10 Actors Who Unexpectedly Returned To Their Biggest Roles

Warning: The final entry in this list contains spoilers for 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine movie (but it is clearly marked).

Summary

• Some actors return to iconic roles unexpectedly, like Kate Mulgrew as Janeway in
  Star Trek: Prodigy
  , showcasing legacy characters in new ways.
• Tobey Maguire came back as Spider-Man in
  No Way Home
  , surprising fans after a long hiatus from the iconic character.
• Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine in
  Deadpool & Wolverine
  shows how creative storytelling can bring beloved characters back to life.

Some actors become inexorably linked to a specific character that can define their entire career, so while some leave their most famous roles behind, others will return to embody them again without warning. Not every actor is fortunate enough to be remembered for playing multiple characters, so some never shake the one role that made them. This can be a blessing, but some actors can see it as a restraint, limiting the roles they’re offered after their seminal character has been seemingly retired. After a while, some decide to turn back the clock and step into familiar shoes.

There are several actors famous for just one iconic role, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re willing to come back and play the character again once they’ve stepped away from the movie or TV show. Sometimes, an actor lacks either the willingness or the opportunity to return to their most iconic fictional persona. For others, there’s an ongoing demand and the chance to recapture their glory years. For the unfortunate few, some actors reprise their roles in really weird places, but the lucky ones are given a better platform for their comeback.

10 Kate Mulgrew As Admiral Janeway In Star Trek: Prodigy

Mulgrew’s return featured only a voice role

Despite also starring as Galina “Red” Reznikov in all seven seasons of Orange of the New Black, Kate Mulgrew never shook her ties to Star Trek: Voyager‘s Captain Kathryn Janeway. In an interesting parallel, Mulgrew played Janeway for as many seasons as she did Red. However, she was given the chance to return to the Star Trek franchise and voice Janeway when Star Trek: Prodigy began in 2021. The show is a rare, animated addition to the legendary sci-fi saga, meaning Mulgrew was able to pick up portraying her franchise character just 5 in-universe years after the Voyager finale.

Kate Mulgrew also had a brief cameo as Admiral Janeway in 2002’s
Star Trek: Nemesis
movie, which provided a rare glimpse into her post-
Voyager
life. She also continued to voice both versions of
Prodigy
‘s Janeway into season 2 of the animated spinoff.

Star Trek: Voyager ended in 2001, which means she took a 20-year break before returning to play Janeway – four times longer than the amount of time that had actually passed within the franchise’s storied canon. Initially, she only voiced a holographic version of Janeway, so the original character remained untouched. Eventually, Vice Admiral Janeway made an appearance in Star Trek: Prodigy season 1, episode 10, “A Moral Star, Part 2,” with the installment serving as a pivotal milestone in the timeline of Mulgrew’s original Star Trek character.

9 Tobey Maguire As Spider-Man In No Way Home

Maguire was the first actor to play the character in a live-action movie

2002’s Spider-Man was the first live-action movie centered around the iconic web-slinger. As a result, the actor playing the titular role became synonymous with the character. He embodied Peter Parker/Spider-Man throughout the revered Sam Raimi trilogy, but Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 4 was canceled. Although the actor’s Spidey film series sputtered to an end, fans of the character found it impossible to forget the man who first breathed life into Spider-Man on the big screen. Eventually, Maguire was given the chance to reprise his biggest role a third time as part of the Spider-Man: No Way Home cast.

Although Maguire’s presence in
No Way Home
was denied – even by the actor himself – the movie’s release revealed his return to the franchise and the continuation of the story of his version of the character.

Although Maguire’s presence in No Way Home was denied – even by the actor himself – the movie’s release revealed his return to the franchise and the continuation of the story of his version of the character. There were 14 years between Spider-Man 3 and No Way Home, during which period Maguire starred in many other projects. Thankfully, he grasped the chance to return to the Marvel universe with both hands, and for the first time since Disney’s acquisition of Sony – the latter of which still owns the Spider-Man movie rights.

Spider-Man: No Way Home
also featured the return of Andrew Garfield as his version of Spider-Man. Garfield was the second live-action Spider-Man actor, had played the role twice before
No Way Home
, but hadn’t portrayed the character since 2014’s
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
.

8 Will Ferrell As Ron Burgundy In Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Ferrell was one of many Anchorman actors who returned for the sequel

2004’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is still one of the best cult classic movies of all time, with the production’s improvisational approach responsible for some of the most quotable film moments ever. Although it featured an ensemble cast, Will Ferrell’s Ron Burgundy was undoubtedly the star. The movie’s titular newsreader stood out among Ferrell’s other characters for being more defined than his previous efforts, as the actor often plays variations on the same theme. Ferrell’s brilliant performance as Ron felt very much like a lightning-in-a-bottle scenario that couldn’t be replicated – which ultimately wasn’t true.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues being announced surprised and delighted the original movie’s devoted fan base, as it seemed very unlikely that there would ever be another installment to feature the irreverent main character. When the sequel was released in 2013, Ferrell stepped easily back into the role of his most beloved character and was able to recapture the magic that had felt so thrown together the first time around. He was responsible for and contributed to many of the funniest moments in both Anchorman movies.

Will Ferrell regularly reprises the role of Ron Burgundy outside the
Anchorman
movies. He has been on talk shows like
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
in character as Ron as recently as 2019. He also hosts
The Ron Burgundy Podcast
as his mustachioed alter ego.

7 Michael C. Hall As Dexter Morgan In Dexter: New Blood

New Blood gave Hall’s character a much better ending

The original Dexter show ran for 8 seasons, and although the Dexter season 8 finale was divisive, it still seemingly drew a line under the story of Michael C Hall’s serial killer character when it aired in 2013. Hall’s shock return as the infamous antihero came in the form of a sequel show in 2021, with Dexter: New Blood continuing the saga 8 years after the original run had concluded. The follow-up allowed Dexter Morgan’s story to reach a much more fitting stopping point.

Hall’s character died at the end of the 10-episode New Blood miniseries, which made his return in the future less likely, but impossible.

Hall’s character died at the end of the 10-episode New Blood miniseries, which made his return in the future less likely, but impossible. Jennifer Carpenter was able to return as Debra Morgan in New Blood, despite being killed off in the original show. However, it wasn’t a traditional character comeback, as she was seen only by Dexter and acted as his phantasmagoric conscience.

It was announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 that Hall would be returning as Dexter Morgan in
Dexter: Resurrection
, as well as taking on narration duties for the
Dexter: Original Sin
prequel show.

6 John Simm As The Master In Doctor Who

Simm’s Master came face-to-face with another iteration of the character

Of all the actors to play the Master, John Simm was the first to do so in the franchise’s modern era. Despite dying onscreen in Doctor Who‘s season 3 finale, he returned again during David Tennant’s final arc as the Tenth Doctor. Interestingly, it was Simm’s second comeback as the Master that instilled the most surprise. During the final moments of Doctor Who season 10, episode 11, “World Enough and Time,” John Simm’s Master is revealed to have been present all along, heavily disguised as a new character.

While the news of Simm’s return as the Master wasn’t especially well-protected, the nature of the reveal was so brilliantly executed that his version of the maniacal Time Lord seemed to appear out of nowhere. The moment was especially surprising given that Michelle Gomez’s Missy – a subsequent, female regeneration of the Master – was also present in the story at the time.

5 Mark Hamill As Luke Skywalker In The Mandalorian

Hamill’s age prevented him from a conventional portrayal of his Star Wars character

Hamill played Luke Skywalker throughout Star Wars‘ original trilogy, which ended in 1983. Fans were forced to endure a long wait before Hamill’s eventual return as the iconic Jedi Master near the end of 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. Unfortunately, the way his character was written in the final two installments of Disney’s sequel trilogy was widely criticized. After it concluded in 2019, it seemed as though Hamill’s legacy as Luke had been irreparably tarnished. Thankfully, he was able to play the role again in 2020’s The Mandalorian season 2 finale.

Hamill’s 2015 comeback was expected by every inch of the
Star Wars
fan base, as it was announced way in advance of it actually being shown onscreen.

Hamill’s 2015 comeback was expected by every inch of the Star Wars fan base, as it was announced way in advance of it actually being shown onscreen. Inversely, his cameo in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 8, “Chapter 16: The Rescue” came completely out of the blue. However, given the show’s place in the Star Wars timeline, Hamill was too old to play the era’s Luke in the traditional fashion. While he was on set and in costume, his contribution to the performance consisted of acting out the scene and instructing a body double about how the character would behave.

A younger version of Hamill’s face was superimposed onto the body double in “The Rescue.” This technique was repeated in
Boba Fett
season 1, episode 6, “Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger,” for another Luke Skywalker appearance.

4 Judi Dench As M In Casino Royale

Dench survived the James Bond reboot

James Bond‘s confusing canon has long been a topic of debate among fans. Despite the frequent recasting of the lead character before the Daniel Craig era, there’s never been any official confirmation of whether all the 007 actors were playing the same man, or whether the franchise was being rebooted each time. While the film series underwent a much harder reboot than usual for 2006’s Casino Royale, the plot thickened when Dame Judi Dench was cast once more as M, despite also playing the role opposite Pierce Brosnan’s iteration of the famous spy.

With just a four-year gap between movies, the actress was something of a bridge between the two periods in
Bond
history.

2002’s Die Another Die was Dench’s final time playing M in the Brosnan era, as Craig was brought in as the new leading man for Casino Royale. With just a four-year gap between movies, the actress was something of a bridge between the two periods in Bond history. While she was perfect for the role, which is probably why the producers kept her on, her continued presence was very unexpected given the overhaul experienced by the rest of the franchise at the time.

3 Yuji Okumoto As Chozen Toguchi In Cobra Kai

Chozen’s return was a rare surprise among the Karate Kid comebacks

As a legacy sequel show to the Karate Kid movies, Cobra Kai has brought back almost every main character from the original film series. Many of them have been anticipated comebacks that are necessary for the idea to function properly, but the Netflix show hasn’t shied away from bringing back some of the lesser-known characters too. Debuting as Chozen in 1986’s The Karate Kid Part II, Yuji Okumoto surprised everyone by returning to play the character again in Cobra Kai season 3, episode 4, “The Right Path.”

Okumoto’s 2021 return to the franchise meant it had been 35 years since he’d last played Chozen.

Okumoto’s 2021 return to the franchise meant it had been 35 years since he’d last played Chozen. While he was initially used sparingly, the character went on to become an increasingly big part of the show. He was able to give Chozen greater depth and redeem him from the underwhelming 1986 sequel. He had worked steadily as an actor since The Karate Kid Part II, but his Cobra Kai casting was still a huge career hallmark.

2 Billy Dee Williams As Lando Calrissian In Star Wars: Rebels

Williams played a younger version of Lando than ever before

Williams’ iconic performance as Lando in the final two movies in the original trilogy made the actor a part of the Star Wars elite. Initially wrapping up his character’s story in 1986’s Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, it would be forgivable to assume that any future return to the role would also be in a live-action property. Surprisingly, this wasn’t the case, and the next time Billy Dee Williams portrayed Lando Calrissian was in animated form.

In
Star Wars: Rebels
season 1, episode 10, “Idiot’s Array,” Williams voiced his character once more.

In Star Wars: Rebels season 1, episode 10, “Idiot’s Array,” Williams voiced his character once more. Despite being much older than he was during the original trilogy, 2015’s Rebels episode meant the actor was voicing a younger version of Lando than had appeared in the movies to that point. He returned for the first two episodes of Rebels season 2, and also eventually got another live-action appearance as Lando in 2019’s Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.

Warning: Here come the Deadpool & Wolverine spoilers!

1 Hugh Jackman As Wolverine In Deadpool & Wolverine

Jackman was pulled out of Wolverine retirement for another outing as his legendary version of the character

After 17 years of playing Wolverine, the emotional ending of 2017’s Logan meant Hugh Jackman could ride off into the sunset as the best and only actor to embody the character in a live-action setting. The perfection with which the conclusion was executed made a Jackman return as the superhero seem very improbable. Luckily, Ryan Reynolds’ incessant nagging finally convinced the Australian actor to come back for another round, and team up with Deadpool in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine. There was, of course, the barrier of Logan’s demise to overcome, which is achieved within the movie’s opening minutes.

After a chaotic and musically-charged desecration of Logan’s grave, Deadpool & Wolverine quickly cashes in on the MCU’s multiverse arc, using the trope to allow Jackman to play a Wolverine variant rather than his most famous version of the character. It’s a creative way to reinstall the actor as the clawed X-Man, and the only way it could realistically be achieved without undoing the beauty and brilliance of Logan‘s ending.