no doubt familiar with, but how much do you know about their careers outside of the franchise? Some of these actors have sung songs in just a couple of films, while others have completed full albums. Some of them have proper vocal training, while others trained intensely for singing in certain musical roles. So, without further ado, here are the MCU actors who are surprisingly good singers. MCU spoilers ahead.

First entering the MCU in "Thor: Ragnarok," Tessa Thompson quickly made a name for herself in the franchise as the fierce and feisty Valkyrie. It may surprise you to learn that she is a good singer, and not only that, she was part of a band called Caught a Ghost. "I was singing in a choir and all of my friends were musicians," she told Billboard. "I was part of this vibrant community of L.A. bands, but on the periphery of it. Caught a Ghost happened just by being friends with [bandmate Jesse Nolan]. I was really doing it for fun and then it became sort of supplemental."

Caught a Ghost featured on the soundtrack of the film "Dear White People," in which Thompson plays a DJ. She went on to sing in the first two "Creed" movies, where she plays a singer/songwriter named Bianca. She actually wrote the songs herself, as she explained to Bustle. "One of the songs that you see her perform in the film is called 'Time Tick' and it really is about this idea of having a ticking clock, which has to do with [Bianca's] progressive hearing loss and some of the stuff she's dealing with," Thompson said.

Tom Hiddleston plays Loki, a villain turned anti-hero who is universally adored by MCU fans. Although he's causing a bunch of trouble when we first see him in "Thor," he redeems himself throughout the films that follow and is played so well by Hiddleston. It may surprise you to learn that the A-lister has a great singing voice, which he has used on screen in the past.

In 2015, Hiddleston portrayed singer Hank Williams in the film "I Saw the Light." He had to learn a bunch of songs for the biopic, which went down well with film critics. "Hiddleston's performance is a masterful one: understated, superbly modulated, empathetic," Glenn Kenny said in a write-up for RogerEbert.com. "Hiddleston can also mimic Williams' yodel-inflected singing style, which brought the innovation of classic country warbler Jimmie Rodgers into a more pop-friendly realm, with impressive accuracy."

Marvel fans actually got to see Hiddleston singing in character during his Disney+ series. In Episode 3 of "Loki," the Brit performs a rousing Asgardian song called "Jeg Saler Min Ganger" (renamed "Very Full" for the official soundtrack) in a bar. It went down very well, both in the show and in real life. According to Billboard, the ditty debuted at No. 10 on the World Digital Song Sales chart after the episode aired.

Andrew Garfield played the titular hero in 2012's "The Amazing Spider-Man" and its 2014 sequel. A third film was planned but never happened, with the property getting rebooted instead. It seemed like Garfield was done with Spider-Man, but he got the chance to reprise the role in 2021's "Spider-Man: No Way Home," bringing his version of the character into the MCU. It was the start of a golden period for the Brit, who was nominated for an Oscar for his turn in "Tick, Tick... Boom!" the following year.

Despite not being a singer, Garfield took on the role of Jonathan Larson in "Tick, Tick... Boom!" Larson was the writer and composer of "Rent" who died before he could see his vision realized. Garfield won widespread acclaim for his performance, wowing critics with his vocals. The actor spent a year learning how to sing prior to the shoot, working with renowned coach Liz Caplan. "I've always wanted to know if I could sing in a way that served the story in a level that's acceptable," Garfield told IndieWire. "The guy sings from every cell. He sings from the bottom of his guts. From his whole heart. It's totally unbridled and wild and full of abandon. He's singing for the soul of America."

As the ultimate comeback kid, Robert Downey Jr. is inspiring on many levels. His Tony Stark was the lynchpin of the MCU for years, and Iron Man still looms large over the franchise after his death, having inspired Spider-Man and left behind invaluable technology. If you managed to catch his performance as Larry Paul in "Ally McBeal" Season 4 (unfortunately, he didn't make it to Season 5), you already know that this man can sing.

Downey Jr. performed several songs during his time on the legal dramedy, including a memorable duet of "Every Breath You Take" with Sting. According to Entertainment Weekly, his cover of Joni Mitchell's "River" is "a moment of art [that] leaves you grateful for whatever combination of talent and vulnerability that led to that moment." The song was also praised by Society of Rock. "The central theme of regret in 'River' brings Downey's difficult past into sharp focus, coloring his words and making it impossibly easy to believe his performance."

You may have missed that Downey Jr. put out an album called "The Futurist" in 2004. In a promotional interview with The New York Times, he admitted that he only got the chance to make the record because he was already famous. "Look, it's not like I'm pushing schlock, but nowhere on God's green earth would I be a new recording artist who would be getting on 'Oprah' without 'Weird Science' and the penitentiary," he said.

Zendaya has played the love interest of Tom Holland's Peter Parker in all three of the Brit's "Spider-Man" movies, but she was a star before she joined the MCU. She began showing off her vocal talents during her Disney Channel days (she debuted as Rocky Blue in the show "Shake It Up"), but has continued to surprise viewers with just how well she can sing in the years since. She released a self-titled pop album in 2013, but, in terms of singing, she's best known for her work in the 2017 musical "The Greatest Showman."

While the majority of her songs in the film were performed as part of a group, there is one stand-out duet with Zac Efron, the love song "Rewrite the Stars." Performed on acrobat ropes, the entire high-flying sequence is beautiful to watch and listen to. While Zendaya and Efron sang the song live as they performed, the actual version heard in the film was recorded after the fact, largely because all the trapeze work required a lot of effort. "Nobody probably wants to hear the live version we delivered while swinging around," Zendaya told Fox (via Bustle). "It's a lot of [groans] and shrieking sounds."

A relative newcomer to the MCU, Hailee Steinfeld began her journey as Kate Bishop in the Disney+ series "Hawkeye," a protégé of the original Hawkeye Clint Barton. She gets hold of the Ronin suit (worn by Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye during his stint as a vigilante), and together they try to uncover the truth of an outfit called the tracksuit mafia.

Before this, Steinfeld starred as Emily in "Pitch Perfect 2" and "Pitch Perfect 3," showcasing her impressive singing skills. Her debut pop single "Love Myself" came out in 2015, the same year as the second "Pitch Perfect" installment. The song was a hit, entering the top 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also did well overseas, breaking the top ten in countries like Israel and Belgium.

Steinfeld is one of the most successful musicians working in the MCU. Her music has been featured on the soundtracks of several motion pictures, including "Jem and the Holograms," "Bumblebee," and "Fifty Shades Freed." Speaking to People in April 2022, the Marvel star revealed that she has been in the studio working on new material. "I cannot wait to put music out," she said. "It's been a long time coming."