Top 10 MCU Actors Who Voiced Animated Characters

Within the MCU Vin Diesel has a fantastic track record when it comes to his continued voice-acting role as "Guardians of the Galaxy's" Groot. He manages to convey a wide spectrum of emotions using only a few words. This skill should come as no surprise to anyone who remembers Diesel's breakthrough performance in 1999's "The Iron Giant." With relatively limited dialogue, Diesel effectively conveys the emotional depth and character growth of the titular robot. Diesel's powerful and expressive voice tends to allow him to completely disappear into his animated roles.

Strange as it might seem to recognize Edward Norton as part of the MCU, the gifted actor did introduce the world to this universe's Bruce Banner in 2008. In the late 2010s, Norton developed an affinity for voice acting, something he had mostly limited to "The Simpsons" prior to that point. But Norton gave us an unforgettable big-screen performance when he portrayed the neurotic Sammy Bagel Jr.. in "Sausage Party". He also starred in the English dub of the Chinese film “Little Door Gods”. Norton also had a supporting role in Wes Anderson's star-studded and quirky "Isle of Dogs." He shined again as the relatively reasonable canine named Rex.

It's only to be expected that a master spy like Natasha Romanoff can slip into characters seamlessly. In between her missions as Black Widow, Johansson lent her one-of-a-kind voice to several animated flicks. She delivered a memorable performance as Nutmeg in "Isle of Dogs". Johansson also starred as royal mermaid Princess Mindy in "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie". As if you ever wanted to see her as a singing porcupine, watch her show off her vocal chops as Ash in "Sing." With Johannson set to reprise her role in the upcoming sequel, expect to hear a lot more from her in the animated realm.

Cate Blanchett can pretty much do anything, and that includes animated movies. As the MCU's goddess of death, Blanchett effortlessly established Hela as a commanding figure to be feared and respected. But this wasn’t the first time that the actress portrayed a deity. Blanchett's authoritative but emotive voice made her the perfect choice for Granmamare in the English dub of Studio Ghibli's "Ponyo." Outside of Disney, DreamWorks handed Blanchett her most famous animated role. She appeared as Hiccup's mother Valka in the "How to Train Your Dragon” trilogy. She played a warm, fierce, and three-dimensional character that we just wanted to learn more about.

While Heimdall wasn’t the biggest role in the MCU, Idris Elba doesn't need a ton of screen time to leave a lasting impression. The British actor spent the majority of 2016 lending his voice to Disney, and Elba made every single word count. Unfortunately, Elba's turn as Shere Khan doesn't count as "The Jungle Book" is technically not an animated movie. But the actor also voiced "Finding Dory's" Fluke ... as well as "Zootopia's" Chief Bogo. While his portrayal of the sea lion Fluke got to see him show off his comedic chops a bit more, his role as Bogo showed us his depth and versatility in the vocal booth.

Long before he was laughing and playing admittedly great music as Klau, cinema's definitive motion capture performer was lending his voice to many projects. While his voice acting roles in franchises like "The Lord of the Rings" and “Planet of the Apes” are great, it’s all about his animated work today. In 2006's somewhat forgotten "Flushed Away," Serkis formed a fun pairing with Bill Nighy as two gangster rats. He also appeared as an elf in “Arthur Christmas” But perhaps his finest vocal role was in Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin.” Serkis steals the show and delivers a solid performance as Captain Haddock.

J. K. Simmons was so perfect as J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy that the MCU brought the actor back in the role for the second Holland Spidey film. Despite boasting one of the most instantly recognizable voices in the business, Simmons still has a knack for disappearing into roles. The actor's intimidating voice makes him an easy pick for villains like "Kung Fu Panda 3's" Kai. But Simmons' strength lies in his ability to inject gravitas and a sense of history into his performances. No other film highlights Simmons' vocal talents better than 2019's "Klaus." The well-rounded performance made him a standout among the stacked cast.

The MCU's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man enjoyed an incredible run in the late 2010s. Tom Holland has also established himself as a Hollywood A-lister with unlimited range. Along with his big live-action roles, Holland has periodically dabbled in animation. In fact, his first movie job was voicing one of the main characters in the UK dub of Studio Ghibli's "Arrietty." Towards the end of the decade, Holland became the go-to actor for major projects. He voiced lead characters in 2019's "Spies in Disguise" and Pixar's "Onward." As the straight-laced teen who desperately wants to reunite with his father, Holland helped make "Onward's" Ian Lightfoot a very sympathetic character.

In a career spanning four decades and counting, Samuel L. Jackson has appeared in nearly every type of movie under the sun. While the MCU's Nick Fury took a while to make his animated film debut, Jackson hit the ground running in a big way by voicing Frozone in Pixar's "The Incredibles.” He would later reprise the extremely cool role for the movie’s 2018 sequel. Be it drama or comedy, Jackson's voice can instantly grab the audience's attention. The actor gives standout performances in "Turbo" and "Astro Boy." And we can’t forget that time he graced us with Mace Windu again in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Michael Keaton
The Vulture Also Voiced Barbie’s Ken

Zendaya
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Michael B. Jordan
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Benedict Wong
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Karen Gillan
Nebula Co-Stars With Spider-Man and Speaks With a Scottish-Accent

The MCU put Chris Pratt firmly in the spotlight for the whole world to see as the hilarious Star-lord. While "Guardians of the Galaxy" is fantastic, it might not even be Pratt's best 2014 movie. Before becoming Star-Lord, Pratt voiced the squarest of everymen in "The Lego Movie." An animated film that exceeded all expectations, "The Lego Movie" is overwhelmingly charming, heartwarming, and hilarious. Pratt's performance as Emmet Brickowski is a huge reason why "The Lego Movie" and its sequel work so well. Pratt also co starred with Tom Holland for a well received tale of brotherly love in Pixar's "Onward."