As we’ve learned in the post-Endgame ecosystem, The Multiverse works in some pretty wild ways. With the 2025 movie schedule bringing us further into the mix with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, it feels like we’re just getting started when it comes to familiar faces being brought back to the screen.
That's because this upcoming Marvel movie is the latest apt example of fans calling out what’s now considered “double dipping” in the casting pool, and it’s got everyone talking. This is all thanks to the people of Reddit noticing that the new Ben Grimm, The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach, has actually played a previous role in the MCU.
To be fair, some may not have noticed this Fantastic Four cast member previously. Part of that concern may have been due to some the age of some commenters, as what you’re about to read involves a TV-MA Netflix series:
After watching an Easter egg video about the DD: Born Again trailer I remembered that Ebon Moss-Bachrach played David Lieberman in the Punisher series. Once he hits the screen as Ben Grimm he will hit the 2-timers club milestone.
If that doesn’t provide a bump in viewership for The Punisher’s Netflix series, then we don’t know what will. In which case...we'll just vaguely say don't get too attached to the man some call "Micro" in Frank Castle's typically brutal adventures.
Getting back to the subject of MCU “two timing," that's a galaxy that you probably already know is wider than just one person. However, if you're someone surprised by the fact that Ebon Moss-Bachrach isn’t the only star to achieve that feat, brace yourselves.
Based on what we know about Fantastic Four: First Steps alone, there's another returning Marvel Cinematic Universe performer present in that very same movie. Whether you need a refresher course, or if this is your first lesson in Marvel Casting 101, here are some further members of this distinguished order, as cited in the source post:
- “And Ralph Ineson, on the same upcoming movie, is playing Galactus after being a Ravager in Guardians Vol. 2. There's a lot of double dipping in the MCU.” - @PepsiSheep
- “Ray Stevenson doesn't exactly count since his Punisher wasn't part of the MCU but technically he played two Marvel characters. I think Chris Evans is now officially part of this club since his Johnny Storm has now made an appearance in the MCU.” - @Ok-Health-7252
- “Damn, you would think Gemma Chan would get mentioned being in the two-fers club. Also Quill’s mom” - @ThatIowanGuy
- “I had to look it up: in addition to playing Peter Quill's mom in the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies, [Laura Haddock] was also credited as "Autograph seeker" in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. Also TIL that she's British!” - @jalabi99
One could say this sort of thing was bound to happen, as Marvel Studios has almost 20 years of films under its belt at this point. Then again, as we've seen in Avengers: Doomsday's casting choices, Kevin Feige and his braintrust aren't afraid to double dip anymore; especially when it comes to potential variants of its storied heroes.
Admittedly you’re probably going to want to watch all of the Marvel movies in order already, in hopes of preparing for The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ theatrical debut on July 25th. Should you be one of those intrepid loyalists who have that very goal in mind, you’ve got your work cut out for you.
It's a pretty wide multiverse, and you should get started as soon as you can. Just know that you’ll need to budget your time wisely, and that pretty much every entry of the MCU can be streamed through the power of a Disney+ subscription.
