The Marvel Cinematic Universe is filled with compelling characters showcasing their unique powers. The MCU films have everything that action-fans need. With large-scale CGI wars and bloodless mayhem, these films never seem to disappoint. The characters in MCU are always expected to get their hands dirty with fight sequences and crazy stunts. However, some actors from the MCU have continued to shed their share of blood outside the MCU. Here is our list of 10 MCU Actors Who Played Very Violent Roles.
1. Jeremy Renner in The Bourne Legacy:
Renner is well known to all MCU fans as Clint Barton or the Hawkeye, our favorite arrow shooting badass. Jeremy also starred as the protagonist in the blockbuster The Bourne Legacy. Jeremy played the role of Aaron Cross, a superhuman operative from the department of defense. The film is filled with great fight scenes and a lot of action. Jeremy is also seen throwing people around, grappling with shooters, and effortlessly climbing large houses with prowess. In the film, Aron Cross fakes his own death and avoids getting killed by a predator drone.
2. Scarlet Johansson in Lucy
All MCU fans love the terrifying, yet gorgeous Black Widow played by Scarlet Johansson. Natasha Romanoff first made her appearance as Tony Starks’s assistant in Iron Man 2. In 2014 she played the lead role in the action-packed film Lucy. Her character becomes stronger, smarter, and faster in the film after she is injected with a nootropic Superdrug. The film follows her journey as she manages this strong nootropic and the powers that come with it. Once Lucy reaches 100% of her brain capacity, she defeats a hallway full of armed men singlehandedly. She casually walks past them while they levitate and are trapped in convulsions.
3. Chris Evans in Snowpiercer:
Captain America was one of the main characters of the MCU films. Fans loved Chris right from his first appearance in Captain America: The First Avenger to his last. In 2013, Chris Evans also starred in the movie Snowpiercer in the role of Curtis Everett. In the film, Chris plays a reluctant leader of a burgeoning revolution. The film also showed us a dark and bitter version of the future. In a scene, Evans is seen massacring an army of trained soldiers using a hatchet. It is full of action and a must-watch for Evans’s fans.
4. Chris Hemsworth in Extraction
Hemsworth played the role of Thor in the MCU, unquestionably our favorite Asgardian. His role in the Marvel films was pivotal and one that he will always be remembered for. Chris also played a gritty and savage role in the recent film, Extraction, released in 2020. He played the role of the protagonist, Tyler Rake; a former Australian special forces soldier turned mercenary. Chris is hired to rescue the kidnapped son of a drug lord. To protect Ovi from the people trying to kill him, he spends three days fighting, stabbing, and shooting his way through swarms of people on the streets of Bangladesh.
5. Chris Pratt in the Magnificent Seven:
The MCU character Star-lord or Peter Quill is played by the hilarious Chris Pratt. He starred in the 2016 remake of The Magnificent Seven and played the role of Josh Faraday, a cowboy dud. We see Chris protecting the town from villains while they swarm his crew on the streets. Chris’s gunslinging version was a welcome surprise, especially because he left his wit behind and put a straight face for the brutal showdown.
6. Samuel L. Jackson in Shaft:
Jackson played the infamous role of director Nick Fury in the MCU, playing as the director of SHIELD. Samuel L. Jackson played the iconic role of John Shaft, a Blaxploitation hero in the 2000 reboot of the film Shaft. We can see him engaging in complete firefights on the streets of the big apple, which results in a showdown between Shaft and the kingpin in an old west-inspired battle.
7. Zoe Saldana in Colombiana:
Three years before Zoe Saldana played the role of Gamora, she acted in the 2011 action thriller Colombiana. She played Cataleya, an orphan whose parents were murdered by an underworld boss when she was a child. As a teenager, she goes to her uncle in Chicago, who has ties with the mob and trains her to become a mercenary. As an adult, she became extremely adept with guns. She later became an unstoppable force of nature who finally took revenge for the death of her parents.
8. Dave Bautista in Spectre:
In the MCU, Dave Bautista played the hilarious role of Drax the Destroyer, and is part of the original team of Guardians of The Galaxy. In 2015, he played the role of the antagonist in the James Bond film Spectre. He played Mr. Hinx, a silent mercenary who was first seen crashing a man’s skull with his bare hands while in a fancy business meeting. He later had a combat scene with Daniel Craig on a train. Dave has undoubtedly come a long way from his wrestling days and has become a renowned and versatile actor.
9. Bradley Cooper in The A-Team:
In the MCU films, Bradley Cooper was the voice actor was Rocket. In 2010, Bradley played the role of Templeton Face Peck in the action film The A-Team. He instantly captured the hearts of viewers with his incredible wit and charisma. In one action scene, Bradley is shooting down reaper drones from a tank-mounted gun when he and his crew are dropping through the air. The tank was parachuting down to Earth, and this film is definitely a must for action lovers.
10. Micheal Douglas in Falling Down
In the film Ant-man and Ant-man and The Wasp, Micheal Douglas played the role of Hank Pym. In the 1993 film Falling Down, Micheal played the role of William Foster who is a mentally unhinged man. And after ditching his car in a traffic jam, he walks the streets of Los Angeles. He lashes out at all the things that have bothered him. Foster smashes convenience stores, holds up fast food restraints and blows up a construction site with a bazooka in one bizarre scene.
