Marvel Studios has confirmed a double-role for Florence Pugh in Thunderbolts*, as Yelena Belova’s Black Widow will fight a version of herself, and she’s not the first hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to get this unusual opportunity. Over the last 17 years, Marvel Studios has adapted dozens of powerful and complex characters from Marvel Comics into the live-action MCU, and has turned relatively unknown actors into world-renowned stars. Several actors in the MCU have had more than one role, however, and some of them have even played two of the same.

In the years since Avengers: Endgame began to explore the MCU’s multiverse, nine major Marvel actors have had the chance to play other versions of their characters that have met themselves in live-action. Thunderbolts* will mark the tenth time when it premieres as the final movie of the MCU’s Phase 5 in May 2025. Often, this leads to a spar between the two identical characters, which has sometimes been intense, entertaining, hilarious and shocking to see. It seems this pattern will continue as the Multiverse Saga nears its end.

10

Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers Took On 2012’s Captain America

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

The first MCU movie to introduce variants of major heroes was Avengers: Endgame, which saw the surviving Mightiest Heroes embark on the Time Heist to collect the Infinity Stones and reverse the devastation caused by Thanos’ Infinity War snap. Traveling through time created new branching timelines, however, which allowed a number of variants to be revisited, and some even let loose on the MCU. It was Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Scott Lang and Smart Hulk who traveled to 2012, shortly after the Battle of New York, allowing Chris Evans’ Captain America to fight himself.

This fight between Captain Americas was brilliant to watch, as it made clear just how much Steve Rogers had grown, adapted and changed over the years between The Avengers and Avengers: Endgame. 2012’s Rogers delivered his iconic “I can do this all day” line, which elicited a simple and sarcastic, “I know,” from Endgame’s Captain America, who later confirmed that he does, in fact, have America’s ᴀss. Chris Evans excelled in this double-role, and it’s now possible he could return to play even more variants of Steve Rogers’ Captain America.

9

Karen Gillan’s Nebula Killed Her Own Variant

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Avengers: Endgame didn’t just pit Steve Rogers against his own variant, but Karen Gillan’s Nebula also had a pivotal role in the movie that brought her face-to-face with her own former self. Endgame completed Nebula’s transformation from villain to hero in the MCU, and this was finalized when Endgame’s Nebula sH๏τ and killed 2014’s version of the adoptive daughter of Thanos. Back in 2014, Nebula was desperate to receive acceptance and admiration from her father, and she would go to extreme lengths to acquire this, including infiltrating the Avengers during the Time Heist.

In 2023, Nebula allowed her father and his armies from 2014 to travel into the future and attack the Avengers, leading to the Battle of Earth. While 2014’s Nebula almost obtained the Infinity Gauntlet for Thanos, she was distracted and killed by 2023’s Nebula, both played by Karen Gillan. This was a remarkable full-circle moment for Nebula that perfectly set up her heroic storyline as an official member of the Guardians of the Galaxy in the Holiday Special and Vol. 3, as she finally rid herself of the demons of her past, metaphorically and literally.

8

Paul Bettany’s White Vision Entered The Hex To Fight Himself

WandaVision (2021)

Following his demise at the hands of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, Vision’s return in WandaVision was shrouded in mystery. The Phase 4 series soon revealed that the version of Paul Bettany’s vibranium synthezoid wasn’t actually the real Vision, but rather a construct of the Scarlet Witch’s own magic, tied directly to the energy of the Westview Hex. The real Vision had instead been rebuilt and reprogrammed by SWORD outside the Hex, and returned to kill his counterpart and Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff, allowing Paul Bettany’s robot hero to fight his more villainous self.

The fight between Vision and White Vision was different from typical MCU spars, however, as this was only very briefly a battle of brawn, before it turned into a battle of intellect. This was a natural progression in a fight between Vision and his rebuilt self, as the knowledgeable synthezoid began to question which Vision was actually the real one, relating themselves to the Ship of Theseus. WandaVision’s Vision helped to restore White Vision’s memories, which caused him to fly away to locations unknown, creating mysteries that Terry Matalas’ upcoming MCU Vision series will explain.

7

Tom Hiddleston’s Loki Met Many Of His Own Variants In The Void

Loki (2021)

The Avengers’ Time Heist in Endgame allowed a version of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki from 2012 to escape after the Battle of New York, replacing the God of Mischief who lost his life in the opening moments of Avengers: Infinity War. This new Loki embarked on his own solo adventure in Phase 4’s Loki series, which saw him captured by the Time Variance Authority and recruited to help Mobius understand and track down a Loki variant, Sophia Di Martino’s Sylvie. Sylvie wasn’t the only Loki variant who appeared in the eponymous series, however, and several were played by Hiddleston.

Tom Hiddleston played several variants of Loki, including one running for presidential election, one who won the Tour de France and one who remained a Frost Giant. It was only President Loki that Hiddleston’s original variant battled, however, as the pair sparred in the Void at the End of Time in Loki season 1, episode 5, “Journey into Mystery.” This gave Hiddleston the opportunity to show off some of Loki’s weirder qualities that would be too outlandish for his mainstream MCU villain-turned-hero.

6

Oscar Isaac’s Marc Spector & Steven Grant Teamed Up In The Afterlife

Moon Knight (2022)

Oscar Isaac’s double-role in the MCU marked one of the few occasions that an actor played an identical character that wasn’t a variant from across the multiverse. Marc Spector’s dissociative idenтιтy disorder (DID) presented challenges in 2022’s Moon Knight series, particularly after his British alter, Steven Grant, learned of his communion with the Egyptian God Khonshu, and his career as the antihero Moon Knight. Typically, Spector and Grant share the same body, but their death and arrival in the Duat briefly separated them.

While Marc Spector and Steven Grant didn’t technically fight in Moon Knight episode 5, “Asylum,” the pair certainly had disagreements as each saw the other’s memories and learned how to function as one. Grant saw his origin as a construct of Spector’s traumatized mind, as well as the accidental death of his brother, Randall, and his mother’s abuse. This was a truly emotional sequence that was made better by Oscar Isaac’s remarkable double-performance as Spector and Grant, and there are hopes Moon Knight will return to the MCU to continue this impressive portrayal.

5

Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch Almost Replaced Earth-838’s Wanda Maximoff

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has explored the concept of the multiverse more than any previous MCU project, and this allowed Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff to come face-to-face with her own variant from Earth-838. In fact, Wanda’s plans in Phase 4 involved her hoping to replace 838’s Scarlet Witch and become mother to her children, responding to the loss of her own magically-created kids when she brought down the Westview Hex. The Scarlet Witch’s twisted scheme marked a clever battle between the pair, as they didn’t actually meet until the end of the 2022 sequel.

Earth-616’s Scarlet Witch dream-walked into her variant’s body, trapping 838’s Wanda Maximoff beneath the rubble of her childhood home inside her mind. Not even Professor X could save her from the Scarlet Witch, who only freed her after sending multiversal traveler America Chavez back to Earth-616, allowing her to make an attempt to steal Chavez’s power. When Elizabeth Olsen’s two Scarlet Witch variants did actually meet at the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Earth-838’s Wanda simply comforted her more-troubled counterpart, allowing her to see the error of her ways and ultimately sacrifice herself.

4

Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange Defeated His Variant In A Musical Battle

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)

Wanda Maximoff wasn’t the only character in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness who sparred with their alternate self, as Benedict Cumberbatch’s тιтular Master of the Mystic Arts also got this chance. After capturing America Chavez, the Scarlet Witch sent Earth-616’s Doctor Strange and Earth-838’s Christine Palmer into a reality ravaged by an incursion – its sole inhabitant being a variant of Strange himself, Sinister Strange. This third-eyed variant confirmed he had killed many other Strange variants after being corrupted by the Darkhold, but he didn’t survive 616’s Strange.

Doctor Strange and Sinister Strange engaged in one of the MCU’s most original battles, as they both used their magic to create musical explosions and crescendos to harm their opponent. 616’s Doctor Strange was victorious, killing his villainous variant by throwing him from the window and impaling him on a railing outside the Sanctum Sanctorum. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ original plan saw Strange replaced by his Sinister variant, but this didn’t come to pᴀss, though Cumberbatch’s superhero did gain his own mysterious third-eye.

3

Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang & Evangeline Lilly’s Hope Van Dyne Met Their Probable Selves

Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne got the chance to explore the Quantum Realm more than ever before in 2023’s divisive Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. During one scene, Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man makes an attempt to acquire the multiversal power core that Janet van Dyne had imploded during her time trapped in the Quantum Realm, which would allow Kang the Conqueror to break free from his exile. This involved Ant-Man entering a probability storm that birthed hundreds of alternate probable versions of himself, all of whom were just as confused as the original.

Evangeline Lilly’s Hope van Dyne demonstrated how easy it was to ignore these probable selves, as she pushed her own away much quicker than Scott Lang. After sparring in their confusion, these hundreds of Ant-Men actually worked together to obtain the power core, hoping to save their daughter, Cᴀssie Lang, from Kang and MODOK. The ant imagery here was prominent and interesting, even though the probability storm didn’t exactly make a ton of sense. Scott Lang meeting versions of himself did provide the opportunity for some funny moments, though.

2

Ryan Reynolds’ ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool Had A Long-Running Feud With Nicepool

ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine (2024)

2024’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine quickly became one of the MCU’s most successful and popular installments, bringing Ryan Reynolds’ Merc with a Mouth and Hugh Jackman’s clawed X-Men hero back into action, this time in the MCU’s official timeline. The pair found themselves thrust into the Void at the End of Time, where they came face-to-face with a number of variants, including a whole team of alternate ᴅᴇᴀᴅpools. One of these was portrayed by Reynolds himself, though “Nicepool” had no scars or healing factor, which eventually became his downfall.

Nicepool was Dogpool’s original owner in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, though was replaced by ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool himself after Reynolds’ antihero accidentally (deliberately) caused the demise of his friendly variant. Nicepool contributed to one of ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine’s funniest fourth wall breaks, so, while he’s now become the subject of complex legal drama involving Reynolds’ wife, Blake Lively, and her It Ends With Us co-star, Justin Baldoni, Nicepool was a fantastic addition to the Phase 5 movie. It was great to see Reynolds play a completely different ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool opposite his original antihero, and even more shocking to see Nicepool meet his gruesome demise.

1

Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova Fights Herself In Thunderbolts*

Thunderbolts* (2025)

The most recent trailer for Marvel Studios’ upcoming Thunderbolts* has revealed that the next character to face off against a version of themselves will be Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova. This trailer, which showcases the talented creative team behind Thunderbolts*, many of whom have previously worked with popular indie movie studio A24, sees Yelena Belova find a version of herself in what appears to be a restroom. This alternate version hastily grabs Yelena’s neck with her hand, suggesting the pair will engage in a physical fight.

Details concerning Yelena’s fight with her other self aren’t clear, but Thunderbolts*’ premiere in May will reveal all. It’s possible this other Yelena is a construct created by Robert Reynolds’ Void to confuse the original Yelena, while this could also be a dream sequence or a flashback revealing some twisted training procedure in the Red Room, where Yelena was raised as a Black Widow ᴀssᴀssin. Whatever the case may be, it’s always entertaining to see actors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe come face-to-face with themselves, and this will surely be repeated ten-fold in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars.

Marvel Cinematic Universe

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Created by

Kevin Feige

First Film

Iron Man

Upcoming Films

ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, Blade (2025), The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Avengers: Doomsday (2026), Avengers: Secret Wars

First TV Show

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Upcoming TV Shows

Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Ironheart, Daredevil: Born Again, Wakanda, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Marvel Zombies, Wonder Man, Vision Quest

Cast

Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Simu Liu, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Jonathan Majors

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Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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