Avengers: Infinity War is one of the most ambitious movies ever made, with a cast of characters bigger than just about any cinematic event. In terms of the sheer number of stars gathered from all corners of Hollywood to appear in one picture, the only comparison is the epic 1963 comedy, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Practically every main character (and many supporting figures) from every corner of the MCU have assembled to take on Thanos and his Black Order in the ultimate battle over the fate of the universe… Well, until 2019’s Avengers 4, that is.

As the culmination of ten years and eighteen films from Marvel Studios, Infinity War is an important moment in blockbuster cinema, the and its significance cannot be understated. Even with Avengers 4 on the horizon, Infinity War is a cultural event like few others.

Before the release of the biggest motion picture event of the year, it’s time to take a look at the massive roster Marvel has assembled for the third Avengers film.

Note: this cast guide is spoiler-free, with any additional, non-announced appearances that may be in movie not discussed.

  • This Page: The Heroes - The Avengers And Guardians of the Galaxy

The Avengers

Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man The first MCU hero, Downey made his debut in 2008’s Iron Man. Including his brief cameo appearance in The Incredible Hulk, Infinity War marks Downey’s ninth appearance as Tony Stark, the billionaire playboy philanthropist with a fancy suit of armor.

Chris Evans as Captain America The erstwhile leader of The Avengers, Steve Rogers was last seen in Wakanda, an international fugitive due to his refusal to sign the Sokovia Accords, as seen in Captain America: Civil War. Chris Evans has said Avengers 3 and 4 will be his final appearances as the star-spangled hero, but has since backtracked on his comments.

Chris Hemsworth as Thor After the destruction of his iconic weapon, Mjolnir, Thor recovered, proving he is not the God of Hammers, but the God of Thunder. The former prince of Asgard finally took his rightful place as king after Surtur instigated Ragnarok and destroyed his realm. Asgard is not a place, it’s a people.

Mark Ruffalo as Hulk Although Edward Norton originated the character in the MCU, Mark Ruffalo took over for 2012’s The Avengers, and Hulk became a breakout star of the series. Unfortunately, it seems legal issues with Universal are currently preventing a new Hulk solo film from coming to fruition, but fans continue to hope.

Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther Wakanda was first hinted at in an Iron Man 2 Easter Egg, but T’Challa himself didn’t make his big screen debut until 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. His 2018 solo film was worth the wait, and defied the odds to become the highest-grossing MCU film of all time domestically with an astonishing haul of $682 million and counting.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange Stephen Strange was a gifted surgeon before a horrific car accident destroyed his hands and sent him on a journey to learn magic from The Ancient One. Now known as the Sorcerer Supreme, the good Doctor protects New York from mystical threats beyond the comprehension of the more literal-minded Avengers.

Tom Holland as Spider-Man Back in 2008, few could have imagined that the friendly-neighborhood wall-crawler would swing his way into The Avengers, but it happened! Tom Holland made his MCU debut alongside Black Panther in Civil War before headlining his own film, Spider-Man: Homecoming, with Robert Downey Jr playing a supporting role.

Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow Despite making her MCU debut all the way back in 2010’s Iron Man 2, and playing a prominent role in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Natasha Romanoff has yet to receive her own solo film. Scarlett Johansson is one of the most popular actors on the planet, and Black Widow has a mysterious and unexplained backstory, so what is Marvel waiting for?

Don Cheadle as War Machine Terrence Howard did a fine job in the original Iron Man, but when he was recast for the sequel, most fans agreed that Don Cheadle was absolutely perfect in the role. While many enjoyed the star-spangled Iron Patriot armor from Iron Man 3, the character reverted to the metallic silver color scheme in Age of Ultron… and then broke his spine in Civil War. It happens.

Paul Bettany as Vision Neither fully machine nor fully human, Vision was formed from a mix of vibranium flesh, Ultron’s genius, the other-worldly powers of the Mind Stone, and brought to life with a bolt of lightning summoned by the mighty Thor. Actor Paul Bettany surely had no idea he’d become an Avenger when he first signed on to do voice work for a minor role in Iron Man.

Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch The product of Hydra’s experiments with the Mind Stone, Scarlet Witch and her brother, Quicksilver, were taken in by Ultron before seeing the error of their ways and aiding The Avengers during the battle of Sokovia. Civil War hints at romantic developments between Scarlet Witch and Vision, but it remains to be seen if the two will truly become a couple.

Anthony Mackie as Falcon One of the breakout stars of the MCU’s Phase 2, Avengers fans were miffed when Falcon didn’t show up to kick butt alongside War Machine during the Battle of Sokovia in Age of Ultron. Still, he made up for it with his unexpected cameo in Ant-Man, in which he did battle with the diminutive hero.

Sebastian Stan as White Wolf Formerly known as the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes was Steve Rogers’ childhood friend before he was captured by Hydra and brainwashed into being their assassin. In Civil War, his metallic arm was destroyed by a blast from Iron Man’s lasers, but the Wakandans have apparently built him a new one. Based on the post-credits scene of Black Panther, he now goes by White Wolf.

The Guardians of the Galaxy

Chris Pratt as Star-Lord When the film was first announced, many feared that Guardians of the Galaxy would be Marvel Studios’ first box office bomb. They were wrong! The film was a massive success, and it turned Chris Pratt into an overnight A-List superstar. Star-Lord is a boy-ish hero with juvenile sensibilities but a good heart, and his special skills include crack marksmanship and an encyclopedic knowledge of 1980s pop culture.

Zoe Saldana as Gamora In Avatar, Zoe Saldana was blue. In Guardians, she’s green. Gamora was Thanos’ favorite adopted child/spoil of war, but she turned against her evil father figure after years of enduring his cruelty and bloodlust. She’s working on rebuilding broken bridges between her and her sister, Nebula.

Dave Bautista as Drax In the first Guardians of the Galaxy, Drax began his quest to avenge the deaths of his wife and child. After successfully aiding in the death of Ronan the Accuser, he directed his vengeance towards his true enemy, Thanos. Thanks to his charismatic performance, Dave Bautista went from a B-tier WWE fighter to one of the most in-demand beefcake actors in Hollywood.

Bradley Cooper as Rocket Rocket Raccoon is a mysterious science experiment with a major chip on his shoulder. Over the course of the two Guardians of the Galaxy movies, he learns to love his adopted family and shipmates. Bradley Cooper, best known for leading roles in American Sniper and The Hangover, imbues the character with mischievous charm and punk-rock attitude, although credit must also go to on-set double Sean Gunn.

Pom Klementieff as Mantis A recent addition to the team, Mantis debuted in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 as the adopted daughter of Ego, Star-Lord’s biological father. These days, she rides with the Guardians. Pom Klementieff is somewhat unrecognizable with Mantis’s antennae and pitch-black eyes, but the lovely and talented actor can also be seen in movies like Ingrid Goes West and the ill-advised Oldboy remake, alongside Thanos himself, Josh Brolin.

Vin Diesel is Groot After the release of Guardians of the Galaxy, Groot became something of a cultural phenomenon. His status was only exacerbated by the introduction of his offspring, Baby Groot, in Vol. 2. The character is voiced (in sixteen languages!) by Vin Diesel, whose Fast & Furious series is one of the biggest and loudest action sagas of all time.

Thanos and the Black Order

Josh Brolin as Thanos Marvel has been teasing Thanos in the MCU since Phase 1. The character made his non-speaking debut in The Avengers (played by a different actor), though Brolin’s first turn as “the chin in the chair” came in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. He reprised the role for the post-credits scene of Age of Ultron before formally introducing himself to Earth in Infinity War.

Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Ebony Maw For Thanos’s lieutenants, known as the Black Order, Marvel sought out gifted, if somewhat lesser-known, performers. Tom Vaughan-Lawlor’s most notable role was in 2017’s The Maze, based on the true story of the IRA Maze Prison escape in 1983.

Carrie Coon as Proxima Midnight Carrie Coon landed the role of Proxima Midnight and is probably the most well-known actor in the Black Order. She is best known for scene-stealing roles in movies like Gone Girl and The Post, to say nothing of her award-winning turn in the HBO series, The Leftovers.

Terry Notary as Cull Obsidian Terry Notary is no stranger to motion capture acting, having starred as Rocket (no relation to the raccoon) in the two most recent Planet of the Apes movies, as well as the title character in Kong: Skull Island. He’s also an MCU veteran, having performed motion capture for 2008’s The Incredible Hulk; He did mocap work for both Hulk and his nemesis, Abomination.

Michael James Shaw as Corvus Glaive Michael James Shaw is best known for his role in the TV spin-off of the popular film Limitless (starring Bradley Cooper), but he’s also a comic book veteran. His other noteworthy TV role was as Papa Midnite in NBC’s short-lived adaptation of Constantine. Will Papa Midnite ever show up on The CW network? Stranger things have happened!

Other Characters

Benedict Wong as Wong The Beyoncé-loving master of sorcery was originally Doctor Strange’s manservant in the comics, but that doesn’t really fly in the 21st century, so his role was changed and was placed in a position of greater authority in the MCU adaptation of Doctor Strange. Actor Benedict Wong shares a first name with Benedict Cumberbatch and a last name with his own character… Coincidence? Probably, yeah.

Tom Hiddleston as Loki After causing all sorts of chaos on Asgard and being cast out into space, Loki was recruited by Thanos, leading to the events of the first Avengers film. Since then, Loki reappeared in both Thor sequels, often jumping back and forth between hero and villain. He’s an incredible character, and Tom Hiddleston is simultaneously charming, menacing, and pitiable.

Idris Elba as Heimdall Few men are cooler than Idris Elba, a broad-chested hunk of manly gravitas, and his presence has been a boon to all three Thor movies… Even though he spent a good portion of the first film trapped in a block of ice. Elba has been a popular choice to be the first black actor to play James Bond, though, for his part, he thinks he’s too old for the part.

Karen Gillan as Nebula Gamora’s battle-hardened sister has long been on a collision course with Thanos, her adoptive father and object of a lifetime of hatred. After reconciling with Gamora, she set off on a quest for revenge. Karen Gillan is unrecognizable in her blue makeup and shaved head, but sci-fi fans know her best for her role as Amy Pond in Doctor Who.

Benicio Del Toro as The Collector In the comics, The Collector and The Grandmaster are brothers, but it’s unknown if that relationship extends to the characters played by Benicio Del Toro and Jeff Goldblum in the MCU. The Collector’s flamboyant style and tendency towards hoarding objects and sentient beings makes him as dangerous as he is eccentric. Either way, Benicio Del Toro has certainly come a long way since he played a psychopathic henchman in the 1989 James Bond film, License to Kill.

Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts After starring in three Iron Man films and the first Avengers film, Civil War suggested that Pepper Potts was leaving Tony Stark’s life forever. Fortunately, she popped up in an unannounced cameo in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Combined with her appearance in Infinity War, it looks like Pepper is here to stay!

Danai Gurira as Okoye Even if Black Panther hadn’t enjoyed its record-breaking box office success, it was already a sure bet that some of its supporting cast would pop up in Infinity War, especially since a significant battle is set in the African nation, as depicted in the trailers. Danai Gurira, best known for her role as Michonne in The Walking Dead, is a beautiful badass, and she elevates any project to which she’s attached.

Letitia Wright as Shuri If Black Panther is Marvel’s James Bond, then his baby sister Shuri is his Q. The scene in Black Panther where she presents him with a slew of cool gadgets plays out like a love letter to the glory days of Roger Moore’s take on 007, and one can only hope she starts providing fancy toys to The Avengers in Phase 4 and beyond.

Winston Duke as M’Baku - Rounding out the returning Wakandans is Winston Duke as M’Baku, T’Challa’s nemesis-turned-ally. In the comics known as Man Ape but changed to the movies to create something more nuanced, Duke was a breakout of Black Panther and gets more heroic battles in Infinity War.

Peter Dinklage as ??? Peter Dinklage was first linked to Avengers: Infinity War in early 2017, but word has been quiet on who he’s playing. He’s not in any of the trailers, but the Russos promise that audiences will recognize Dinklage in the film. We don’t spoil it here, but he’s impossible to miss.

Who’s Not In Avengers: Infinity War?

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury The idea of a shared Marvel cinematic universe was born in the final scene of Iron Man, in which Nick Fury appears, unannounced, to propose “The Avenger Initiative” to Tony Stark. After faking his death in The Winter Soldier, he returned for a small role in Age of Ultron, but has yet to make a reappearance, though he is slated to return in Captain Marvel… which is a prequel.

Brie Larson as Captain Marvel Speaking of Captain Marvel, it was originally proposed that Brie Larson would be making her MCU debut in Infinity War, but then it was decided to keep the character hidden until her 2019 solo film, which will also include the long-awaited return of Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson.

Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye Hawkeye has been conspicuously absent from all marketing; he’s not billed on any of the posters and hasn’t appeared in any of the trailers or TV spots. Marvel has been playing coy regarding the Hawkeye situation, almost as if they want fans to go to the movie theater to find out the answers.

Paul Rudd as Ant-Man Another conspicuous absence, the common joke is that Ant-Man is in the poster, but he’s just too small to see. At the very least, his own film, Ant-Man and the Wasp, releases on July 6, so audiences will eventually have the opportunity to see him tiny, giant, and regular-sized.

Evangeline Lily as The Wasp She’s like Ant-Man, but with flight, laser cannons, and a killer haircut. But is she in Infinity War? Evangeline Lily says not, with Wasp being saved for her proper debut.

Martin Freeman as Everett Ross Everett Ross is one of the extremely few outsiders who knows the full extent of Wakanda’s technological advances. That could make way for him, although global destruction may be a little beyond him.

Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan As director of the first two Iron Man films, Jon Favreau could be called the father of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even after stepping out of the director’s chair, he still remained onboard as an actor, continuing to reprise his role of Happy Hogan in Iron Man 3 and Spider-Man: Homecoming.

William Hurt as Thunderbolt Ross Another key player in the military/political corner of the MCU, Thunderbolt Ross debuted in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk and then dropped off the radar for eight years before finally returning for 2016’s Civil War. Surely, the MCU isn’t done with old man Ross, but the question remains of when.

Next: How Avengers: Infinity War Was The Most Secretive Movie Event Ever

  • Avengers: Infinity War Release Date: 2018-04-27 The Avengers 4 Release Date: 2019-04-26 captain marvel Release Date: 2019-03-08 Ant-Man 2 Release Date: 2018-07-06 spider-man homecoming 2 Release Date: 2019-07-02