Marvel contracts: how long does each actor have left in the MCU?
A look at the biggest MCU actors' deals
Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther)
Deadline has the scoop on this one. If nothing has changed since 2014 then Boseman only has one movie left on his current deal: Black Panther 2 in Phase 5. That’s because he signed a five-picture deal half-a-decade ago and he’s appeared in four MCU movies: his debut in Civil War, his own standalone movie, plus the two most-recent Avengers films.
Mark Ruffalo (Hulk)
Like Tom Holland, Ruffalo’s situation at Marvel is a little more complicated than some of his peers. His character – Hulk – is attached to Universal when it comes to standalone movie rights. This could be goodbye for Ruffalo anyway, though. He revealed to Collider that he has a six-movie contract, starting from 2012’s The Avengers. Counting that, alongside Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok, and two other Avengers movies means he has one more MCU movie left. No news yet on whether he’ll be returning.
Paul Rudd (Ant-Man)
Kevin Feige revealed to THR back in 2015 that not only are actors signed up for a minimum three-movie deal across the board, Rudd is on a “three-plus-plus” deal. That means, with four appearance already and a fifth in Ant-Man 3 on the way, there’s scope for him to appear in other MCU movies down the line.
Evangeline Lilly (The Wasp)
Lilly has not said a word (at least publicly) about her Marvel contract, which makes the question of how long she has left – if any – a difficult one to answer. Paul Rudd (above) was signed to a minimum three-movie deal. Lilly, for her part, has already appeared in three: Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Avengers: Endgame. She will also appear in Ant-Man 3.
Brie Larson (Captain Marvel)
The Hollywood Reporter said Brie Larson had signed a seven-movie contract in 2018. Larson, though, immediately disputed those claims on Twitter. She’s currently featured in Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame, and will star in Captain Marvel 2 post-2021. Depending on who you believe, she may have another four films to run on her deal after that.
Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury)
Samuel L. Jackson’s contract is officially up with the MCU. He told AV Club last year that he was on a “nine-picture deal,” which was completed when Jackson put on the eyepatch once more in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Of course, these things can be renewed (and considering the end of Far From Home, very well could be), so it might not be time to say goodbye just yet.
Don Cheadle (War Machine)
Nothing new to report on Don Cheadle’s side of things, who last appeared in Avengers: Endgame. For what it’s worth, there are currently no plans for him to appear in any Phase 4 movie or TV show, and he isn’t listed in the dozen-strong cast for the 2021 Disney+ animated series, What If…?
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Chris Pratt (Star-Lord)
The all-singing, all-dancing Star-Lord actor doesn’t want to leave Marvel, contract or no contract. He’s scheduled to at least appear in Guardians of the Galaxy 3 but told Slash Film “it doesn’t matter how many [movies] I have contracted, because I’m going to continue working with [Marvel].”
Dave Bautista (Drax)
Much like his Guardians character, Drax, Bautista is pretty blunt. In the wake of director James Gunn’s firing, he tweeted out that he would only appear in Guardians of the Galaxy 3 because he was “legally obligated” to. That implies that, at the very least, Drax is back for one more Marvel movie, though things may change after Gunn was re-hired earlier this year.
Zoe Saldana (Gamora)
Saldana’s Gamora has left things open-ended with her character’s ‘return’ in Avengers: Endgame. That movie indicated the search for our Gamora was still on, though Saldana hasn’t publicly revealed any details about her Marvel contract in any past interviews.
Karen Gillan
Yet another Guardian that we know very little about contract-wise. Gillan originally signed a one-picture deal for the original Guardians of the Galaxy, though that has (obviously) been overruled since as she’s appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Infinity War, and Endgame. Expect her to return for Guardians 3.
Bradley Cooper (Rocket Raccoon)
Very little is known about Cooper’s Marvel contract. The Guardians seem to be the absolute best at keeping Marvel’s secrets safe – which might be why they have a threequel on the way.
Vin Diesel (Groot)
He is Groot, yet having grown from lowly twig to moody tree-based teenager over the course of a few Marvel movies, it’s not clear whether he’ll be sticking around to turn back into the huge creature from the original Guardians. Yep, Vin Diesel is almost definitely back for Guardians of the Galaxy 3, but beyond that things are a lot more unclear.
What about Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr.?
Both of Marvel's major old guard members said their goodbyes in Avengers: Endgame. Robert Downey Jr.'s Marvel contract has expired and it's unlikely he'll be back. Evans is also done with Marvel, tweeting out his goodbyes in late 2018. Sob.
I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.