8 MCU stars who are in this year’s Emmys race
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has more A-list actors than any other major franchise in Hollywood, making stars of newcomers such as Simu Liu, Sebastian Stan, and Tom Holland while also weaving in veterans such as Robert Redford, Samuel L. Jackson, and Cate Blanchett. The sheer amount of talent on display across the MCU’s many movies and TV shows means that, naturally, the MCU has its fingers in every awards show pie. In other awards, you’ll always find an MCU alum or two nominated at any major awards ceremony. So, speaking of that, here are eight MCU actors past and present we think will be nominated for an Emmy this year.
Donald Glover — “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”
Okay, so admittedly Glover isn’t the first name you think of when you conjure up MCU actors, but he did feature in a scene with Holland’s Spider-Man in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” as Aaron Davis, who is actually the Prowler in the comics. Glover already has 11 Emmy nominations to his name and won two in 2017 for directing and starring in “Atlanta.” He’s back in contention this year for his new show “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” which he stars in, writes, directs, and co-created with Francesca Sloane. The show is a reboot of the iconic 2005 movie and stars Glover and Maya Erskine as secret agents who have to pose as a couple. As a result, he could well pick up nominations in four categories this year. We are predicting that he will be nominated for Best Drama Series as the creator and producer of the Amazon Prime Video show. Our other predicted nominees for Best Drama Series are “The Crown,” “Shōgun,” “The Morning Show,” “The Gilded Age,” “Slow Horses,” “The Curse,” and “Fallout.” We also think that Glover will be nominated for Best Drama Actor alongside Gary Oldman (“Slow Horses”), Hiroyuki Sanada (“Shōgun”), Dominic West (“The Crown”), Cosmo Jarvis (“Shōgun”), and Colin Farrell (“Sugar”).
Carrie Coon — “The Gilded Age”
Coon starred as Proxima Midnight, one of Thanos’ cronies, in “Avengers: Infinity War,” giving her a small but memorable role in the MCU. She has a much meatier role in HBO’s “The Gilded Age,” which follows a new money follow conflicting with their old money neighbors in 1880s New York high society. We are predicting that Coon, who plays the lead role of Bertha Russell, will be nominated for Best Drama Actress alongside Jennifer Aniston (“The Morning Show”), Imelda Staunton (“The Crown”), Emma Stone (“The Curse”), Anna Sawai (“Shōgun”), and Reese Witherspoon (“The Morning Show”). Her sole nomination so far came in 2017 for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actress for “Fargo.”
Michaela Coel — “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”
Coel played Aneka, a Wakandan warrior and member of the Dora Milaje, in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” She appears in “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” as Bev, a rival spy who interacts with Glover’s agent. Coel competes in Best Drama Guest Actress this year and we think that Smith will be nominated alongside Claire Foy (“The Crown”), Sarah Paulson (“Mr. and Mrs. Smith”), Yuko Miyamoto (“Shōgun”), Marcia Gay Harden (“The Morning Show”), and Sharon Horgan (“Mr. and Mrs. Smith”). Coel reaped four Emmy nominations in 2021 for her limited series “I May Destroy You.” They came for Best Limited Series, Best TV Movie/Limited Series Writing, Best TV Movie/Limited Series Directing, and Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actress. She won for writing.
Brie Larson — “Lessons in Chemistry”
Larson is one of the main players of the MCU now thanks to her role as Captain Marvel. She has appeared in four movies and one TV show as the character. She also leads the way in Apple TV’s “Lessons in Chemistry, which follows a chemist who lands a new gig hosting a 1960s cooking show that she uses to educate housewives about all things science. Jodie Foster (“True Detective: Night Country”), Juno Temple (“Fargo”), Sofia Vergara (“Griselda”), Kate Winslet (“The Regime”), and Naomi Watts (“Feud: Capote vs the Swans”) are the other actresses we think will be nominated alongside Larson for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actress. Her single Emmy nomination so far resulted in a win. That was for Best Interactive Program in 2020 for “The Messy Truth VR Experience.”
Robert Downey Jr. — “The Sympathizer”
Iron Man himself. As Tony Stark/Iron Man, Downey Jr. was a huge part of creating the MCU and helping it become what it is today. In total, he appeared as the character in 10 MCU movies before the character died a heroic death in “Avengers: Endgame.” Could he be making a multiversal comeback as a variant of the character? Who knows. What we do is that he is phenomenal in HBO’s “The Sympathizer,” which follows a Vietnamese plant who takes residence in the US right near the end of the Vietnam War and secretly reports back to the Viet Cong. Downey Jr. dazzles in several villainous roles, including a CIA agent, a professor, a congressman, a priest, and a filmmaker based on Francis Ford Coppola. Downey Jr. looks like he’s going to win Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actor, a category that we think will also be populated by Lewis Pullman (“Lessons in Chemistry”), Jonathan Bailey (“Fellow Travelers”), John Hawkes (“True Detective: Night Country”), Joe Keery (“Fargo”), Treat Williams (“Feud: Capote vs the Swans”), and Hugh Grant (“The Regime”). Surprisingly, this would only be Downey Jr.’s second Emmy nomination after he was nominated for Best Comedy Supporting Actor in 2001 for “Ally McBeal.”
Paul Rudd — “Only Murders in the Building”
As Scott Lang AKA Ant-Man, Rudd is a key part of the MCU. He’s appeared in five MCU movies so far. He’s also featured in the hit Hulu comedy series “Only Murders in the Building,” which follows three residents of a New York apartment building who becomes embroiled in murder cases. Rudd shines as Ben Glenroy, a Hollywood actor who is murdered on the opening night of his very first play on Broadway. We think Rudd will be nominated for Best Comedy Supporting Actor alongside Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“The Bear”), Tyler James Williams (“Abbott Elementary”), Oliver Platt (“The Bear”), Lionel Boyce (“The Bear”), Matty Matheson (“The Bear”), and Carl Clemons-Hopkins (“Hacks”). This would be his first-ever Emmy citation.
Olivia Colman — “The Bear”
Colman has four Emmy nominations to her name so far. She picked up a Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actress nomination in 2016 for “The Night Manager” before adding a Best Comedy Supporting Actress bid to her name in 2019 for “Fleabag.” She then landed two Best Drama Actress citations for “The Crown” in 2020 and 2021. She won in 2021. We think that Colman will secure a Best Comedy Guest Actress Citation for “The Bear” alongside co-stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Sarah Paulson as well as Maya Rudolph (“Saturday Night Live”) and “Hacks” duo Kaitlin Olson and J. Smith-Cameron. “The Bear” follows Jeremy Allen White as a young chef who leaves the fine dining world to help run his family’s sandwich shop in Chicago. Colman features as Chef Terry, a British executive chef at a restaurant where Richie (Moss-Bachrach) stages. Colman appeared in the MCU’s TV show “Secret Invasion,” in which she portrayed high-ranking MI6 agent Sonya Falsworth, an old ally of Nick Fury.
Will Poulter — “The Bear”
Poulter looks set to pick up a bid for Best Comedy Guest Actor alongside Ryan Gosling (“Saturday Night Live”), Christopher McDonald (“Hacks”), and “The Bear” co-stars Jon Bernthal, Bob Odenkirk, and John Mulaney. Poulter was nominated for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actor in 2022 for “Dopesick.” Poulter plays Luca, a dessert chef who takes on Marcus (Lionel Boyce) as a trainee in Copenhagen. In the MCU, Poulter made his debut as Adam Warlock in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” He is expected to return to the MCU in the future.
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