While he’s most synonymous with Firefly, Serenity, and The Rookie, MCU fans may be surprised to learn that Nathan Fillion has played more Marvel characters than any single actor. Indeed, Fillion has portrayed four different Marvel movie characters thus far, giving everyone from Josh Brolin (Thanos, Cable) and Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man, Doctor Doom) a run for their money. Granted, he may not be as visible or popular as the high-profile heroes and villains, but the record-breaking feat is still impressive.
Although most of Fillion’s MCU roles belong to the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, he broke the record with his appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine. Now that Fillion is poised to defect to Marvel’s main rival and star in DC’s Superman movie and Lanterns TV spin-off, it will be interesting to see if his MCU days are numbered. Until a definitive answer is provided, it’s time to reflect on Fillion’s MCU performances and look ahead to what the actor has in store.
Nathan Fillion’s Pre-MCU Superhero/Villain Roles
Nathan Fillion’s superhero origins go all the way back to 2002, when he was cast as Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds in Joss Whedon’s Firefly. Despite the show’s premature cancellation, Mal was such a popular character that he was brought back to star in Serenity, the 2005 feature film continuation of Firefly. In his portrayal of Mal in Firefly and Serenity, Fillion proved he could carry an ensemble cast as a heroic figure leading the resistance in the Battle of Serenity Valley. While playing to, and simultaneously satirizing the genre tropes, Fillion showed he could play a morally upstanding hero with a straight face and wry smirk at once.
In addition to starring in Serenity in 2005, Fillion was cast to voice various characters in the DC animated series Justice League Unlimited. Quickly proving his vocal acumen, Fillion voiced three disparate characters in just two episodes, including Vigilante, Greg Saunders, and Thanagarian #1. Since showcasing his ability to play different heroes, villains, and citizens in comic book stories in 2005, Fillion seemed destined to gravitate toward the MCU at its 2008 inception.
In 2006, Fillion worked with James Gunn on Slither, a creative rapport that led to his 2014 inclusion in the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy. But before Fillion became an MCU mainstay, he logged several additional comic book credits. In 2009, Fillion voiced Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman. In 2010, he starred in James Gunn’s Super, an independent superhero movie in which Fillion plays The Holy Avenger, an ally to The Crimson Bolt.
In 2011, Fillion began voicing Hal Jordan, aka Green Lantern, in Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, Justice League: Doom, and Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. For those tallying at home, by 2011, Fillion had played five DC characters in as many DC projects and zero MCU characters.
Nathan Fillion’s MCU Chronology
After working with James Gunn on Slither and Super, Nathan Fillion reunited with the writer-director on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 in 2014. In the first of four MCU characters he has depicted thus far, Fillion portrayed the character, Monstrous Inmate, in Guardians of the Galaxy. Upon meeting Peter Quill in the intergalactic Kyln prison, the Monstrous Inmate tries to flex his authority, but is humiliated by Groot. As always, Fillion demonstrates pitch-perfect comedic timing.
Fillion’s second MCU appearance came in a scene deleted from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Fillion played Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man, a film festival actor who appeared in several parody films like Toxic Janitor 2, Tony Stark, Haxan 2, etc. Williams’ ego is bruised when Kingo replaces him in Haxan 3: Haxaner. As he did in Super and Serenity, Fillion knows how to satirize comic book characters, and Gunn wisely capitalized on that in Guardians Vol. 2.
Despite having his Guardians Vol. 2 scene cut from the theatrical version, Gunn brought Fillion back for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Fillion plays Master Karja, the boss of the Orgosentries, whose mission is to guard the Orgoscope, a biomaterial space station with advanced healing technology. Karja marks the first time Fillion’s face officially appears in the MCU after playing animated and deleted characters.
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The charismatic and always charming Nathan Fillion has been an endearing and playful presence on both the big and small screen for over two decades.
In his fourth and most recent MCU appearance, Fillion voiced Wade Wilson as Headpool in Deadpool & Wolverine. Headpool is a disembodied flying zombie head given the mission to prevent Deadpool and Wolverine from meeting Cassandra Nova. By far the most outlandish of his MCU characters, Fillion once again holds his own with absurd humor until Peter Wisdom enters the scene.
Although Fillion has played four MCU characters and counting, he was also considered to play Hank Pym in The Avengers before it was decided to scrap the character. Of course, Michael Douglas eventually played Pym in the Ant-Man franchise. It’s also worth noting that Fillion, having known Ryan Reynolds since the sitcom Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, filmed a deleted cameo as a bathroom attendant in the first Deadpool movie.
Nathan Fillion & James Gunn Reunite for Superman, Explained
Returning to his DC roots, Gunn has cast Fillion as Guy Gardner, aka Green Lantern, in 2025’s highly anticipated release of Superman. The origin story traces the meteoric rise of Kal-El, the alien superhero from Krypton posing as Earthly human Clark Kent. The reboot marks the first entry in the newly minted DCU, which aims to create more continuity under Gunn’s leadership. As usual, Fillion is hardly recognizable in his next comic book role.
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Only time will tell whether Fillion remains entrenched with Gunn in the DCU or makes an MCU return. Regardless, Fillion currently holds the record for playing the most characters in the MCU, a feat bound to remain intact for some time. That Fillion made all these MCU and DC appearances while headlining Castle and The Rookie is even more impressive.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
