The MCU has grown so large over the years that many actors who’ve appeared in different series have also appeared in the superhero franchise – which is notably true for 15 actors who also had roles in Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror. Marvel Studios has had fantastic success when it comes to casting of the universe, with some actors being essentially synonymous with their characters at this point. Another interesting aspect of Marvel Studios is their ability to bring in prestigious actors for smaller parts, or one-off roles, as well.
With the massive upcoming MCU release schedule, there will probably be even more incredible actors joining the ranks, and it is nice to see where they have been before. MCU actors come from all over the place in the movie and television industry, and continue to after their time as a comic book character is up. Still, one show that stands out for just how many actors in the MCU have also appeared in it is the British techno-thriller, Black Mirror.
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Daniel Kaluuya
Season 1, Episode 2: “Fifteen Million Merits”
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Daniel Kaluuya has steadily become one of the best actors working in Hollywood, notably appearing in Black Panther not long after providing an incredible performance in the lead role of Jordan Peele’s Get Out. His role as W’Kabi Black Panther didn’t involve a ton of screentime, but it was integral to the narrative, and still saw him effectively embody the role, even if he didn’t reprise his role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Before the MCU, though, Daniel Kaluuya starred in an early episode of Black Mirror. He was the main character in “Fifteen Million Merits”, which was the second episode of season 1. It is among the best episodes of Black Mirror ever, and his performance in it is one of the biggest reasons why. The episode revolves around a society that continuously cycles on exercise bikes to earn benefits which can be used for a number of things, including food. They can also use their merits to participate in a talent show that promises to change their lives if they win, which sets up the main crux of the story.
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Hayley Atwell
Season 2, Episode 2: “Be Right Back”
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Hayley Atwell first appeared in the MCU at its beginning, playing Peggy Carter – the love interest of Captain America – in Captain America: The First Avenger. Since then, she has been in a handful of other MCU projects, like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and even Agent Carter, which was a series that debuted long before Marvel Studios began producing their own shows.
Agent Carter‘s place in the MCU canon is fuzzy, with it currently still being somewhat up in the air about whether it actually is to be considered a canon MCU show or not.
Two years after Captain America: The First Avenger, Hayley Atwell appeared in the first episode of season 2 of Black Mirror. Titled “Be Right Back,” the episode features Hayley Atwell’s character mourning the sudden death of her boyfriend, deciding to utilize a brand-new AI product that imitates him in order to help her come to terms with his death. Atwell provides a remarkable performance in the episode as someone stricken with immense grief, adding emotional weight and significance to the story that unfolds.
13
Michaela Coel
Season 3, Episode 1: “Nosedive” & Season 4, Episode 1: “USS Callister”
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Michaela Coel is a fairly new addition to the MCU, playing a member of the Dora Milaje in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Though her role in it is relatively small, she infuses it with her signature sense of humor, making it a memorable addition to the universe. Prior to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, she was best known for her starring roles in Chewing Gum and I May Destroy You. Michaela Coel has also been in multiple episodes of Black Mirror.
Coel first appeared in Black Mirror season 3, episode 1, “Nosedive,” in a small role as a stewardess. Her second and larger role was the first episode of season 4, titled “USS Callister.” This episode is ostensibly Black Mirror‘s take on Star Trek, as a computer programmer uses his coworkers’ DNA to create digital clones of them in a simulation game that he co-founded – with one of such coworkers being Michael Coel’s Shania Lowry, who works alongside her colleagues to try and find a way out of their predicament.
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Wyatt Russel
Season 3, Episode 3: “Playtest”
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Wyatt Russell didn’t appear in the MCU until The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. He played John Walker, the government’s replacement for Captain America who is eventually stripped of his title and is teased as US Agent going forward. He will reprise the role in Thunderbolts*, making his role a bit bigger within the MCU, especially if he plays a significant role in Avengers: Doomsday alongside the rest of the Thunderbolts team.
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Prior to playing US Agent, John Walker appeared in season 3, episode 3 of Black Mirror. “Playtest” features an American tourist in London opting in to playtesting a brand-new augmented reality horror game that accesses the user’s brain to target their fears. It’s an effective episode that really shows the capabilities of Wyatt Russell as an actor long before he joined the ever-growing cast of the MCU.
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Hannah John-Kamen
Season 3, Episode 2: “Playtest”
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Hannah John-Kamen’s first MCU appearance was in Ant-Man and the Wasp. She played Ghost, the main antagonist of the film, who will be featured alongside Wyatt Russell in the upcoming Thunderbolts*. Her role as Ghost is relatively underrated, but her progression as a character in Thunderbolts* should help to make her a more prominent figure in the MCU.
Like Wyatt Russell, she appeared in “Playtest” as a technology journalist and love interest for Russell’s character. In fact, she appears in the game, as it draws on the user’s real life fears, making her role more sizable than it could have been given that this episode solely revolves around Wyatt Russell’s character. With the time she has in the episode, though, she delivers a great performance, which has become a staple for MCU actors in Black Mirror episodes.
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Wunmi Mosaku
Season 3, Episode 2: “Playtest” & Season 6, Episode 1: “Joan is Awful”
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Wunmi Mosaku plays a relatively prominent role in Loki and was featured for a few crucial minutes in the Deadpool & Wolverine movie ending. She plays an important role in Loki as the head of the Time Variance Authority (TVA), who captures Loki after he unknowingly altered the timeline. The TVA have already played a relatively integral role in the Multiverse Saga, despite only being featured in Loki and Deadpool & Wolverine.
Wunmi Mosaku was actually the third MCU actor to appear in “Playtest” as a worker that is conducting the playtests for the company’s new horror video game. She also appeared in season 6, episode 1, “Joan is Awful.” The episode revolves around a character named Joan, whose life is adapted in real-time as a TV series that premieres on Black Mirror‘s version of Netflix. Mosaku plays the lawyer of TV Joan, and is unsurprisingly great in the role.
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Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Season 3, Episode 4: “San Junipero”
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Gugu Mbatha-Raw worked alongside Wunmi Mosaku in Loki. In the MCU, Mbatha-Raw plays Judge Ravonna Renslayer – another key member of the Time Variance Authority who had sentenced Loki to be pruned from the sacred timeline, and was one of the main antagonists of the series. Renslayer also had a significant connection to Kang the Conqueror variant He Who Remains as per Loki, having been a key part of his rise to power.
What sets apart “San Junipero” from other episodes of Black Mirror is the engaging love-story at its core between Mbatha-Raw and Davis’ characters.
Prior to her MCU debut, Gugu Mbatha-Raw was in arguably the greatest Black Mirror episode of all time. “San Junipero” was season 3, episode 4 of Black Mirror, starring Mbatha-Raw alongside Makenzie Davis, whose characters met at San Junipero, a simulated reality beach resort that elderly people can inhabit even after they die. What sets apart “San Junipero” from other episodes of Black Mirror is the engaging love-story at its core between Mbatha-Raw and Davis’ characters. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is a revelation in it, with her character’s story being one of the few to get a happy ending in the series.
8
Benedict Wong
Season 3, Episode 6: “Hated in the Nation”
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Since being introduced in Doctor Strange, Benedict Wong has become a fan-favorite in the MCU as Wong. He has popped up in numerous MCU projects after his first appearance, including Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As the current Sorcerer Supreme, Benedict Wong’s character is quite important in the grand scheme of the MCU.
Benedict Wong also appears in Black Mirror, having a solid role in season 3, episode 6, “Hated in the Nation.” The episode is about a pair of detectives investigating a number of deaths that involve the targets of social media hatred. Benedict Wong also begins work on the case for the National Crime Agency. Wong is great in the episode, and “Hated in the Nation” is an especially interesting part of the series’ history in that it is the longest Black Mirror episode, running at 89 minutes.
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Letitia Wright
Season 4, Episode 6, “Black Museum”
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Letitia Wright was first introduced Shuri – the sister to T’Challa – in Black Panther. The character then took up the hero mantle herself in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, following the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman.
Before she joined the MCU, though, Letitia Wright played a role in “Black Museum,” the sixth and final episode of season 4 of Black Mirror. “Black Museum” featured Wright as a traveler that stumbles upon a small-town Black Museum, whose owner tells Wright about the backstories of various exhibits. This horror episode earned Wright a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, proving her immense talents as an actress. “Black Museum” isn’t typically regarded as one of the best Black Mirror episodes, but Wright’s performance in it definitely elevates the episode as a whole.
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Will Poulter
Black Mirror: “Bandersnatch”
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Will Poulter joined the MCU in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as Adam Warlock, who was created by the Sovereign as a living weapon to destroy the Guardians of the Galaxy. By the end of the film, Adam Warlock has actually become a member of the Guardians, with the possibility that he could return for future MCU projects. Adam Warlock is an extremely powerful character that could eventually play a significant role in the overall universe.
Adam Warlock plays a massive role in the Infinity Gauntlet Saga for Marvel Comics, so it was surprising he didn’t appear in Avengers: Infinity War.
Long before he became a Guardian of the Galaxy, Will Poulter was featured in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. This was actually a film instead of an episode of the show, and tried to do things that no films have really done before in terms of narrative, fitting perfectly with the overall themes in Black Mirror. Bandersnatch is an interactive film where Netflix viewers actually make the decisions for the main character, determining the outcome of the narrative along the way. In fact, there are five possible main endings to the film.
5
Anthony Mackie
Season 5, Episode 1: “Striking Vipers”
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Having first appeared in the MCU in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie is currently one of the longest running actors in the franchise. Though Sam Wilson’s journey started with him as The Falcon, Mackie’s character eventually became the new Captain America following the retirement of Steve Rogers, who went back in time to live the life he always wanted. His first official movie appearance as Captain America will be in Captain America: Brave New World.
Anthony Mackie has one of the main roles in Black Mirror season 5, episode 1, “Striking Vipers.” This episode features two old friends who routinely play a virtual reality fighting game with each other. Eventually, the two of them begin to consistently sleep together in the game, which eventually causes problems for Mackie’s character’s marriage. Mackie gives a fantastic performance in the episode, notably alongside another future MCU actor.
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Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Season 5, Episode 1: “Striking Vipers”
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Although it won’t be released until December 2025, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will be starring as the titular character in the Wonder Man TV series for the MCU. Wonder Man will follow Simon Williams (Abdul-Mateen II) who is a superpowered actor and stuntperson who auditions for the lead in a superhero television series. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is a remarkable talent, and will likely knock his role as Wonder Man out of the park as a result.
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Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is actually the other main character in “Striking Vipers,” playing the long-time friend of Mackie’s character. Abdul-Mateen is remarkable alongside Anthony Mackie, as the two help elevate the episode that tries to explore similar themes as “San Junipero”.
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Pom Klementieff
Season 5, Episode 1: “Striking Vipers”
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Since she first appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Pom Klementieff has been a delight as Mantis over the course of the MCU. In a group of hilarious characters, Mantis is one of the funniest because she doesn’t actually try to be funny, and Klementieff’s performance as the character is incredibly enjoyable. She plays an important part as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and is the half-sister to Star Lord.
Pom Klementieff is the third MCU actor to be featured in Black Mirror’s “Striking Vipers.” Her role is quite different from Anthony Mackie and Yahya Adbul-Mateen II’s characters, as she is the virtual reality fighting avatar that Abdul-Mateen II’s character both uses in fights, and to sleep with Anthony Mackie’s own fighting avatar. She is great in her role, showing that she is more than capable of playing characters outside of Mantis, which was her first huge breakthrough as an actress despite playing in numerous roles before that.
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Angourie Rice
Season 5, Episode 3: “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too”
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Angourie Rice played Betty Brant in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Though she had a very minor role in Homecoming, Betty Brant was featured more in Far From Home as she begins a relationship with Ned at the start of their school field trip in Europe. Her deadpan delivery and sense of humor turned a rather standard character into a hilarious one, and the ups-and-downs Betty and Ned’s relationship quickly goes through is fun to watch.
Angourie Rice is also a Black Mirror alumni, having a role in season 5, episode 3, “Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too.” Rice plays one of the main characters in “Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too”, which involves two teenage sisters grieving the loss of their mother, with Rice’s character being gifted an AI doll of her favorite pop singer during this time. Overall, “Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too” is one of the more upbeat episodes of Black Mirror.
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Salma Hayek
Season 6, Episode 1: “Joan is Awful”
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Salma Hayek joined the MCU as Ajak, the leader of the Eternals that were sent to Earth long before it was populated by superpowered people. Although most Eternals didn’t truly know what their mission was, Ajak was aware that they were there to pave the way for Earth’s Emergence – which is when a Celestial is born, destroying the planet it was created on. Eternals didn’t do well financially or critically, so it is unclear if they will continue in the MCU, despite being promised to return.
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Salma Hayek features alongside Wunmi Mosaku in the Black Mirror episode “Joan is Awful.” With Joan’s life being adapted in real-time as a streaming television series, Salma Hayek gives a fantastic performance as TV Joan as well as playing herself. The episode is more comedic than most other episodes, while also having a happier ending than most. Her role in “Joan is Awful” makes her one of the newest members of the MCU to be featured in a Black Mirror episode.
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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
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