Since Phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off in May 2008, it has produced 30 movies, 14 Disney Plus shows and introduced the world to characters who have managed to weave their way into the hearts and minds of the masses.
Everyone has a favorite, whether it be Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), or even Groot (Vin Diesel), but not all characters are given the same screen time, so fans often have to enjoy every single second of their favorite character before the credits roll.
If you’ve ever wondered how much screen time your favorite hero has actually had compared to other characters, you are not alone. Luckily for us, one ingenious Reddit user who goes by the name of Hot_Form9587 spent hours upon hours of hard work figuring it all out so we don’t have to. With 66 hours, 16 minutes of movies, and 53 hours, 51 minutes of shows and specials on Disney Plus, this Reddit user was watching, eating, sleeping, and probably dreaming of Marvel heroes.
So what did they find out that has people buzzing? First of all, it might be surprising to find out that two of the Marvel heroes who have been with the MCU since its inception have the least amount of screen time. Also, some brand-new characters with Disney Plus TV shows already have more screen time than a lot of MCU veterans. For example, Marc Spector/Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac) has the same amount of screen time as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson) and more screen time than Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). Today, we’ll be discussing the heroes with the most and least amount of screen time, but we will only discuss those who have appeared in at least two different movies or shows.
It would be of no surprise to anyone that Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) has had a whopping 365 minutes – more than six hours – of screen time. Since he’s appeared in 10 Marvel movies since he kicked off the MCU in the first Iron Man, that’s not really surprising. What is surprising is the hero with the least amount of screen time, a character who also started in Iron Man – War Machine/James Rhodes, aka Rhodey (Terrence Howard and Don Cheadle), has also appeared in 10 movies and TV shows, but only has 59 minutes of screen time.
Rhodey fans on Reddit were not happy to see just how little screen time Iron Man’s right-hand man gets. “Poor Rhodey being done dirty here,” FullMetalCOS said in reply to the post.
“It’s laughable that Iron Man is so far ahead in first place and his sidekick is almost dead last. Now, Ironheart is getting the spotlight. It really hurts to be a Rhodey fan. 😟”
Reddit user BanjoKnuckles added.
The top five characters with the most screen time probably won’t surprise Marvel fans. Tony Stark/Iron Man with 365 minutes, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) with 290 minutes, Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland) with 245 minutes, Steve Rogers/Captain America with 242 minutes, and Loki with 209 minutes, all take the top spots.
Although Holland’s Spidey is a relative newcomer, him beating out Evans’ Cap seems surprising, but not when you take into account that, like Captain America, he has had three solo movies. But what puts Spidey in the running is the fact that his three solo movies were inarguably his movies, whereas Captain America: Civil War was more or less an Avengers movie.
Surprisingly, the bottom five spots have a few characters that have been around for a while. While there are some new characters in the bottom spots, remember that this article is only including characters who have appeared in at least two different movies or TV shows. Rounding out the bottom spots are King T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) with 70 minutes, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) with 69 minutes, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) with 66 minutes, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) with 66 minutes, and Rhodey/War Machine with 59 minutes.
Nick Fury has appeared in the most movies and TV shows – 12 – and has been around since Iron Man, but he usually just appears briefly, makes some sassy comment, and departs. His screen time should change drastically with his two upcoming projects in Secret Invasion and The Marvels.