The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a media franchise and shared fictional universe that is the setting of superhero television series based on characters that appear in Marvel Comics publications. Marvel Television released the first series in the universe, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which began airing on ABC during the 2013–14 television season, and was joined by Agent Carter in the 2014–15 television season. Inhumans aired on ABC in the 2017–18 television season. Netflix's Marvel series began in 2015 with Daredevil and Jessica Jones, with Luke Cage releasing in 2016. Those series were followed by Iron Fist, the crossover miniseries The Defenders, and The Punisher in 2017. Additionally, the MCU expanded to Hulu with Runaways, also in 2017, and Helstrom in 2020, and expanded to Freeform with Cloak & Dagger in 2018. Marvel Studios—the production studio behind the MCU feature films—began releasing series in 2021 that feature greater interconnectivity with the films than these series.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is headlined by Clark Gregg in the role of Phil Coulson, while Hayley Atwell stars as Peggy Carter in Agent Carter, both reprising their roles from the MCU films. Anson Mount headlines Inhumans as Black Bolt. Charlie Cox is featured as Matt Murdock / Daredevil in Daredevil, while Krysten Ritter leads as Jessica Jones in Jessica Jones, which also introduces Mike Colter as Luke Cage, who later headlined Luke Cage. Finn Jones stars as Danny Rand / Iron Fist in Iron Fist and joins Cox, Ritter, and Colter in reprising their roles for The Defenders. Jon Bernthal stars as Frank Castle / Punisher in The Punisher, after being introduced in the second season of Daredevil. Runaways co-stars Rhenzy Feliz as Alex Wilder. Cloak & Dagger sees Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph as Tandy Bowen / Dagger and Tyrone Johnson / Cloak, respectively. Helstrom stars Tom Austen and Sydney Lemmon as Daimon and Ana Helstrom, respectively.
Due to the nature of the shared universe, several actors appear in the series as characters that had previously appeared in other mediums, including: Gregg, who appeared as Coulson in the films Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Marvel's The Avengers, and the short films The Consultant and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer, before appearing in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; and Atwell, who portrayed Carter in the films and and the short film Agent Carter, upon which the series of the same name is based, before appearing in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as well. Atwell is the first actor to appear in multiple MCU television series with her role in Agent Carter. All characters that have made appearances in other MCU media, such as the digital series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot, are noted.
| Character | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daredevil | Jessica Jones | Daredevil | Luke Cage | Iron Fist | The Defenders | The Punisher | |
Introduced in Daredevil season 1 | |||||||
| Turk Barrett | Rob Morgan | Rob Morgan | Rob Morgan | ||||
| Shirley Benson | Suzanne H. Smart | Suzanne H. Smart | Suzanne H. Smart | colspan="2" | |||
| Christian Blake | Chris Tardio | colspan="6" | |||||
| Elena Cardenas | Judith Delgado | colspan="6" | |||||
| Mitchell Ellison | Geoffrey Cantor | Geoffrey Cantor | Geoffrey Cantor | ||||
| Vincent D'Onofrio | Vincent D'Onofrio | colspan="4" | |||||
| Francis | Tom Walker | colspan="6" | |||||
| Gao | Wai Ching Ho | Wai Ching Ho | Wai Ching Ho | ||||
| Carl Hoffman | Daryl Edwards | colspan="6" | |||||
| Josie | Susan Varon | Susan Varon | Susan Varon | ||||
| Paul Lantom | Peter McRobbie | Peter McRobbie | Peter McRobbie | ||||
| Brett Mahoney | Royce Johnson | Royce Johnson | |||||
| Ayelet Zurer | colspan="6" | ||||||
| Charlie Cox | Charlie Cox | Charlie Cox | |||||
| Elden Henson | Elden Henson | Elden Henson | |||||
| Leland Owlsley | Bob Gunton | colspan="6" | |||||
| Deborah Ann Woll | Deborah Ann Woll | Deborah Ann Woll | |||||
| Melvin Potter | Matt Gerald | Matt Gerald | colspan="4" | ||||
| Vladimir Ranskahov | Nikolai Nikolaeff | colspan="6" | |||||
| Marci Stahl | Amy Rutberg | Amy Rutberg | Amy Rutberg | ||||
| Stick | Scott Glenn | Scott Glenn | Scott Glenn | ||||
| Roscoe Sweeney | Kevin Nagle | Kevin Nagle | colspan="4" | ||||
| Claire Temple | Rosario Dawson | Rosario Dawson | Rosario Dawson | ||||
| Ben Urich | Vondie Curtis-Hall | colspan="6" | |||||
| Doris Urich | Adriane Lenox | colspan="6" | |||||
| James Wesley | Toby Leonard Moore | colspan="6" | |||||
| Nobu Yoshioka | Peter Shinkoda | Peter Shinkoda | colspan="4" | ||||
Introduced in Jessica Jones season 1 | |||||||
| Clair | Danielle Ferland | colspan="5" | |||||
| Oscar Clemons | Clarke Peters | colspan="5" | |||||
| Reva Connors | Parisa Fitz-Henley | Parisa Fitz-Henley | colspan="3" | ||||
| Donald | Paul Pryce | colspan="5" | |||||
| Malcolm Ducasse | Eka Darville | Eka Darville | |||||
| Emma | Gillian Glasco | colspan="5" | |||||
| Jeri Hogarth | Carrie-Anne Moss | Carrie-Anne Moss | Carrie-Anne Moss | ||||
| Jackson | Ryan Ferrell | colspan="5" | |||||
| Alisa Jones | Miriam Shor | colspan="5" | |||||
| Jessica Jones | Krysten Ritter | Krysten Ritter | |||||
| Carl Lucas / Luke Cage | Mike Colter | Mike Colter | Mike Colter | ||||
| Nicole | Nichole Yannetty | Nichole Yannetty | |||||
| Pam | Susie Abromeit | colspan="5" | |||||
| Samantha Reyes | Michelle Hurd | colspan="4" | |||||
| Robyn | Colby Minifie | colspan="5" | |||||
| Wendy Ross-Hogarth | Robin Weigert | colspan="5" | |||||
| Ruben | Kieran Mulcare | colspan="5" | |||||
| Hope Shlottman | Erin Moriarty | colspan="5" | |||||
| Will Simpson | Wil Traval | colspan="5" | |||||
| Albert Thompson | Michael Siberry | colspan="5" | |||||
| Kevin Thompson | David Tennant | colspan="5" | |||||
| Louise Thompson | Lisa Emery | colspan="5" | |||||
| Patricia "Trish" Walker | Rachael Taylor | Rachael Taylor | Rachael Taylor | ||||
Introduced in Daredevil season 2 | |||||||
| Jon Bernthal | Jon Bernthal | ||||||
| Louisa Delgado | Marilyn Torres | colspan="4" | |||||
| Benjamin Donovan | Danny Johnson | colspan="3" | |||||
| Stan Gibson | John Pirkis | colspan="4" | |||||
| Hirochi | Ron Nakahara | colspan="4" | |||||
| Ray Schoonover | Clancy Brown | Clancy Brown | |||||
| Elektra Natchios | Élodie Yung | Élodie Yung | |||||
| Blake Tower | Stephen Rider | Stephen Rider | colspan="3" | ||||
Introduced in Luke Cage season 1 | |||||||
| Hernan "Shades" Alvarez | Theo Rossi | colspan="3" | |||||
| Mark Bailey | Justin Swain | colspan="3" | |||||
| Noah Burstein | Michael Kostroff | colspan="3" | |||||
| Domingo Colon | Jacob Vargas | colspan="3" | |||||
| Darryl | Marquis Rodriguez | colspan="2" | |||||
| Mariah Dillard | Alfre Woodard | colspan="3" | |||||
| Bobby Fish | Ron Cephas Jones | colspan="3" | |||||
| D. W. Griffith | Jeremiah Richard Craft | colspan="3" | |||||
| Mercedes "Misty" Knight | Simone Missick | Simone Missick | |||||
| Connie Lin | Jade Wu | colspan="3" | |||||
| Megan McLaren | Dawn-Lyen Gardner | colspan="3" | |||||
| Candace Miller | Deborah Ayorinde | colspan="3" | |||||
| Priscilla Ridley | Karen Pittman | colspan="3" | |||||
| Rafael Scarfe | Frank Whaley | colspan="3" | |||||
| Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes | Mahershala Ali | colspan="3" | |||||
| Willis Stryker | Erik LaRay Harvey | colspan="3" | |||||
| Sugar | Sean Ringgold | colspan="3" | |||||
| Soledad Temple | Sônia Braga | colspan="3" | |||||
| Thembi Wallace | Tijuana Ricks | colspan="2" | |||||
| Alex Wesley | John Clarence Stewart | colspan="3" | |||||
| Lonnie Wilson | Darius Kaleb | colspan="3" | |||||
| Zip | Jaiden Kaine | colspan="3" | |||||
Introduced in Iron Fist season 1 | |||||||
| Bakuto | Ramón Rodríguez | ||||||
| Davos | Sacha Dhawan | colspan="2" | |||||
| Kyle | Alex Wyse | colspan="2" | |||||
| Harold Meachum | David Wenham | colspan="2" | |||||
| Joy Meachum | Jessica Stroup | colspan="2" | |||||
| Ward Meachum | Tom Pelphrey | colspan="2" | |||||
| Megan | Barrett Doss | colspan="2" | |||||
| Danny Rand | Finn Jones | ||||||
| Wendell Rand | David Furr | colspan="2" | |||||
| Maria Rodriguez | Elise Santora | colspan="2" | |||||
| Kevin Singleton | Ramon Fernandez | colspan="2" | |||||
| Lawrence Wilkins | Clifton Davis | colspan="2" | |||||
| Colleen Wing | Jessica Henwick | ||||||
Introduced in Marvel's The Defenders | |||||||
| Cole Miller | J. Mallory McCree | ||||||
| Murakami | Yutaka Takeuchi | ||||||
| Lexi Raymond | Chloe Levine | ||||||
| Michelle Raymond | Michelle Federer | ||||||
| Alexandra | Sigourney Weaver | ||||||
| Sowande | Babs Olusanmokun | ||||||
| Strieber | Ron Simons | ||||||
Introduced in The Punisher season 1 | |||||||
| Frank Castle Jr. | Aidan Pierce Brennan | ||||||
| Lisa Castle | Nicolette Pierini | ||||||
| Maria Castle | Kelli Barrett | ||||||
| Rafael Hernandez | Tony Plana | ||||||
| Curtis Hoyle | Jason R. Moore | ||||||
| Isaac Lange | Jordan Mahome | ||||||
| David Lieberman | Ebon Moss-Bachrach | ||||||
| Leo Lieberman | Ripley Sobo | ||||||
| Sarah Lieberman | Jaime Ray Newman | ||||||
| Zach Lieberman | Kobi Frumer | ||||||
| Dinah Madani | Amber Rose Revah | ||||||
| Farah Madani | Shohreh Aghdashloo | ||||||
| William Rawlins | Paul Schulze | ||||||
| Billy Russo | Ben Barnes | ||||||
| Sam Stein | Michael Nathanson | ||||||
| Lewis Wilson | Daniel Webber | ||||||
| Character | 2018 | 2019 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jessica Jones | Luke Cage | Iron Fist | Daredevil | The Punisher | Jessica Jones | |
Introduced in earlier seasons or series | ||||||
| Hernan "Shades" Alvarez | Theo Rossi | colspan="4" | ||||
| Turk Barrett | Rob Morgan | Rob Morgan | ||||
| Mark Bailey | Justin Swain | colspan="4" | ||||
| Frank Castle | Jon Bernthal | |||||
| Davos | Sacha Dhawan | colspan="3" | ||||
| Mariah Dillard | Alfre Woodard | colspan="4" | ||||
| Benjamin Donovan | Danny Johnson | Danny Johnson | colspan="2" | |||
| Malcolm Ducasse | Eka Darville | Eka Darville | ||||
| Mitchell Ellison | Geoffrey Cantor | colspan="2" | ||||
| Bobby Fish | Ron Cephas Jones | colspan="4" | ||||
| Wilson Fisk | Vincent D'Onofrio | colspan="2" | ||||
| D. W. Griffith | Jeremiah Richard Craft | colspan="4" | ||||
| Rafael Hernandez | Tony Plana | |||||
| Jeri Hogarth | Carrie-Anne Moss | Carrie-Anne Moss | ||||
| Curtis Hoyle | Jason R. Moore | |||||
| Alisa Jones | Janet McTeer | colspan="5" | ||||
| Jessica Jones | Krysten Ritter | Krysten Ritter | ||||
| Mercedes "Misty" Knight | Simone Missick | colspan="3" | ||||
| Paul Lantom | Peter McRobbie | colspan="2" | ||||
| Connie Lin | Jade Wu | colspan="4" | ||||
| Carl Lucas / Luke Cage | Mike Colter | Mike Colter | ||||
| Dinah Madani | Amber Rose Revah | |||||
| Brett Mahoney | Royce Johnson | |||||
| Vanessa Marianna | Ayelet Zurer | colspan="2" | ||||
| Joy Meachum | Jessica Stroup | colspan="3" | ||||
| Ward Meachum | Tom Pelphrey | colspan="3" | ||||
| Charlie Cox | colspan="2" | |||||
| Franklin "Foggy" Nelson | Elden Henson | Elden Henson | colspan="2" | |||
| Nicole | Nichole Yannetty | colspan="5" | ||||
| Karen Page | Deborah Ann Woll | Deborah Ann Woll | ||||
| Melvin Potter | Matt Gerald | colspan="2" | ||||
| Danny Rand | Finn Jones | colspan="3" | ||||
| Priscilla Ridley | Karen Pittman | colspan="4" | ||||
| Billy Russo | Ben Barnes | |||||
| Rafael Scarfe | Frank Whaley | colspan="4" | ||||
| Will Simpson | Wil Traval | colspan="5" | ||||
| Marci Stahl | Amy Rutberg | colspan="2" | ||||
| Strieber | Ron Simons | colspan="2" | ||||
| Sugar | Sean Ringgold | colspan="4" | ||||
| Claire Temple | Rosario Dawson | colspan="4" | ||||
| Kevin Thompson | David Tennant | David Tennant | ||||
| Blake Tower | Stephen Rider | Stephen Rider | colspan="2" | |||
| Dorothy Walker | Rebecca De Mornay | Rebecca De Monray | ||||
| Patricia "Trish" Walker | Rachael Taylor | Rachael Taylor | ||||
| Thembi Wallace | Tijuana Ricks | Tijuana Ricks | ||||
| Alex Wesley | John Clarence Stewart | colspan="4" | ||||
| Lonnie Wilson | Darius Kaleb | colspan="4" | ||||
| Colleen Wing | Jessica Henwick | colspan="3" | ||||
Introduced in Jessica Jones season 2 | ||||||
| Oscar Arocho | J. R. Ramirez | J. R. Ramirez | ||||
| Vido Arocho | Kevin Chacon | Kevin Chacon | ||||
| Pryce Cheng | Terry Chen | colspan="5" | ||||
| Inez Green | Leah Gibson | colspan="5" | ||||
Introduced in Luke Cage season 2 | ||||||
| Rosalie Carbone | Annabella Sciorra | Annabella Sciorra | colspan="2" | |||
| Tilda Johnson | Gabrielle Dennis | colspan="4" | ||||
| John McIver | Mustafa Shakir | colspan="4" | ||||
Introduced in Iron Fist season 2 | ||||||
| Mary Walker | Alice Eve | colspan="3" | ||||
Introduced in Daredevil season 3 | ||||||
| Maggie Grace | Joanne Whalley | colspan="2" | ||||
| Rahul "Ray" Nadeem | Jay Ali | colspan="2" | ||||
| Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter | Wilson Bethel | colspan="2" | ||||
Introduced in The Punisher season 2 | ||||||
| Amy Bendix | Giorgia Whigham | |||||
| Krista Dumont | Floriana Lima | |||||
| John Pilgrim | Josh Stewart | |||||
| Anderson Schultz | Corbin Bernsen | |||||
| Eliza Schultz | Annette O'Toole | |||||
Introduced in Jessica Jones season 3 | ||||||
| Erik Gelden | Benjamin Walker | |||||
| Kith Lyonne | Sarita Choudhury | |||||
| Zaya Okonjo | Tiffany Mack | |||||
| Gregory Sallinger | Jeremy Bobb | |||||
Tom Austen and Sydney Lemmon headline Helstrom as Daimon and Ana Helstrom, respectively. Helstrom was intended to be the first series in the planned Adventure into Fear franchise, which was intended to feature Gabriel Luna reprising his Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. role of Robbie Reyes / Ghost Rider in the canceled Ghost Rider series.