There are so many franchises these days that it’s difficult to avoid overlap. Even DC and Marvel, who are direct competitors, can’t help but borrow actors from each other. Some of the most notable examples include Christian Bale playing Batman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy, as well as Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder, and Nicholas Hoult bringing Hank McCoy, aka Beast, to life in Fox’s X-Men franchise before portraying Lex Luthor in James Gunn’s Superman. However, the superhero genre isn’t the only one putting butts in seats these days. Zombie movies still bring in a lot of dough, and they owe a lot of their success to The Walking Dead.
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AMC’s hit series, based on the Robert Kirkman comic of the same name, has 11 seasons and several spinoffs. Some major stars have interacted with Rick Grimes and his group on their way to finding success in another major franchise. Here’s every The Walking Dead actor who’s part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
1) Michael Rooker
Few performers stand out in a crowd as much as Michael Rooker. The actor plays Meryl Dixon, Daryl Dixon’s brother, in several seasons of The Walking Dead, butting heads with Rick because they never see eye-to-eye. Rooker finds himself in a similar situation in the MCU as Yondu Udonta, Peter Quill’s surrogate father, who has a unique approach to parenting.
2) Jon Bernthal
At the start of The Walking Dead, Rick is in a hospital bed, forcing his partner, Shane Walsh, to protect his family. Shane has a ruthless attitude, which actor Jon Bernthal borrows anytime he puts on the skull costume in the MCU as Frank Castle, aka the Punisher.
3) Danai Gurira
Rick’s group can’t make heads or tails of Danai Gurira’s Michonne at first because she walks around with walkers on chains and a katana. They get over her quirks real fast, though, because she proves to be a capable fighter. Gurira’s MCU character, Okoye, is a lot like Michonne, carrying around a pointy weapon and making people much bigger than her look foolish.
4) Ross Marquand
Aaron isn’t part of the main group until later seasons of The Walking Dead, but he’s every bit as dangerous as Rick, Daryl, and the rest. Ross Marquand takes that mean streak with him to the MCU, playing the evil Red Skull in Avengers: Infinity War.
5) Lauren Ridloff
Alexandria takes in a new group of people in The Walking Dead Season 9, including Lauren Ridloff’s Connie, who has a fling with Daryl. In the MCU, Ridloff’s speedster Makkari also finds love, pairing up with fellow Eternal Druig.
6) Elizabeth Ludlow
Negan terrorizes Alexandria in The Walking Dead Season 7, and Arat, played by Elizabeth Ludlow, is one of his best soldiers. The MCU switches things up for Ludlow, making her an alien mother who is trying to escape Ego’s Expansion with her child in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
7) Corey Hawkins
The mystery surrounding Heath and his whereabouts still haunts The Walking Dead to this day, as the character disappears without a trace. Actor Corey Hawkins left the show for greener pastures, which don’t include the MCU, where he’s nothing more than a computer operator in Iron Man 3.
8) Joshua Mikel
It’s hard to believe that there are people worse than Negan among the Saviors’ ranks, but it’s true. Jared is the worst of the worst, only looking out for himself and always screwing others over. The MCU doesn’t give Joshua Mikel the chance to embody his The Walking Dead character, having him play a bodyguard in Ant-Man and the Wasp.
9) Michael James Shaw
The group finds itself up against the Commonwealth at the end of The Walking Dead, and its army is led by Mercer, played by Michael James Shaw. While Shaw gets to redeem himself on the small screen, playing Thanos’ lackey Corvus Glaive doesn’t allow him to learn from his mistakes on the big one.
10) Kerry Condon
Rick finds a mysterious woman in the woods named Clara in The Walking Dead Season 4, and he does everything he can to help her. Unfortunately, she’s too far gone, which probably makes Rick wish she were a robot that was incapable of lashing out. Well, Kerry Condon gets her chance to make things right in the MCU by voicing F.R.I.D.A.Y., Tony Stark’s AI companion.
11) Jordan Woods
Aaron’s partner in The Walking Dead, Eric, helps him through plenty of tough times. Well, the two get to run around in another universe together because Jordan Woods, who plays Eric, appears in Loki as an analyst at the Time Variance Authority.
12) Cailey Fleming
After The Walking Dead‘s major time skip, Cailey Fleming starts playing Rick’s “daughter,” Judith. Fleming doesn’t have to change much to play a young Sylvie in the MCU, who learns at a young age that she wants to tear down the establishment.
13) Matt Lintz
Ms. Marvel is in way over her head in her MCU solo series, which is why it’s great that she has friends like Bruno around. In addition to playing Bruno, Matt Lintz brings the misunderstood Henry to life in later seasons of The Walking Dead.
14) Maximiliano Hernández
Maximiliano Hernández’s Jasper Sitwell causes his fair share of problems in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as a member of Hydra. It’s only natural that he would want to grab some power back, though, because Rick takes a cop that Hernández plays captive in The Walking Dead.
15) Colby Minifie
Jessica Jones’ neighbor, Robyn, played by Colby Minifie, has a grudge against Kilgrave because the villain killed her brother. Well, Minife doesn’t learn from her past because she brings the evil Virginia to life in Fear the Walking Dead.
16) Michelle Hurd
All the problems Frank Castle causes put him on Samantha Reyes’ radar, as the DA wants to further her career. While Michelle Hurd’s Jones doesn’t have similar aspirations in The Walking Dead universe, she’s still successful, running a business in the spinoff Dead City.
17) Danny Ramirez
Joaquín Torres is the latest member of Sam Wilson’s Avengers team, which means he has a pretty bright future in the MCU. Danny Ramirez’s Tales of the Walking Dead character, Eric, isn’t in the same boat, losing his life shortly after his first appearance.
18) Nick Gomez
Rick and his group meet a group of prisoners in The Walking Dead Season 3. While Rick is willing to work with them, Tomas, played by Nick Gomez, is more trouble than he’s worth. Gomez keeps up his villainous ways in the MCU, playing a member of the Wrecking Crew in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
19) Rhys Coiro
Once the Saviors are defeated, a few of the surviving members are put to work, including Rhys Coiro’s Jed, who complains about the conditions. Fortunately, Coiro finds himself in a much better spot in the MCU, playing a Master of the Mystic Arts named Donny Blaze.
20) Aaron Stanford
Pyro makes his MCU debut in Deadpool & Wolverine, being a member of Cassandra Nova’s army that Mr. Paradox tasks with spying on the villain. Aaron Stanford’s character in Fear the Walking Dead, Jim, would never betray his friends, going as far as to sacrifice himself to save others.
21) Colman Domingo
It’s impossible to predict Victor Strand’s next move in Fear the Walking Dead because he loves to play both sides. In the MCU, actor Colman Domingo gets to do his best Victor impression while voicing Norman Osborn in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
The Walking Dead is streaming on Netflix.
How many of these actors did you know were in both the MCU and The Walking Dead? Who has the best performance in both franchises? Let us know in the comments below!
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