These ten actors have portrayed their respective Marvel and DC characters for the longest time. Live-action adaptations of storylines from Marvel Comics and DC Comics have birthed some of the largest film franchises in cinema history, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC Extended Universe (now DC Universe), Fox’s X-Men franchise, and Sony Spider-Man Universe bringing dozens of superhero characters to life on the big and small screen. One of the best attractions of these franchises is that actors tend to stick around for several projects, allowing characters to develop over a number of years, but some actors have taken this to the extreme.
Though some actors play a role in one or two superhero projects, others have stayed with their characters for several years, allowing their stories to expand and their characters to be more refined as time has passed. The best examples of this lie within the MCU, the largest live-action superhero franchise, as Robert Downey Jr. appeared in the franchise for eleven years as Tony Stark, Chris Hemsworth for twelve (so far) as Thor, and Natasha Romanoff for eleven at the time of Black Widow’s release. Even so, they pale in comparison to some of these stars, who’ve made themselves known as the longest-serving actors in Marvel and DC films.
10 Jon Favreau As Happy Hogan – 13 Years, 8 Movies & 1 Show
Despite directing 2008’s Iron Man and 2010’s Iron Man 2, Jon Favreau also appeared in the MCU’s debut project as Harold “Happy” Hogan, one of Tony Stark’s closest friends and eventually the Head of Security at Stark Industries. Favreau relinquished his directing duties for Iron Man 3 but went on to appear as Happy in eight projects in the MCU, including Iron Man 3, Spider-Man: Homecoming, a deleted scene in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. He also voiced Happy in Marvel Studios’ What If…?, marking 13 years in the MCU, even surpassing Iron Man himself.
9 Ian McKellen As Magneto (& Some Other X-Men Cast Members) – 14 Years, 5 Movies
Ian McKellen debuted as Erik Lehnsherr, a.k.a. Magneto, in 2000’s X-Men and became a staple of Fox’s X-Men franchise alongside some of the biggest names in Hollywood at the time. Going on to appear in X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, The Wolverine, and 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, McKellen starred as Magneto for 14 years. He’s not the only original X-Men cast member to pull off this feat, however, as Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Anna Paquin, and Shawn Ashmore also reprised their roles from previous X-Men films, each of them matching McKellen’s 14 years in their respective superhero roles.
8 Ryan Reynolds As Deadpool – 15 Years, 4 Movies
Ryan Reynolds was a household name before appearing as Wade Wilson, a.k.a. Weapon XI, in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, though this iteration of the character is widely considered to be the worst. Thankfully, Reynolds brought a different version of Wilson to life in 2016’s Deadpool, portraying the titular antihero with charisma, energy, and a hilarious dryness that made Deadpool an instant fan-favorite. Reynolds reprised the role in 2018’s Deadpool 2, and although Disney’s acquisition of Fox in 2019 put the fate of the X-Men franchise in jeopardy, Reynolds was confirmed to be returning as the Merc-with-a-Mouth in 2024’s Deadpool 3, adding up to a total of 15 years.
7 Paul Bettany As JARVIS & Vision – 15 Years, 7 Movies & 3 Shows
Although only heard as Tony Stark’s artificial assistant JARVIS in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, and Iron Man 3, Paul Bettany finally appeared physically in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Technically, JARVIS and Vision are considered to be two separate characters, but the latter is indeed an evolution of the former. As Vision, Bettany has appeared in Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, WandaVision, and Marvel Studios’ What If…?, and is set to return in Vision Quest, which doesn’t currently have a release date. That means that, so far, Bettany has appeared in the MCU for 15 years and counting.
6 Samuel L. Jackson As Nick Fury – 15 Years, 12 Movies & 3 Shows
Samuel L. Jackson is the longest-running Marvel actor who has solely appeared in the MCU, debuting in Marvel Studios’ debut, Iron Man and is still going strong. Jackson has appeared as Nick Fury, the former Director of SHIELD in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and What If…?. He will reprise the role in 2023’s Secret Invasion and The Marvels and appeared as Fury in Marvel Television’s Agents of SHIELD, totaling 15 years in the MCU and by far having the most appearances.
5 Alfred Molina As Doctor Octopus – 17 Years, 2 Movies
Despite only appearing in two films as Doctor Otto Octavius, a.k.a. Doctor Octopus, Alfred Molina is among the longest-serving superhero film actors. Molina debuted as Octavius in 2004’s Spider-Man 2, directed by Sam Raimi, with Tobey Maguire in the titular role. Spider-Man 2 ended with Octavius’ death, but Molina reprised the role for 2021’s multiversal adventure in the MCU, Spider-Man: No Way Home, alongside his former Spider-Man 2 co-star Maguire. No Way Home saw Octavius get some redemption, allowing Molina to bring a happy ending to his 17-year-long role.
4 Tobey Maguire As Spider-Man (& Some Other Spider-Man Cast Members) – 19 Years, 4 Movies
As Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire has only appeared in four films, but over the span of 19 years. Starring as the titular web-slinging hero in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy between 2002 and 2007, Maguire brought Spider-Man into the modern age and paved the way for Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland to assume the role in his wake. Along with Willem Dafoe and J.K. Simmons, who also debuted in Spider-Man as Norman Osborn and J. Jonah Jameson, respectively, Maguire appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021, marking 19 years in the roles for each of these original Spider-Man actors.
3 Patrick Stewart As Professor X – 22 Years, 8 Movies
Patrick Stewart originally portrayed Charles Xavier, a.k.a. Professor X, in 2000’s X-Men, the head of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters and the leader of the X-Men. While James McAvoy played a younger version of Professor X, Stewart would reprise the role later on, appearing in X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Logan. Stewart also portrayed a variant of Professor X in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, marking 23 years as the telepathic mutant, and it’s possible he could reprise the role in an upcoming MCU project, so he could add more years to this total.
2 Hugh Jackman As Wolverine – 24 Years, 11 Movies
Since they both debuted in 2000’s X-Men, Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman have often been in a race as to who will be the longest-serving actor in the role of a Marvel superhero. Also apearing in X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: First Class, The Wolverine, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Logan – which marked 17 years for both actors, Jackman made an appearance in archive footage for 2018’s Deadpool 2, Stewart beat his record in 2022’s Multiverse of Madness, but Jackman is set to mark 24 years as Wolverine in 2024’s Deadpool 3, finally appearing alongside Ryan Reynolds in the MCU’s mutant spectacular.
1 Michael Keaton As Batman – 34 Years, 3 Movies
Over the years, many actors have starred as Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman, but Michael Keaton’s return in 2023’s The Flash makes him the only DC actor to make this list. Keaton previously portrayed the Caped Crusader in Tim Burton’s Batman in 1989 and its 1992 sequel Batman Returns. Since then, Keaton appeared as Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. the Vulture, in the MCU’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and Sony’s Morbius, but he will return as Bruce Wayne in The Flash, set to release on June 16, 2023. This will mark an impressive 34 years for Michael Keaton as Batman, making him the longest-serving actor in any Marvel or DC role.
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