MCU Actors Who Are Surprisingly Good Singers

Actors are often people of many talents. The ones listed below have carried the weight of the world on their shoulders playing superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but what you might not know about them is that they can also carry a tune. Being able to see their additional talents adds a lot of fun to watching them fight criminals and supervillains, showing them in an entirely different light. Even though their claims to fame might be starring in the MCU, they are all way more than just spandex and superpowers.

The MCU actors below are ones that you are no doubt familiar with, but how much do you know about their careers outside of the franchise? Some of these actors have sung songs in just a couple of films, while others have completed full albums. Some of them have proper vocal training, while others trained intensely for singing in certain musical roles. So, without further ado, here are the MCU actors who are surprisingly good singers. MCU spoilers ahead.

After playing astrophysicist and love interest Jane Foster in "Thor" and the much-maligned follow-up "Thor: The Dark World," Natalie Portman dropped off the MCU radar for a while. She returned with a bang in 2022, portraying Mighty Thor in Taika Waititi's "Thor: Love & Thunder." The Oscar-winning actor brought the story of Jane Foster full circle in that film, which (just like 2017's "Thor: Ragnarok") has a killer soundtrack. Portman doesn't sing in the movie, but she's shown her vocal talents on the big screen in the past.

This talent is most apparent in 2018's "Vox Lux," which Vice described as "a much darker" version of the Lady Gaga-led hit "A Star is Born." Portman plays Celeste Montgomery, a pop star working her way toward success. This role required her to do her own singing. As Bustle said in its review, "For those that didn't know Portman can really sing, well, you're in for a treat." While the movie may not be as popular as her other work, she has a powerful singing voice that is showcased well here. Portman tends to throw herself into her work and prepare as much as she can, so it's really no surprise that she excels in the role.

First entering the MCU in "Thor: Ragnarok," Tessa Thompson quickly made a name for herself in the franchise as the fierce and feisty Valkyrie. It may surprise you to learn that she is a good singer, and not only that, she was part of a band called Caught a Ghost. "I was singing in a choir and all of my friends were musicians," she told Billboard. "I was part of this vibrant community of L.A. bands, but on the periphery of it. Caught a Ghost happened just by being friends with [bandmate Jesse Nolan]. I was really doing it for fun and then it became sort of supplemental."

Caught a Ghost featured on the soundtrack of the film "Dear White People," in which Thompson plays a DJ. She went on to sing in the first two "Creed" movies, where she plays a singer/songwriter named Bianca. She actually wrote the songs herself, as she explained to Bustle. "One of the songs that you see her perform in the film is called 'Time Tick' and it really is about this idea of having a ticking clock, which has to do with [Bianca's] progressive hearing loss and some of the stuff she's dealing with," Thompson said.

Chris Evans will always be associated with Captain America after playing the straight-laced superhero in the MCU for so long, but there's way more to him than just wielding a shield. Evans is a surprisingly good singer and he almost got the chance to show off his voice in a remake of a classic musical. "I was supposed to do 'Little Shop of Horrors' a couple of years ago, and then, you know, COVID happened and there were budget issues," he told MTV News in 2022. "And I think actually the director might have jumped off the project, but that was a heartbreaker. That's my favorite musical."

Evans went on to say that he was so bummed about the project not coming to fruition that he almost posted his audition online in an effort to drum up support from fans. His "Little Shop of Horrors" dream hasn't happened yet, but the actor is close to getting another musical-centric project off the ground, a film about Hollywood icon Gene Kelly. "God, I'm dying to get that thing on its feet, no pun intended," he told Entertainment Tonight. "I love dancing, tap dancing. I love, love, love Gene Kelly." For now, you'll have to make do with clips of Evans singing (and playing piano) on YouTube.

Tom Hiddleston plays Loki, a villain turned anti-hero who is universally adored by MCU fans. Although he's causing a bunch of trouble when we first see him in "Thor," he redeems himself throughout the films that follow and is played so well by Hiddleston. It may surprise you to learn that the A-lister has a great singing voice, which he has used on screen in the past.

In 2015, Hiddleston portrayed singer Hank Williams in the film "I Saw the Light." He had to learn a bunch of songs for the biopic, which went down well with film critics. "Hiddleston's performance is a masterful one: understated, superbly modulated, empathetic," Glenn Kenny said in a write-up for RogerEbert.com. "Hiddleston can also mimic Williams' yodel-inflected singing style, which brought the innovation of classic country warbler Jimmie Rodgers into a more pop-friendly realm, with impressive accuracy."

Marvel fans actually got to see Hiddleston singing in character during his Disney+ series. In Episode 3 of "Loki," the Brit performs a rousing Asgardian song called "Jeg Saler Min Ganger" (renamed "Very Full" for the official soundtrack) in a bar. It went down very well, both in the show and in real life. According to Billboard, the ditty debuted at No. 10 on the World Digital Song Sales chart after the episode aired.

Elizabeth Olsen has made quite a name for herself playing Wanda Maximoff (aka Scarlet Witch) in the MCU, stepping out of the shadow of her famous sisters Mary-Kate and Ashely. While she hasn't done a lot of singing, what she has done has been impressive. Olsen sang in the 2013 film "Very Good Girls," which boasted an original score from Jenny Lewis of the band Rilo Kiley. According to Lewis, Olsen excelled during the film's musical scenes. "I chose a very old Rilo Kiley song for her to sing," Lewis told Elle (via IndieWire). "My friend Todd gave her guitar lessons, and she picked it up so fast! She's a better finger-picker than I am now."

Olsen also played opposite Tom Hiddleston in "I Saw the Light" as Audrey, Hank Williams' wife. The interesting thing about this part is that Audrey wasn't actually a good singer, so Olsen had to sing badly on purpose. In an interview with The Boot, she said, "I'm not saying I sing great. I do have vocal control. I know what flat is, I know what sharp is, and I do know how to crack my voice. Those techniques, you learn." The fact that she was able to judge and modify her voice to fit with someone who didn't sing all that well is a testament to her talent.

Andrew Garfield played the titular hero in 2012's "The Amazing Spider-Man" and its 2014 sequel. A third film was planned but never happened, with the property getting rebooted instead. It seemed like Garfield was done with Spider-Man, but he got the chance to reprise the role in 2021's "Spider-Man: No Way Home," bringing his version of the character into the MCU. It was the start of a golden period for the Brit, who was nominated for an Oscar for his turn in "Tick, Tick... Boom!" the following year.

Despite not being a singer, Garfield took on the role of Jonathan Larson in "Tick, Tick... Boom!" Larson was the writer and composer of "Rent" who died before he could see his vision realized. Garfield won widespread acclaim for his performance, wowing critics with his vocals. The actor spent a year learning how to sing prior to the shoot, working with renowned coach Liz Caplan. "I've always wanted to know if I could sing in a way that served the story in a level that's acceptable," Garfield told IndieWire. "The guy sings from every cell. He sings from the bottom of his guts. From his whole heart. It's totally unbridled and wild and full of abandon. He's singing for the soul of America."

Scarlett Johansson is best known for playing Black Widow in the MCU, but those who have followed her career for a long time will know that she's also a talented singer. Her mother got her into musicals when she was young, and when she first started thinking about acting, that's the direction she wanted to go in. "I started auditioning for that stuff," she told Interview Magazine. "I really wanted to be in musicals when I was a kid, but my voice was kind of deep, so it was hard to find a part I could do."

After making her debut as an actor she got the chance to record a song for a benefit album. The label that released it loved the track and offered her the chance to record her own album. Released in 2008, "Anywhere I Lay My Head" consists largely of Tom Waits songs and includes collabs with the late David Bowie. "That was, like, my 13-year-old fantasy," she said when asked about dueting with the iconic singer.

Johansson hasn't done much singing on screen, though she's used her pipes in some animated features. She provided the voice and vocals of guitar-playing porcupine Ash in the films "Sing" and "Sing 2," and she sang the classic Disney song "Trust in Me" while playing the snake Kaa in the live-action remake of "The Jungle Book."

As the ultimate comeback kid, Robert Downey Jr. is inspiring on many levels. His Tony Stark was the lynchpin of the MCU for years, and Iron Man still looms large over the franchise after his death, having inspired Spider-Man and left behind invaluable technology. If you managed to catch his performance as Larry Paul in "Ally McBeal" Season 4 (unfortunately, he didn't make it to Season 5), you already know that this man can sing.

Downey Jr. performed several songs during his time on the legal dramedy, including a memorable duet of "Every Breath You Take" with Sting. According to Entertainment Weekly, his cover of Joni Mitchell's "River" is "a moment of art [that] leaves you grateful for whatever combination of talent and vulnerability that led to that moment." The song was also praised by Society of Rock. "The central theme of regret in 'River' brings Downey's difficult past into sharp focus, coloring his words and making it impossibly easy to believe his performance."

You may have missed that Downey Jr. put out an album called "The Futurist" in 2004. In a promotional interview with The New York Times, he admitted that he only got the chance to make the record because he was already famous. "Look, it's not like I'm pushing schlock, but nowhere on God's green earth would I be a new recording artist who would be getting on 'Oprah' without 'Weird Science' and the penitentiary," he said.

Although Hawkeye is not always the most charismatic Avenger, Jeremy Renner holds his own with the others in the MCU. He and Scarlett Johansson have great chemistry and a cute friendship, which makes them fun to watch together. The death of Black Widow in "Avengers: Endgame" was hard on all of her superhero colleagues, but Hawkeye (who tried to sacrifice himself in her place) was hit particularly hard. Renner gave a great performance in that film, but what you may not have realized about him is that he has dabbled in music before and since — his first passion before acting was actually music.

Renner was in a band when he was in high school, playing the drums. In terms of singing, the first professional instance (that we know of) was in 2018 when he starred in the film "Tag." He sings a cover of a Crash Test Dummies song. Why? Who knows, but it's pretty interesting. The next year, he began hinting that he was going to release some original music in a number of Instagram posts. Renner released a single called "Main Attraction" and two EPs entitled "The Medicine" and "Live for Now" in 2020.

Zendaya has played the love interest of Tom Holland's Peter Parker in all three of the Brit's "Spider-Man" movies, but she was a star before she joined the MCU. She began showing off her vocal talents during her Disney Channel days (she debuted as Rocky Blue in the show "Shake It Up"), but has continued to surprise viewers with just how well she can sing in the years since. She released a self-titled pop album in 2013, but, in terms of singing, she's best known for her work in the 2017 musical "The Greatest Showman."

While the majority of her songs in the film were performed as part of a group, there is one stand-out duet with Zac Efron, the love song "Rewrite the Stars." Performed on acrobat ropes, the entire high-flying sequence is beautiful to watch and listen to. While Zendaya and Efron sang the song live as they performed, the actual version heard in the film was recorded after the fact, largely because all the trapeze work required a lot of effort. "Nobody probably wants to hear the live version we delivered while swinging around," Zendaya told Fox (via Bustle). "It's a lot of [groans] and shrieking sounds."

It is no secret that Bradley Cooper can do some great things with his voice. He provides the voice of grouchy raccoon Rocket in the MCU, a fan favorite character with very distinctive tones. We first realized he could sing when he starred in the remake of "A Star is Born" with Lady Gaga.

Being a musical, Cooper sang throughout, and the songs show that he can also manipulate his voice into carrying a tune. He and Lady Gaga pair surprisingly well on their duets during the film. What's even more impressive is how great the song "Shallow" sounded when they sang it live at the 2019 Oscars.

According to Entertainment Tonight, Cooper took guitar, piano and voice lessons for six months to prepare for the role. Even Lady Gaga was impressed, telling Graham Norton, "I was blown away by him. He sings from his soul. He sings from his gut." The pair won best original song for "Shallow" at the Academy Awards.

A relative newcomer to the MCU, Hailee Steinfeld began her journey as Kate Bishop in the Disney+ series "Hawkeye," a protégé of the original Hawkeye Clint Barton. She gets hold of the Ronin suit (worn by Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye during his stint as a vigilante), and together they try to uncover the truth of an outfit called the tracksuit mafia.

Before this, Steinfeld starred as Emily in "Pitch Perfect 2" and "Pitch Perfect 3," showcasing her impressive singing skills. Her debut pop single "Love Myself" came out in 2015, the same year as the second "Pitch Perfect" installment. The song was a hit, entering the top 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also did well overseas, breaking the top ten in countries like Israel and Belgium.

Steinfeld is one of the most successful musicians working in the MCU. Her music has been featured on the soundtracks of several motion pictures, including "Jem and the Holograms," "Bumblebee," and "Fifty Shades Freed." Speaking to People in April 2022, the Marvel star revealed that she has been in the studio working on new material. "I cannot wait to put music out," she said. "It's been a long time coming."