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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a media franchise and shared fictional universe that is the setting of superhero films independently produced by Marvel Studios, based on characters that appear in Marvel Comics publications. Phase One of the franchise includes five films, featuring four different superhero properties, leading up to a crossover in the 2012 film Marvel's The Avengers. The franchise's Phase Two features three sequel films to properties that appeared in Phase One, as well as two new film properties, and the crossover Avengers: Age of Ultron, which released in 2015. Phase Three will feature four sequel films to previous properties, and four new film properties, as well as the two-part crossover event Avengers: Infinity War and its untitled sequel.
As the franchise is composed of films adapted from a variety of Marvel Comics properties, there are multiple lead actors: Robert Downey, Jr. stars as Tony Stark / Iron Man in the films Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), and Iron Man 3 (2013); Chris Hemsworth plays Thor in Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Ragnarok (2017); and Chris Evans portrays Steve Rogers / Captain America in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), and again in Captain America: Civil War (2016), where he is joined by Downey as Stark. All three actors star in The Avengers (2012), and reprise their roles in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and the untitled Avengers sequel (2019). Edward Norton headlined The Incredible Hulk (2008), playing Bruce Banner / Hulk, but did not reprise the role in the Avengers films, being replaced by Mark Ruffalo. Ruffalo also stars in Thor: Ragnarok.
Chris Pratt portrays the lead character, Peter Quill / Star-Lord, in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and returns for its sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), while Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas star as Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Hank Pym / Ant-Man, respectively, in Ant-Man (2015); Rudd also stars in Captain America: Civil War. Benedict Cumberbatch portrays Stephen Strange in Doctor Strange (2016), while Tom Holland portrays Peter Parker / Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Chadwick Boseman portrays T'Challa / Black Panther in Black Panther (2018), after both first appearing in Captain America: Civil War. Downey joins Holland in Spider-Man: Homecoming, while Cumberbatch joins Hemsworth in Thor: Ragnarok. Evangeline Lilly will rejoin Rudd and Douglas from Ant-Man as Hope van Dyne / Wasp in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), and Brie Larson will portray Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel in Captain Marvel (2019). Pratt, Cumberbatch and Holland also appear in Avengers: Infinity War and its untitled sequel, with Lilly also appearing in its sequel.
Samuel L. Jackson had cameo and supporting appearances as Nick Fury in several of the early films in the franchise, before costarring in The Avengers. Other cast members who recur across multiple films and series within the franchise include Hayley Atwell, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston, William Hurt, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Elizabeth Olsen, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Renner, Stellan Skarsgård, Cobie Smulders and Sebastian Stan. The list below is sorted by film and the character's surname, as some characters have been portrayed by multiple actors. All characters that have made appearances in other MCU media, such as the short films, television series, and the digital series WHIH Newsfront and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot, are noted.