Spoiler alert! This article contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.

Summary

• MCU introducing characters previously owned by other production companies, reviving earlier performances.
• Spider-Man: No Way Home integrated characters from previous franchises like Tobey Maguire's and Alfred Molina's.
• Characters like Wolverine, X-23, Elektra, and more are ing the MCU through films like Deadpool & Wolverine.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has made the bold move of introducing several performances from outside the franchise into the timeline. Before the mighty Marvel franchise began, numerous production companies owned the cinematic rights to Marvel characters. Subsequently, Marvel have regained those rights and are slowly introducing a swathe of characters. Strikingly, Marvel have elected to revive some earlier performances at the same time.

Several landmark movies in the MCU's future.

34 Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man

Spider-Man (2002)

Tobey Maguire debuted as Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's 2002 movie Spider-Man and subsequently reprised the role for two sequels produced by Sony. Maguire's performance quickly became iconic, perfectly capturing Peter Parker's personality and establishing several comic book movie genre tropes. Maguire's Spider-Man officially entered the MCU in Spider-Man: No Way Home, teaming up with Tom Holland to help bring down the villains from his era as Spider-Man​​​​​​.

33 Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man

The Amazing Spider-Man

Andrew Garfield took up the mantle of Spider-Man when Sony rebooted the franchise, appearing in the widely lauded The Amazing Spider-Man and its less favorable sequel. Garfield brought a frenetic energy to the role, neatly reflecting Spider-Man's quick wit, while also being undeniably cool. Garfield ed Maguire and Holland in their multiverse team-up in Spider-Man: No Way Home, officially ing the MCU to help bring down Electro and the Lizard.

32 Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin

Spider-Man (2002)

One of the most chilling villain performances in Marvel movie history goes to the sinister acting legend Willem Dafoe and his haunting portrayal of the Green Goblin. Goblin was a particularly creepy adversary, and Dafoe's famed expressive face and voice were especially memorable. Also appearing in the MCU's Spider-Man: No Way Home, Gobline received a minor costume update and became one of the movie's most compelling characters.

31 Alfred Molina's Doc Ock

Spider-Man 2

Alfred Molina is often credited as the greatest Spider-Man villain ever with his nuanced and tragic portrayal of Otto Octavius, aka Doc Ock. Brought to life with a mixture of practical and digital effects, Doc's tentacles became a convincing extension of Molina's character. Molina gave an equally impressive performance when he too ed the fray in Spider-Man: No Way Home, maintaining his deft interpretation of the celebrated villain.

30 Jaime Foxx's Electro

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Though The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is often considered a weaker entry, Jamie Foxx's Electro was an undeniable highlight. Foxx brought a significant depth to the character, who is frequently depicted as a rather simplistic foe. Foxx added a lot of heart to the villain, making his turn to evil much more compelling. Foxx's Electro likewise ed the MCU in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

29 Thomas Haden Church's Sandman

Spider-Man 3

Thomas Haden Church brought a tragic nuance to the Sandman in Spider-Man 3, crafting a truly sympathetic villain. Church's performance was a standout feature of Raimi's third spider movie and did a lot to redeem the slightly messy narrative. Though Church was only available to voice his character's return in Spider-Man: No Way Home, a CGI rendering of his likeness and archival footage officially brought Church's Sandman into the MCU.

28 Rhys Ifans' The Lizard

The Amazing Spider-Man

The final foe to officially the MCU in Spider-Man: No Way Home was Rhys Ifans' the Lizard. Ifans first portrayed the character in The Amazing Spider-Man, which gave the character a relatable, Frankenstein's monster-style inflection that explored notions of identity and the consequences of scientific hubris. Like Thomas Haden Church, the Lizard appeared in No Way Home through CGI and archival footage, with Ifans proffering only the voice for his MCU debut.

27 Tom Hardy's Venom

Venom

Tom Hardy's Venom originated in Sony's Spider-Man Universe with the eponymously titled Venom. Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock adapted elements from various Venoms to create a thrilling antihero more in line with the character's contemporary depiction in Marvel Comics. Tom Hardy made a surprise cameo in the Spider-Man: No Way Home post-credits sequence, briefly transitioning to the MCU timeline before being transported back.

26 John Krasinski's Mr Fantastic

Fan-Casting

The Fantastic Four's cinematic character rights were previously owned by 20th Century Fox. After Disney's acquisition of Fox, John Krasinski was strongly rumored and repeatedly fan-cast as Reed Richards. This led to the character's first portrayal in the MCU when Krasinski made a cameo appearance as Mister Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - though Krasinski has not been cast in the Fantastic Four: First Steps.

25 Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier

X-Men (2000)

Patrick Stewart was one of the most memorable of the X-Men movies. Starring as Professor Charles Xavier, the wise and gentile leader of the X-Men, Patrick appeared in the original X-Men trilogy, each movie in The Wolverine trilogy, and in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Like Mister Fantastic, Xavier made a thrilling, albeit brief, cameo appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.