It's a superhero's world, and we're all just living in it. This rings true for the unfortunate, ordinary civilians in superhero films, who constantly find themselves at the mercy of superheroes, supervillains, gods, aliens, and the catastrophic battles that feature all of the above. But this statement also holds true for us — the civilians on the other side of the movie screen.
Over the last two decades, Hollywood has been pumping out superhero after superhero, sequel after sequel, establishing multiple superhero franchises. Some superheroes have a ton of movies, highlighting their enduring popularity and success.
But which comic book superhero appears in the most films? When compiling this list, we focused on live-action, theatrical films that have already been released. No animated films, theatrical serials, made-for-TV-movies, live-action shorts, or upcoming releases.
We also counted supporting roles, as well as cameos, and focused on individual characters rather than superhero groups, like X-Men or the Avengers. And lastly, just in case it's not clear, we are talking about comic book superheroes, not anti-heroes, supervillains, or superheroes that aren't comic book characters. So without further ado, here are 10 superheroes who have the most movie appearances.
10 Hulk/Bruce Banner
9 Movies
After being exposed to gamma rays, Bruce Banner transforms into a massive, green brute known as the Hulk -- but only when he's angry. He's an unstoppable monster that's fueled by rage.
Hulk had his live-action debut in the 1978 television series, The Incredible Hulk, where he was famously played by Lou Ferrigno. Ferrigno appeared in six TV films, though they don't count towards Hulk's overall numbers here. The green giant's first theatrical release came in 2003's Hulk, where he was portrayed by Eric Bana. Released at the start of the superhero movie boom, Hulk received plenty of negative reviews but never a sequel.
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The Hulk franchise, if you can even call it that, was rebooted to tie into Marvel's newly formed cinematic universe, the MCU. Marvel and Edward Norton revived the character for 2008's The Incredible Hulk. This was Norton's last film in the MCU, and also Hulk's last solo movie. Marvel seemed to think that Hulk fared better as a supporting character rather than as the star of the show, which may not be wrong.
Hulk steals the scene in every ensemble movie that features him, especially in the universally acclaimed Thor: Ragnarok. Now played by Marc Ruffalo, Hulk became the powerful fist of the Avengers and appeared in all four Avengers movies: The Avengers,Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.
Ruffalo also has cameo appearances as Banner in three films: Iron Man 3, Captain Marvel, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Together, Bruce Banner and his ferocious alterego appear in a total of 9 theatrical releases.
9 Thor
9 Movies
Thor, the mythological Norse god of thunder, is one of the MCU's most popular, powerful, and iconic heroes. Thor was first adapted to live-action in 1988's The Incredible Hulk Returns, though we didn't count this particular film because it was made for TV. Hollywood would spend the next 20 years toying with the idea of a Thor live-action film, but to no avail. It would take the power of the MCU to bring Thor to the big screen.
Famously played by Chris Hemsworth, Thor made his theatrical debut in 2011's Thor. This movie kicked off a franchise that spawned not one, not two, but three sequels: Thor: Dark World, the beloved Thor: Ragnarok, and the critically panned Thor: Love and Thunder.
The Norse god also has a cameo in Doctor Strange. Thor became a key member of the Avengers, appearing in all four Avengers movies: The Avengers,Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War (where he reached his peak of badassness), and Avengers: Endgame.
Hemsworth reportedly has a cameo in the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine, which would become his 10th live-action film upon its release -- and possibly his last.
8 Iron Man
10 Movies
You knew this one was coming. Iron Man/Tony Stark is Marvel's ingenious and sarcastic billionaire, who uses technology to stay alive and turn himself into a superhero. Famously played by Robert Downey Jr., Tony Stark made his big screen debut in 2008's Iron Man. This wasn't just the first Iron Man movie. It was the first film in the MCU, making Iron Manthe father of Marvel's cinematic empire.
After the film became a box office smash, he appeared in two sequels -- Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3 -- to complete the Iron Man trilogy. Iron Man also had a major supporting role in Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming, helping to shape future events and characters. He also has an often forgotten post-credits cameo in The Incredible Hulk, where he teases the formation of the Avengers.
As one of the leaders of the Avengers, Iron Man played a major role in all four Avengers movies: The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. The latter marks Tony Stark's, as well as Robert Downey Jr.'s, tenth and final appearance in the MCU, though the actor isn't against a possible return.
7 Wolverine
10 Movies
Wolverine's edgy, violent, and ferocious nature has made him one of the most popular superheroes -- not just in X-Men, but in Marvel. Plus, who doesn't love those metal claws? He's famously portrayed by Hugh Jackman in the live-action X-Men movies who, aside from his tall height, has been the perfect Wolverine. Both Jackman and Wolverine have racked up 10 movie appearances so far, and they're still going strong.
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Wolverine, also known as Logan, was first introduced in 2000's X-Men, giving him a headstart on the superhero movie boom. In fact, it was this movie that helped launch it. Logan appeared in three other X-Men movies: X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, and X-Men: Days of Future Past. He also had cameos in two semi-prequel films, X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Apocalypse.
Wolverine even starred in his own trilogy of films, which includes X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine, and the universally acclaimed Logan. The latter was Jackman's tenth and originally last appearance as Wolverine. But he's set to reprise the role in 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine, where Wolverine will at last don his comic book-accurate suit.
6 Superman
11 Movies
Few superheroes are as iconic as Superman. His 1938 debut makes him the earliest mainstream superhero, the OG of caped crusaders. He's credited for popularizing the superhero genre. And with this secret identity, colorful costume, and superhuman abilities, he's the model that every subsequent superhero has followed.
The Man of Steel made his big screen debut in theatrical serials during the 1940s. His first live-action film, though, isn't the 1978 classic; it's actually an independent, B-movie called Superman and the Mole Men, starring George Reeves as the titular character.
Richard Donner's Superman became the character's second appearance, which ironically starred George Reeves' son, Christopher Reeves, as Superman. Christopher Reeves went on to define the character and appeared in three sequels -- Superman II, Superman III, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace -- as well as a re-edited director's cut, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut.
The Quest for Peace was Superman's kryptonite and put the franchise on hiatus. Superman returned quite literally in 2006 with Superman Returns, which tied into the Reeves franchise while ignoring certain sequels. When this approach didn't work, Superman was rebooted for the DC Extended Universe.
Henry Cavil became the new Superman and appeared in four movies: Man of Steel, Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, and Zack Snyder's Justice League. Superman will soar across the big screen once again in 2025, kicking off James Gunn's rebooted DC Universe with the self-titled Superman.
5 Nick Fury
12 Movies
Here, we have a four-way tie for the number two spot -- four comic book superheroes who have appeared in 12 films each. And the first one is...Nick Fury? This may seem surprising. After all, Fury doesn't even have his own franchise. But when you count all the cameos he's had in the MCU over the years, is it really that shocking? This guy has been in everything.
The one-eyed leading agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. got his first live-action appearance in Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., where he's portrayed by David Hasselhoff. As much of a gem as it is, this production is a made-for-TV film and doesn't count on our list.
Nick Fury's first movie was 2008's Iron Man, where he famously appeared in a post-credits scene that set the stage for the MCU and everything that followed. He was and continues to be played by Samuel L. Jackson, who actually served as the basis for the revised comic book character. From there, Fury nabbed tons of cameos and supporting roles, where he assembles the superhero group that would become the Avengers.
He appeared in 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 The Marvels. Quite a list.
4 Professor X
12 Movies
Professor X, the X-Men's leader and the world's most powerful mutant, has appeared in 12 movies. This, too, may seem surprising, until you break down the numbers. Professor X made his film debut in 2000's X-Men, where he was famously played by Patrick Stewart. He had prominent roles in X2, X-Men:The Last Stand, and X-Men: Days of Future Past. This version of the character also had a supporting role in the aforementioned Wolverine trilogy.
An alternate version of Professor X, also played by Stewart, appeared in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, marking the character's first (and so far only) appearance in the MCU.
A younger version of Professor X, now played by James McAvoy, appeared in a series of X-Men prequel films: X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix. He also appeared in X-Men: Days of Future Past, alongside Patrick Stewart. This version also had a hilarious non-speaking cameo in Deadpool 2, giving him the second-highest count on our list.
3 Captain America
12 Movies
Tony Stark wouldn't be happy about this one. World War II hero and Nazi fighter Captain America appears in more films than Iron Man, the OG of the MCU. Cap has been flirting with the big screen since the 1940s. He appeared in theatrical serials and made-for-TV films, neither of which count for this list.
His first feature film was 1990's virtually unknown Captain America, which starred Matt Salinger as Steve Rogers/Captain America. This film was meant to have a widespread release but instead received a limited international release and went direct-to-video in the US (we still say it counts, since it's an original movie that was released in theaters).
Much like Cap himself, the character vanished from the big screen until the MCU brought him back to modern times. Famously played by Chris Evans, Steve Rogers was introduced in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. He then appeared in two sequels: Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War. He also played a supporting role in all four Avengers movies: The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. It's Cap's cameos, though, that really drive up his numbers.
He's had more than any superhero in the MCU, appearing in Thor: The Dark World,Ant-Man, Spider-Man: Homecoming (in a funny public service announcement), and Captain Marvel. Captain America will return in 2025 with Captain America: Brave New World, though it will instead follow Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) as he carries on the shield for the retired Steve Rogers.
2 Spider-Man
12 Movies
This one isn't a surprise. Since his debut in 1962, Spider-Man has become Marvel's flagship character and most popular superhero. There has been no shortage of Spider-Man content over the years.
New York City's web slinger appeared in three made-for-TV films between 1977 and 1981. Although they received an international theatrical release, these movies weren't original and were made out of recut footage from The Amazing Spider-Man TV series, which excludes them from this list. Spider-Man's first live-action movie isn't what you'd expect. It's a 1978 Japanese film titled simply Spider-Man, which was based on the Japanese TV series and was released in non-American territories. It would be decades before Spidey climbed onto the American big screen. And once he did, Hollywood would never be the same.
2002's Spider-Man, starring Tobey Maguire as the titular hero, became the biggest movie ever. It brought the character to new heights of popularity and, along with X-Men, helped launch the superhero movie boom. This version of the character appeared in two other films, which have since become known as the Sam Raimi trilogy: the universally acclaimed Spider-Man 2 and the divisive Spider-Man 3.
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The latter's negative reception prompted a reboot that cast Andrew Garfield as the iconic web-slinger. This franchise pumped out two movies, The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but underwhelming reviews and box office numbers stalled this series as well.
It was Marvel Studios itself that swung in to save Spider-Man, finally integrating the character into the MCU. This new franchise focused on a high school Spider-Man and cast Tom Holland in the role, turning him into the definitive Spider-Man of the next generation. This version of the character appeared in three of his own films: Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
He also appeared as a supporting character in three ensemble films -- Captain America: Civil War (the character's first appearance in the MCU), Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame -- bringing his total count to 12 films. Despite the ongoing superhero fatigue, Tom Holland's Spider-Man will supposedly be back for a fourth film.
1 Batman
14 Movies
It's interesting to see that Batman, a superhero without superpowers, has more movies than any other superhero in the genre. The character has appeared in a number of films, sequels, and reboots over the years -- a whopping fourteen films in total.
The Dark Knight made his big screen debut in theatrical serials during the 1940s. But his first live-action movie was 1966's Batman, which was based on the popular and campy TV series of the same name.
It would be 33 years before Batman appeared in another film, a length of time that's impossible to imagine today. Tim Burton's 1989 film, Batman, revived the character, giving us a darker, grittier, and more serious take on the hero. This movie didn't just redefine Batman; it redefined what a superhero movie could be. Every superhero movie that's followed owes some thanks to this Tim Burton classic.
Batman appeared in three movies in this series: Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin, whose negative reception -- much like the film's villain, Mr. Freeze -- put the Dark Knight on ice. Eight years later, the Caped Crusader was revived once again for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy: Batman Begins, the universally praised The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises.
For the next ten years, we had Ben Affleck's Batman, though this iteration never had a solo film. He had a supporting role in five movies: Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad (really just a cameo here), Justice League, Zack Snyder's Justice League, and The Flash. Matt Reeves' The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight, is the character's fourteenth and most recent live-action film. And we're expected to get its sequel, Batman's fifteenth film, some time in 2026.
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