Tragically, a number of Marvel Cinematic Universe performers have died after making appearances in the film series. Since 2008’s Iron Man, a number of actors have seized the chance to play characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). While many may not have been well-known before their premieres, a number of them have become super stars due to their roles as well-known superheroes in the franchise. However, this has also unavoidably meant that a number of performers from the franchise—including some of the most well-known and prominent characters in the MCU—have sadly departed away after fifteen years of the franchise.
Miguel Ferrer
Vice President Rodriguez Miguel Ferrer made an appearance in Iron Man 3.
Miguel Ferrer first gained notoriety in the RoboCop film of 1987. He went on to star in other films such as Miami Vice, Blank Check, Mulan, and Twin Peaks. In the 2013 film Iron Man 3, Ferrer played Vice President Rodriguez, who it was discovered had been collaborating with Aldrich Killian to try and cure his daughter’s illness. Ferrer passed away in January 2017 at the age of 61 following complications brought on by throat cancer and heart failure. Interestingly, Miguel O’Hara, also known as Spider-Man 2099, from Marvel Comics was named after Ferrer.
Harry Dean Stanton
Security guard Harry Dean Stanton made an appearance in The Avengers
Actor Harry Dean Stanton was a legendary figure with a six-decade career. Stanton only made a fleeting appearance in the MCU, although he starred in big films including The Green Mile, Alien, The Godfather Part II, Lucky, and Dillinger. In the 2012 film The Avengers, Stanton played the security guard who saved Bruce Banner after he fell from the SHIELD helicarrier. Stanton passed away from heart failure in September 2017 at the remarkable age of 91.
Eugene Lazarev appeared
In Iron Man 2, Eugene Lazarev (Anton Vanko) made an appearance.
Only a brief cameo as Howard Stark’s former business colleague and father of Ivan Vanko, Anton Vanko, was made by Russian-American actor Eugene Lazarev in Iron Man 2, which turned out to be the actor’s last movie role. Lazarev played major parts in TV shows including 24, Alias, and The West Wing in addition to popular Hollywood films like The Saint, Lord of War, and The Sum of All Fears. At the age of 79, Lazarev passed away in November 2016 from cardiac arrest.
Sondra James
Spider-Man: Homecoming Featured Sondra James (Marjorie)
Sondra James, a character actor and voice actor, had a successful career in theater and film, performing in the national tour of Funny Girl in 1996. James acted in Devil Wears Prada, The Dictator, Joker, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, and he also made an appearance as Marjorie in Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017. James had a conversation with Marvel legend Stan Lee in the MCU movie. At the age of 82, James passed away from lung cancer in September 2021 at her New York City home.
Gaspard Ulliel
In Moon Knight, Gaspard Ulliel (Anton Mogart) made an appearance.
For the MCU’s Moon Knight in 2022, French actor Gaspard Ulliel entered the picture after his death, playing Anton Mogart, an antiquities collector and Layla El-Faouly’s friend. Ulliel’s most well-known roles prior to joining the MCU were in A Very Long Engagement, Saint Laurent, Hannibal Rising, and Rise of the Guardians. Ulliel, 37, passed away in January 2022 at the age of 37 following a severe brain injury sustained in a skiing accident at the French resort of La Rosière. Six other people’s lives were spared because to Ulliel’s organ donation, and in the weeks that followed his passing, a number of well-known performers paid their respects to Ulliel.
Lee Moore
In Avengers: Endgame, Lee Moore (Old Scott Lang) made an appearance.
In 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, Lee Moore made a brief cameo as the older Scott Lang, who came out of the Quantum Tunnel as Smart Hulk was attempting to create time travel. Moore’s extraordinary career began with his ten-year-old role in King of the Turf in 1939. Later on, he would appear in Mr. Popper’s Penguins, The Law of the Desert, The Guiding Light, and Night of the Zombies. Moore, who was 89 years old, passed away in August 2018 not long after filming his part for Avengers: Endgame.
Phyllis Somerville
Mrs. Vistain, Phyllis Somerville, made an appearance in Daredevil
Phyllis Somerville is well recognized for her work on television shows such as Outsiders, Little Children, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and The Big C. She also played Wilson Fisk’s mother, Mrs. Vistain, in two episodes of Marvel Television’s Daredevil. Despite having a minor part, Somerville was essential to the plot of season 1 of Daredevil. Before Somerville, at 76 years old, died in July 2020 of natural causes, her career spanned six decades.
Paul Soles
Paul Soles (Stanley) Made Numerous Other Project Appearances Including The Incredible Hulk
Inspired by Marvel’s Stan Lee, Paul Soles portrayed Stanley Lieber in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, the proprietor of the pizzeria that Bruce Banner and Betty Ross frequented. Despite playing a minor part in the MCU, Soles is regarded as one of the most recognizable voice performers in Marvel history, having provided the voices of a number of characters in the 1960s animated Spider-Man and Marvel Super Heroes series. At the age of 90, Soles passed away in May 2021 at his Toronto home from natural causes.
James Gunn Sr.
The Strange Old Man, James Gunn Sr., made an appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, James Gunn Sr., the father of Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker James Gunn, makes a brief appearance as “Weird Old Man,” an Earthly citizen who observes Ego’s development. Leota Gunn, the mother of James Gunn, made an appearance with her husband even though neither of them had any previous acting experience. In August 2019, Gunn Sr. passed away quietly at the age of 78. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (released in 2023) is dedicated by James Gunn to his late father.
Neil Fingleton
Avengers: Age of Ultron featured Neil Fingleton as Ultron.
The only actor on this list whose face was never shown in the MCU is Neil Fingleton, who did the motion capture for Ultron in the 2015 film Avengers: Age of Ultron, in which James Spader voiced the villain. At 7 feet 7.56 inches (232.6 cm), English actor and basketball player Fingleton was the tallest man born in the United Kingdom and ranked in the top 25 tallest persons worldwide, which made him an ideal choice to play the towering Ultron. X-Men: First Class, Game of Thrones, and Doctor Who are among the movies in which Fingleton appeared. Sadly, Fingleton passed away in February 2017 at the early age of 36 from heart failure.
Reg E. Cathey
Luke Cage Featured James Lucas’s Character Reg E. Cathey
In Luke Cage’s second season, Reg E. Cathey made a posthumous appearance as James Lucas, the father of the main character. Before that, Cathey was most known for his roles as Martin Querns in Oz, Freddy Hayes in House of Cards, and Norman Wilson in The Wire. Throughout his career, which began in the 1980s and included both stage and television work, Cathey was a gifted actor who died in February 2018 at the age of 59. According to reports, Cathey passed away at his New York City residence from lung cancer.
Garry Shandling
Senator Stern Garry Shandling made appearances in Iron Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Beginning with appearances in a number of sitcoms, such as Sanford & Son and Welcome Back, Kotter, Garry Shandling’s incredible career took off. He would gain notoriety for his hilarious parts in films including The Dictator, Zoolander, Over the Hedge, and Dr. Dolittle. Shandling became even more well-known for his role as Senator, but he also presented the Grammy and Emmy Awards several times.
Ron Cephas Jones
The Character Ron Cephas Jones (Bobby Fish) in Luke Cage
Ron Cephas Jones, best known for his role in This Is Us, has acted in films such as Mr. Robot, Across the Universe, The Get Down, and Dolemite Is My Name. Jones portrayed Bobby Fish in Netflix’s Luke Cage, a frequent customer of Pop’s Barber Shop and Luke Cage’s close friend. Jones passed away in August 2023 at the age of 66 from a chronic lung condition.
Dorothy Steel
The Merchant Tribe Elder Dorothy Steel had an appearance in Black Panther.
Dorothy Steel worked as a senior revenue officer for the Internal Revenue Service for the majority of her professional career. She retired in 1984, moved to Atlanta, and started performing in community theater there in 2014. Her first significant motion picture role was in 2018’s Black Panther, where she played the Merchant Tribe Elder of Wakanda. Steel later returned to the character in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Steel, who was 95 years old, passed away in October 2021 due to illness.
William Hurt
William Hurt made an appearance as General Thaddeus Ross.
Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Cannes Film Festival Winner in Several MCU Films One of the most well-known characters to emerge in the early MCU was William Hurt, who played General Thaddeus Ross in the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk. Harrison Ford succeeded him in Captain America: Brave New World after he passed away. He also played the same character in Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Black Widow. Hurt, who starred in Winter’s Tale, The Good Shepherd, and A.I. Artificial Intelligence, died in March 2022 at the age of 71 from complications related to prostate cancer.
Bill Paxton
In Agents of SHIELD, Bill Paxton (John Garrett) made an appearance.
One of the most well-known performers to join the cast of Agents of SHIELD was Bill Paxton, who played John Garrett, a former SHIELD agent who later joined HYDRA and was close to Phil Coulson, played by Clark Gregg. Among many other well-known films, Paxton has acted in Twister, Apollo 13, Titanic, Aliens, Edge of Tomorrow, and The Terminator. In order to repair a faulty aortic heart valve, Paxton had open heart surgery in February 2017. A day later, he had another procedure, and 10 days later, he had a deadly stroke. At sixty-one, he passed away.
Powers Boothe
Powers Boothe (Gideon Malick) had an appearance in Agents of SHIELD and The Avengers.
The most well-known parts that legendary character actor Powers Boothe has ever had are in successful films like Nixon, Deadwood, 24, Nashville, and Red Dawn. In addition to playing Gideon Malick in the MCU, he was a major character in the DC Animated Universe series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. Malick was shown as a member of the World Security Council at first, but HYDRA subsequently revealed him to be a senior member. Boothe passed away from pancreatic cancer in May 2017, just shy of turning 69.
Ray Stevenson
Ray Stevenson (Volstagg) Made Several Appearances in MCU Films
Actor Ray Stevenson, a native of Northern Ireland, made his screen debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thor, as Warriors Three member Volstagg. He went on to feature in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok. Stevenson is well recognized for his voice work on Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars, as well as his performances in King Arthur, Rome, The Punisher: War Zone, and Dexter. Although the cause of Stevenson’s death is unknown, he passed away in May 2023, not long before turning 59.
Chadwick Boseman
Chadwick Boseman, better known as Black Panther or T’Challa
Featured in Several MCU Films
One of the most intriguing additions to the MCU was Chadwick Boseman, who made his debut in Captain America: Civil War as T’Challa, also known as Black Panther. Later on, Boseman starred in films such as Get on Up, 21 Bridges, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and What If…? and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, all of which he appeared in posthumously. At the young age of 43, Boseman unfortunately lost his life in August 2020 due to complications from colon cancer. Few people knew of Boseman’s illness, but many did so after his passing; Wakanda Forever is devoted to his memory.
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (In Various Roles) Made Numerous Cameo Appearances In The Marvel Cinematic Universe
Stan Lee was the face of Marvel for the majority of his life. He started out at Timely Comics at the age of sixteen as an assistant and worked his way up to become the main creative director of Marvel Comics for twenty years. Stan Lee collaborated with Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko to create a number of Marvel characters that are currently part of the MCU. Stan Lee has made brief appearances in nearly every live-action Marvel project, even before the MCU started. At the age of 95, Lee succumbed to pneumonia, heart failure, and respiratory failure in November 2018, leaving behind the magnificent legacy of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
