Every Community Actor In The MCU | Screen Rant
Community has built quite a connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe through shared cast members. The number of actors who have appeared in both Community and the MCU might be surprising to some. Granted, the properties had one major factor in common with the involvement of Joe and Anthony Russo.
The MCU officially launched in 2008 with the release of Iron Man. Over the course of two decades thus far, the franchise blossomed and is now is gearing up for its 24th installment. Community, the comedy series from Dan Harmon, broadcast through the MCU's run. The show debuted on NBC in 2009 and followed a rag-tag study group at Greendale Community College. With Marvel's constant growth in popularity, references to the MCU often found their way into Community. The series even amusingly predicted the ending of the Infinity Saga years before it came to fruition.
If it weren't for Community, the Russos may have never directed multiple MCU movies. The season 2 paintball episode led the Russos brothers to the MCU, beginning with their work on Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The pair then went on to direct Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. That paved the way for Community actors to make the jump to the MCU, and other filmmakers in the franchise followed suit. Here's every Community cast member that has appeared in the MCU thus far.
Danny Pudi portrayed Abed Nadir for all six seasons of Community. As a member of the study group at Greendale Community College, Abed was one of the core characters in focus. Not only was he one of the more eccentric figures, but Abed served as the pop culture fanatic, comparing the group's own adventures to TV and movie tropes. As for the MCU, Pudi appeared in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as Moore, a S.H.I.E.L.D. communications officer.
The second member of the study group to appear in the MCU was Donald Glover, who portrayed Troy Barnes in five seasons of Community. Troy was a former high school jock that found his true nerdy self with the help of his best friend, Abed. Glover later exited the comedy series in season 5 as Troy left for a sailing trip around the world. The actor then appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming as Aaron Davis, a criminal from NYC that also went by the name of Prowler. Glover was also presumed to be the uncle of Miles Morales, a character that hasn't directly appeared in the MCU just yet. Interestingly enough, Donald Glover was the inspiration for Miles Morales' Spider-Man in the comics.
The third and final member of the core study group to acquire a cameo in the MCU was Yvette Nicole Brown. The actress played the role of Shirley Bennett in Community for five seasons before serving as a guest in the sixth and final season. Shirley was a kind-hearted member of the friend circle, and she often became the voice of reason. Brown appeared in one of the most notable MCU movies, playing Phyllis Jenkins in Avengers: Endgame. The character worked at Camp Lehigh in 1970, encountering Steve Rogers and Tony Stark during their time travel heist and almost blowing their mission with her eagle-eyed observational skills.
Ken Jeong was first introduced in Community as Ben Chang, the Spanish teacher at Greendale Community College. Based on his unstable behavior, he spent time as both a friend and a foe of the study group. Despite his unpredictable nature, Jeong was always a prominent figure for the duration of the series. Like Brown, Jeong appeared in Avengers: Endgame, but not in the 1970 timeline. The actor played the vehicle impound security guard with a gnarly mustache that witnessed Scott Lang, a.k.a. Ant-Man, return from the Quantum Realm.
Jim Rash was another actor who played a Greendale faculty member to appear in the MCU. The actor portrayed Craig Pelton, the dean of the college for all six seasons of Community. Dean Pelton didn't hold back in showcasing the study group as his favorite students on campus, specifically when it came to his fondness for Jeff Winger. Shortly after Community came to an end, Rash had a cameo in Captain America: Civil War. He cleverly played the M.I.T. Liason who spoke to Tony Stark about his donation. Rash also notably performed a scene as Dean Pelton which paid tribute to Captain America's memorable elevator scene.
Before joining the MCU, Brie Larson had a short stint on Community as Rachel, a love interest of Abed. Rachel first appeared in Community season 4 as a member of Greendale's event staff. She instantly connected with Abed, and the pair briefly dated the following semester. Based on Larson's increasingly busy schedule, she was unable to return to the series. The actress then went on to obtain the titular role of Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel. She reprised the part in Endgame and will serve as the focus of 2022's Captain Marvel 2.
Nathan Fillion appeared in two episodes of Community as Bob Waite, the head custodian at Greendale. He came into contact with Annie Edison and Professor Buzz Hickey in season 5 before frequenting the secret speakeasy the following season. In the MCU, the actor voiced the blue alien prisoner in Guardians of the Galaxy. Fillion also portrayed Simon Williams (aka Wonder Man) in a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 deleted scene.
Randall Park memorably played a version of himself auditioning for a Steven Spielberg movie in Community season 6. Before that, however, the actor played Greendale's student body president, Brody Leitz, in a webisode released before the show's debut on NBC. In the MCU, Park portrayed FBI Agent Jimmy Woo for Ant-Man and the Wasp. He reprised his role for WandaVision to investigate a new mystery.
Kumail Nanjiani played a fellow custodian named Lapari in two episodes of Community. Lapari worked alongside Fillion's Bob before appearing in season 6 during the show's final paintball episode. During a game of Paintball Assassin, it was revealed that Lapari was "Silver Ballz," a mysterious figure wreaking havoc on campus. The actor will soon portray the role of Kingo Sunen in Eternals, an upcoming movie set in Phase 4 of the MCU. Kingo is said to be an Eternal with the power to project cosmic energy, but he becomes a Bollywood star to blend in on Earth.
Aaron Himelstein: The actor played Jeremy "Soulpatch" Simmons in Community season 1. For the MCU, he appeared in the Russo brothers' Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron as Cameron Klein, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent loyal to Steve Rogers.
Martin Starr: The actor had multiple stints in the MCU, credited as "computer nerd" in The Incredible Hulk and playing teacher Roger Harrington in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home. In Community, Starr portrayed Professor Cligoris in season 3.
DC Pierson: As a member of Glover's comedy group, Pierson appeared in multiple seasons of Community as Mark Millot, a fellow student. The actor also had a cameo in the MCU through his work as an Apple tech support agent in The Winter Soldier.
Tim Heidecker: After appearing as Male Four #1 in Community season 5's episode titled "App Development and Condiments," Heidecker played the captain of the San Franciso whale-watching boat in Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Steve Agee: The comedian was one of the men who created the MeowMeowBeenz app in Community season 5 before playing Deejay in season 6. Agee later played the role of Gef, a member of the Ravagers in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Walton Goggins: The actor memorably portrayed Mr. Stone, a polygraph expert who unveiled the stipulations of Pierce Hawthorne's will in Community season 5. In the MCU, Goggins played Sonny Burch, a lower-level criminal in Ant-Man and the Wasp that tried to sell Pym's technology on the black market.
Johnny Pemberton: The same year that Pemberton appeared as a Baskin-Robbins customer in Ant-Man, he played the stage assistant when Greendale was putting together a production of The Karate Kid in Community season 6.
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