With over two dozen different Marvel movies and more than a few Marvel television shows,
we've seen some incredible comic-book-based performances from some of Hollywood's very
best actors.
Not all of those actors are still with us, but thankfully, they've left behind a long
and impressive body of work even beyond their Marvel roles.
Here are Marvel actors you may not know passed away.
Powers Boothe
If you don't recognize Powers Boothe from his brief appearance in The Avengers or his
run on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, you probably know him as cult leader Jim Jones
in Guyana Tragedy, a role that won him an Emmy.
You may also know him as the conniving brothel owner Cy Tolliver on HBO's Deadwood or as
24's Vice President Noah Daniels.
Marvel fans, however, will always see Boothe as Gideon Malick, the shadowy world leader
that was first seen in The Avengers, where he encouraged Nick Fury to nuke New York City
in order to stop Loki's alien army.
Malick later returned for Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as season three's big bad
and the head of HYDRA.
"You have less than 15 minutes to breach their barricades and regain control of that chamber."
"Sir, I really-" "That's an order, soldier."
Malick isn't the only comic book character that Boothe played, either.
He voiced Gorilla Grodd and Red Tornado in Justice League Unlimited, played Lex Luthor
in the animated feature Superman: Brainiac Attacks, and appeared in both Sin City movies
as Senator Roark.
Sadly, Boothe passed away in May 2017.
Onscreen villainy will never be the same.
Roy Scheider
When a group of thugs show up at the Castle family reunion looking to exact revenge in
2004's The Punisher, Roy Schieder's Frank Castle Sr. is there to stop them in their
tracks.
Not that you'd expect anything less from the man who faced down Jaws not once, but twice,
and lived to tell the story.
As Police Chief Martin Brody, Scheider is one of the three men who take to the seas
in order to stop the tourist-eating great white.
Reportedly, Scheider even improvised Brody's most famous line:
"You're gonna need a bigger boat."
He left behind an impressive resume beyond Jaws though.
He received an Academy Award nomination for playing grizzled Detective "Cloudy" Russo
in The French Connection, and another for his role in All That Jazz.
Scheider passed away in 2008.
Garry Shandling
In Iron Man 2, Garry Shandling's Senator Stern tries to discredit Iron Man and transfer Tony
Stark's tech for the United States government but the extent of his villainy becomes even
more established in Captain America: The Winter Soldier:
"Hail HYDRA."
It's one of the most memorable parts of Marvel movie history, but it's barely a footnote
in Shandling's long and accomplished career.
Shandling started his career as a writer for '70s sitcoms, but decided to pursue stand-up
comedy.
Appearances on The Tonight Show landed Shandling a gig as one of Johnny Carson's go-to guest
hosts, and eventually led to the subversive, fourth-wall breaking sitcom It's Garry Shandling's
Show.
Later, Shandling funneled his Tonight Show experience into The Larry Sanders Show, an
HBO series about a late night talk show.
Over the course of its six-season run, The Larry Sanders Show amassed a whopping 56 Emmy
nominations, helped make Jeffrey Tambor, Rip Torn, and Janeane Garofalo into household
names, and cemented its place as one of the greatest television shows ever made.
Unfortunately, Shandling passed away in 2016.
Bill Paxton
Fan favorite character actor Bill Paxton added a helpful dose of starpower to Marvel's Agents
of S.H.I.E.L.D when he brought the cyborg assassin John Garrett to life onscreen for
the very first time in 2014.
"Why do I hear gunfire?"
"You hear the dying breath of an old world, general.
But a new world is coming.
I've tasted it on my tongue."
As Garrett, Paxton lured straight-laced S.H.I.E.L.D agent Grant Ward to the dark side, uncovered
the secret behind Phil Coulson's mysterious resurrection, and ultimately ended up on the
wrong side of Coulson's disintegration gun.
Unfortunately, Paxton, who made his name as a scene-stealing presence in classic movies
like Aliens, Terminator, Edge of Tomorrow, True Lies, and many, many others, passed away
just a few years later due to complications resulting from heart surgery.
Neil Fingleton
A British athlete-turned-actor who stood at a record-setting seven feet, seven inches
tall, Neil Fingleton was officially the tallest man in Britain.
He played college basketball at the University of North Carolina and College of the Holy
Cross, represented Britain in the World University Games, and later played professionally in
Boston, Italy, Spain, and Greece.
However, Fingleton's sports career came to an abrupt end in 2007, when an injury finished
his time on the court.
He turned to acting, where his massive size landed him all kinds of unique roles.
In Doctor Who, Fingleton appeared opposite Peter Capaldi as the would-be conqueror Fisher
King.
He also played Game of Thrones' resident giant, Mag the Mighty.
On the Marvel side, Fingleton actually played two roles.
Fingleton helped bring Ultron to life, working as both a stunt performer and motion capture
artist on Avengers: Age of Ultron.
He also played a Russian bodyguard in X-Men: First Class.
He died of heart failure in February of 2017.
Cliff Robertson
Compared to the rest of the cast in Spider-Man, Cliff Robertson's Uncle Ben might not have
the most screen time, but it's his teachings that ultimately inspire Peter Parker to become
Spider-Man.
"Remember, with great power comes great responsibility."
Much like Ben, Robertson was a real-life hero.
While he stole hearts as a young John F. Kennedy in P.T. 109 and won an Oscar for the lead
role in Charly, he's probably best known for taking a stand against Hollywood corruption.
In 1977, Robertson reported that Columbia Pictures head David Begelman had forged his
name on a $10,000 check as part of a massive embezzling scheme.
In the aftermath, Begelman lost his job, and Hollywood bigwigs refused to give Robertson
more parts.
Robertson never fully embraced the show business machine, and he wasn't sorry for his actions
shining a light on Hollywood corruption.
Robertson passed away in 2011.
Harry Dean Stanton
If you don't know Harry Dean Stanton's name, you certainly know his face.
In the '60s and '70s, he slowly emerged as one of Hollywood's most reliable character
actors, thanks to memorable bit parts in films and television shows like Cool Hand Luke,
Gunsmoke, and The Godfather Part II.
Stanton's popularity eventually lead to bigger supporting roles, including parts in Alien,
Escape from New York, and The Green Mile.
In 1984, he took the lead in the critically acclaimed Paris, Texas, and the same year,
he co-starred as Bud in the cult-classic sci-fi romp Repo Man.
He's also notable for playing a recurring part in Twin Peaks: The Return, his second-to-last
project before his September 2017 passing.
In between his packed schedule, Stanton found time to sneak into the Marvel Cinematic Universe
with a scene-stealing performance as a wise janitor in The Avengers.
"From outer space.
An alien?"
"Nah."
"Well then son, you've got a condition."
Evgeniy "Eugene" Lazarev
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Anton Vanko was a longtime Stark Industries employee who
helped develop the Arc Reactor before being found guilty of espionage and shipped back
to Russia.
After a lengthy stint in Siberia, Vanko returned to civilization to raise his son, turning
Ivan Vanko against the Starks and creating Iron Man 2's main villain, Whiplash.
Thankfully, the actor who played Vanko, Evgeniy "Eugene" Lazarev, wasn't quite so twisted
in real life.
A Russian native, Lazarev was a well-known and accomplished actor in his motherland,
where he was honored with the People's Artist of Russia title, the most prestigious government
award a Russian performer can attain.
On his move to the United States, Lazarev kept right on acting, appearing in films and
TV shows like The Pink Panther 2, 24, Alias, The West Wing, Lord of War and many others.
He didn't keep all of that experience to himself, either, between roles, Lazarev taught acting
at the University of Southern California.
Sadly, he died of a heart attack in 2016.
Michael Clarke Duncan
When you're casting someone like New York crime boss Wilson Fisk, better known to superhero
fans as Kingpin, you need someone who's got a huge presence.
Michael Clarke Duncan didn't just look the part with his six foot, 300 pound frame, he
also had charisma to spare.
The actor's stature helped him land the gig as the big bad in 2003's Daredevil.
"Have you seen the papers today?
Somebody's been talking."
"Somebody always does."
Duncan, a superhero fan since childhood, was very enthusiastic about playing Fisk.
He re-read Frank Miller's comic book run from front to back before filming Daredevil, and
returned to voice the character in Spider-Man: The New Animated Series.
Still, the Kingpin was just one of many memorable parts Duncan played over the years.
Duncan appeared in films like Armageddon, The Whole Nine Yards, Sin City, and others,
usually playing criminals or other heavies, but his star-making turn came in 1999 when
he joined the cast of Frank Darabont's The Green Mile.
Duncan landed the role as the imposing but gentle inmate John Coffey, and was rewarded
for his efforts with a handful of award nominations, including one for Best Supporting Actor.
Duncan passed away from a heart attack in September 2012.
Bill Bixby
Visit any reasonably sized comic book convention, and you'll find that Lou Ferrigno, the six-foot-five
bodybuilder who played Marvel's jade giant on the 1977 Incredible Hulk television show,
is alive, well, and still signing autographs for adoring fans.
Unfortunately, his onscreen alter ego, Bill Bixby, is no longer with us.
Bixby will always be best known for his portrayal of David "Bruce" Banner, the heroic scientist
who traveled the country in search of a cure for his condition.
"Mr. Mcgee.
Don't make me angry.
You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."
Even without the Marvel bona fides, he'd be well-remembered.
In 1971, he was nominated for a Best Actor Emmy for his ongoing role in The Courtship
of Eddie's Father, and followed that up in 1976 with two more Emmy nods.
He was an accomplished director, helming 30 episodes of Blossom ,as well as other television
shows.
Bixby's showmanship extended offscreen, too.
He performed all of his own tricks while starring in NBC's The Magician.
Sadly, Bixby passed away in 1993 after a two-year battle with cancer.