Patrick Stewart officially becomes the second longest-serving Marvel actor after his confirmed role in Avengers: Doomsday
, beating out Hugh Jackman, but there is one other actor still in first place. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
has only been in operation since 2008, Marvel movies have been appearing on the big screen for much longer. With franchises like Fox’s X-Men, Sony’s Spider-Man, and Universal’s Hulk, there were plenty of other Marvel movies getting theatrical releases throughout the 2000s.
And with the announcement of Patrick Stewart, the man who first tackled the role of Professor Charles Xavier in live-action in 2000, it moves him up ahead of Hugh Jackman as the second-longest serving Marvel actor of all time. This news came in the cast announcement for Avengers: Doomsday, a movie that is due to release in May 2026. However, despite the incredible nearly 26-year span between releases, Patrick Stewart fails to claim the top spot, which goes to another actor that returned to the MCU during ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine.
Patrick Stewart Beats Out Hugh Jackman As Second Longest-Serving Marvel Actor
Hugh Jackman Falls Back Into Third Place After Avengers: Doomsday
Hugh Jackman first took on the role of Wolverine in 2000s X-Men, alongside Stewart as Professor X. Since then, both Jackman and Stewart have reprized their roles on numerous occasions, across multiple iterations of the X-Men, and again in the MCU. While Stewart beat Jackman to the MCU by appearing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which led to the actor taking the top spot at the time in 2022, it wasn’t long before Jackman would return in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine and pull ahead.
With Stewart announced to join the team in Avengers: Doomsday, he will now hold the тιтle for second-longest serving by roughly two years compared to Jackman. Despite this, it is possible that Jackman could be announced to join the lineup for Doomsday, which would put him on an even playing field with Stewart once again. However, while Jackman’s return in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine put him ahead of Stewart, there was one other actor who joined the cast and overtook them both.
Wesley Snipes Is Still The Longest-Serving Marvel Actor In History
Blade Narrowly Beats Out Professor X Thanks To ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine
ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine was a love letter to many Marvel properties that came before the MCU. The film included several actors from various Fox Marvel movies, and even Chris Evans playing the role of Johnny Storm from the 2005 The Fantastic Four movie. However, the addition of Wesley Snipes, the man who played Blade in the original trilogy, also returned, and with his premiere on the big screen coming out in 1998, he suddenly overtook both Jackman and Stewart to land the number one spot. But what is even more shocking is just how close the record is between Stewart and Snipes.
- Wesley Snipes: 9,474 days or 25 years, 11 months, 8 days including the end date.
- Patrick Stewart: 9423 days or 25 years, 9 months, 18 days including the end date.
The original Blade movie came out in 1998, while X-Men arrived in theaters in 2000. Snipes returned to reprise his role as Blade in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine in 2024, while Stewart is tagged to return in Doomsday in 2026. So for both men, the duration of their time playing a single Marvel character spans almost 26 years. However, Snipes has the edge by a matter of weeks, with just less than two months more time between his first and last appearances. If Wesley Snipes appears in Avengers: Doomsday, Stewart has no hope of claiming the record down the line, but if not, he could potentially overtake Snipes if he survives to be included in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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MCU Spider-Man 4
- Release Date
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July 24, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
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May 7, 2027
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