As of March 2025, there are seven different series in The Walking Dead franchise. There are currently 35 movies and 12 television shows in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As many actors as there may be, there was bound to be some overlap sooner or later. Still, we were not expecting there to be this many. This is a rundown of all the actors that are not afraid to do capes and carnage.
Be warned, this article contains major spoilers for both universes.
Lauren Ridloff (“Makkari” and “Connie”)
Lauren Ridloff starred as Makkari in Marvel’s Eternals, the 2021 film about a band of immortal guardians directed by
Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao.
As Makkari, who has the power of superspeed, Ridloff made history as the first deaf actor to portray a superhero in the MCU. While there are no active plans for an Eternals sequel, the post-credits scene suggested a future for Makkari, specifically.
The Walking Dead fans will recognize Ridloff as the actress who portrays Connie in Season 9. Connie joined the show as one of a few survivors allowed into Alexandria. Notably, sparks started to fly between Connie and Daryl (Norman Reedus), but the showrunners were forced to leave the romance unresolved due to Ridloff’s scheduling conflicts with Eternals. However, viewers are hopeful to see more of Connie and Daryl in the currently running spin-off series The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. There are no signs of Ridloff on Daryl Dixon quite yet, but many hold out hope that they will see a happy ending.
Related
Colman Domingo Believes ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Changed His Career
The Academy Award-nominated actor recalls his time before ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ and has nothing but love for the show that changed his career.
Michael Rooker (“Yondu” and “Merle Dixon”)
When people think of actors that have been in both the MCU and The Walking Dead, Michael Rooker may be the first to come to mind. In the MCU, Rooker plays the beloved character of Yondu, the adopted father of Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Fans were devastated when Yondu kicked the bucket in Vol. 2, but he has made surprise reappearances, such as in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney+ and Vol 3.
Before Rooker’s character died in the MCU, he died in The Walking Dead. Rooker played Daryl’s older brother, Merle, throughout Seasons 1-3. Unlike Daryl, Merle had a taste for corruption and spent the majority of Season 3 as an accomplice to the evil Governor.
His character becomes a walker
at the end of the season, leaving Rooker available to become everyone’s favorite blue, mohawked father figure.
Ross Marquand (“Red Skull/Ultron” and “Aaron”)
The Red Skull is one of the most iconic villains in the MCU, appearing in the first scene of Captain America: The First Avenger. However, that was Hugo Weaving,
who was later replaced because of salary disputes
by actor Ross Marquand. Thus, Marquand can be seen as the Red Skull in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: End Game. Not only that, but Marquand lends his voice to the role of Ultron on What If…? Covered in far fewer alien prosthetics, Marquand also appears in The Walking Dead as Aaron starting in Season 5. Aaron is among the scouts for survivors to bring back to Alexandria. Marquand became quite the series regular, appearing on 115 episodes of The Walking Dead before the finale (and surviving until the end!)
Danai Gurira (“Okoye” and “Michonne”)
Danai Gurira is one of the biggest heavy hitters for both the MCU and The Walking Dead. The Zimbabwean actress (
and Tony-nominated playwright
) plays the iconic Okoye in the Black Panther franchise, appearing in Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. This has made her the sixth highest-grossing actress of all time. Not only that, but she is also part of the cast of the new spin-off series Eyes of Wakanda set to premiere in August of this year.
Of course, she first hit the scene as samurai Michonne on Season 3 of The Walking Dead, where she was also a fan favorite. Gurira remained on the show for 126 episodes through Season 10. She also starred in the spin-off series The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, which focuses on the love story between Rick and Michonne. It does not sound like Gurira’s schedule is going to lighten up anytime soon.
Jon Bernthal (“The Punisher” and “Shane Walsh”)
John Bernthal starred as Frank Castle, a.k.a. the Punisher, in Season 2 of Netflix’s Daredevil, one of the MCU’s most well-received television series to date. While a Punisher spin-off has been teased for years, Bernthal himself has always been hesitant, saying “it’s not about whether you can do the character; it’s about whether you can do it right, and I’m only interested in doing it right.” However, Bernthal is finally slated to
make a return as the Punisher
in Daredevil: Born Again.
Related
‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2 Contains Some of Charlie Cox’s “Favorite Stuff” of the Franchise
Stars Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio are praising ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2 ahead of production.
Before there was Punisher, however, there was Shane Walsh. Shane was a principal character early in The Walking Dead, as Rick’s best friend. His slow descent into madness and evil was hard to watch, and Rick, devastatingly, had to kill his partner in crime at the end of Season 2.
The MXWDCU (Marvel x Walking Dead Cinematic Universe)
The MCU is increasingly vast, but the universe of The Walking Dead is similarly ever-growing. As a result, there is a ton of overlap between the two franchises. Some other notable crossovers include:
- Elizabeth Ludlow (alien mother in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Arat on TWD, starting Season 7)
- Corey Hawkins (an unnamed computer operator in Iron Man 3 and Heath until Season 7 of TWD)
- Joshua Mikel (a bodyguard in Ant-Man and the Wasp and Jared on TWD),
- Michael James Shaw (Cornus Glaive in Infinity War and Endgame and Mercer in TWD)
- Kerry Condon (the voice of Tony Stark’s AI system FRIDAY, Clara in Season 4 of TWD, and star of films like The Banshees of Inisherin)
-
Even Oscar-nominee Steven Yeun
, known for his fan-favorite role of Glenn on The Walking Dead, was originally slated to appear as Robert Reynolds in the upcoming film Thunderbolts, but ultimately dropped out and was replaced by Lewis Pullman
- Jordan Woods has a brief role in Loki and plays Aaron’s boyfriend Eric on The Walking Dead
- Child actor Cailey Fleming played a young Sylvie in Loki and an older Judith in The Walking Dead
-
Matt Lintz
played Bruno Carreli on Ms. Marvel
and Henry in Season 9 of…you guessed it, The Walking Dead
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
