One impressive cast record set by Avengers: Endgame has just become even harder for any other MCU project to match. Avengers: Endgame might have been released six years ago, but the Russo brothers’ epic crossover event is still breaking records for Marvel Studios. Endgame is widely considered to be the peak of the MCU, and the size of the Phase 3 movie’s incredible cast contributes mᴀssively to its success, as Endgame includes the majority of the main characters introduced throughout the Infinity Saga, several of whom are portrayed by some of the world’s most highly-acclaimed actors.
Whether they were awarded before or after Avengers: Endgame’s release in April 2019, Endgame holds the record for most Academy Award winners in any movie in the MCU. After 2025’s ceremony for the 97th Academy Awards, held in LA on March 2, this record has been strengthened, which makes it even more unlikely that any future MCU movie will match it. The Russo brothers’ upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars have the opportunity to beat this record, but this will be an incredibly tall task for the Phase 6 crossover movies.
Avengers: Endgame Already Had 12 Oscar Winners In Its Cast Before 2025
Avengers: Endgame’s Cast Is Full Of Star-Power
Prior to 2025’s Academy Awards ceremony, Avengers: Endgame already had 12 Oscar winners in its cast. This is a monumental record that is unmatched by any other MCU movie, and features some incredible talents, including Hollywood legends Robert Redford, William Hurt, Michael Douglas, Tilda Swinton and more. The most recent addition to this list, prior to 2025, was Robert Downey Jr., who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor after portraying Lewis Strauss in 2023’s Oppenheimer, earning him his first Oscar.
MCU Actor |
Academy Award |
Winning Movie |
Winning Year |
---|---|---|---|
Michael Douglas |
Best Picture, Best Actor |
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Wall Street |
1976, 1988 |
Robert Redford |
Best Director, Honorary Award |
Ordinary People |
1980, 2002 |
William Hurt |
Best Actor |
Kiss of the Spider Woman |
1985 |
Marisa Tomei |
Best Supporting Actress |
My Cousin Vinny |
1993 |
Gwyneth Paltrow |
Best Actress |
Shakespeare in Love |
1999 |
Tilda Swinton |
Best Supporting Actress |
Michael Clayton |
2007 |
Natalie Portman |
Best Actress |
Black Swan |
2010 |
Brie Larson |
Best Actress |
Room |
2015 |
Taika Waiтιтi |
Best Adapted Screenplay |
Jojo Rabbit |
2020 |
Samuel L. Jackson |
Honorary Award |
2021 |
|
Angela Bᴀssett |
Honorary Award |
2024 |
|
Robert Downey Jr. |
Best Supporting Actor |
Oppenheimer |
2024 |
Zoe Saldaña Strengthened Avengers: Endgame’s Impressive Oscar Winner Record
Zoe Saldaña Won Her First Academy Award In 2025
At 2025’s Academy Awards ceremony, Avengers: Endgame’s record saw yet another huge addition, as Zoe Saldaña won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Rita Mora Castro in 2024’s Emilia Pérez. Saldaña portrayed Gamora, the adoptive daughter of Thanos and founding Guardians of the Galaxy member, in the MCU between 2014 and 2023, primarily in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, but also in Infinity War and Endgame. Gamora’s Avengers story was crucial to the development of the overall narrative, and Endgame marked a huge change for the hero.
Thanos sacrificed Gamora to retrieve the Soul Stone in Infinity War, but the Avengers’ Time Heist in Endgame allowed a variant of Zoe Saldaña’s green-skinned character from 2014 to join the MCU’s main timeline. Gamora’s whereabouts in the MCU are currently unclear, though Saldaña has confirmed that she won’t be reprising the role. Her recent Oscar win gives Avengers: Endgame its 13th Academy Award winner, which is a record that any future MCU project is very unlikely to match, even with many actors expected to return for Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars.
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
-
May 2, 2025
-
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
-
July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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Spider-Man Homecoming 4
- Release Date
-
July 24, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
-
May 7, 2027