Sylvester Stallone’s ‘Tulsa King’ Is Secretly an MCU Reunion, and the Marvel Cast List Is Wild

Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount+ crime drama has built its reputation on gritty mob stories and a larger-than-life lead. What many viewers may not realize is that the show’s cast reads like a quiet Marvel reunion. Several ‘Tulsa King’ stars have already worn the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s colors, some in roles that fans still bring up today.

The show returned for its fourth season on Oct. 16, with Sylvester Stallone back as Dwight ‘The General’ Manfredi, a New York mafia capo building a criminal empire in Oklahoma. The ensemble includes Martin Starr, Frank Grillo and Neal McDonough, with Samuel L. Jackson having joined during Season 3 as hitman Russell Lee Washington Jr.

Put those names side by side and a pattern emerges. At least 5 actors from the ‘Tulsa King’ world have played Marvel Comics characters in the MCU: Stallone as Stakar Ogord, Grillo as Crossbones, Starr as Roger Harrington, McDonough as Dum Dum Dugan and Jackson as Nick Fury.

Stallone entered the MCU in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,’ playing Stakar Ogord, a legendary Ravager captain who banished Yondu years earlier. Comics fans quickly recognized him as Starhawk, one of the original members of the Guardians. He returned in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,’ where he appeared in his Starhawk costume.

Now he plays a very different kind of leader. As Dwight Manfredi, he is a mob veteran who went to prison for 25 years before being sent to Tulsa to build something new.

Two of Stallone’s co-stars come from the same corner of Marvel’s world. Frank Grillo played Brock Rumlow, the Hydra agent in ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier,’ and returned as the villain Crossbones in ‘Captain America: Civil War.’ He also had a cameo in ‘Avengers: Endgame’ and voiced Crossbones in the animated series ‘What If…?’.

On ‘Tulsa King,’ Grillo plays Bill Bevilaqua, a role he took on in Season 2. He reportedly almost left the show ahead of Season 4, but Stallone personally called him and convinced him to stay.

Neal McDonough has an even deeper Captain America history. He played Howling Commandos leader Timothy ‘Dum Dum’ Dugan in ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ and later returned to the character in ‘Agent Carter,’ ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ and ‘What If…?’. On ‘Tulsa King,’ he plays the powerful and extremely territorial businessman Cal Thresher.

Martin Starr’s MCU resume may surprise even devoted fans. He played Roger Harrington, Peter Parker’s teacher and academic decathlon coach, in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming,’ ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ and ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.’

His Marvel history goes back even further, to a small role as a computer nerd in 2008’s ‘The Incredible Hulk,’ which was retroactively identified as the same character. In ‘Tulsa King,’ Starr plays Lawrence ‘Bodhi’ Geigerman, the owner of the weed shop Dwight encounters shortly after arriving in Tulsa.

FIRST LOOK: Tulsa King Season 4 dropped its trailer & it’s scheduled to premiere on Friday, October 16th, with new episodes releasing on a weekly basis. I honestly have no idea who I’ve become. I find myself watching yet another Taylor Sheridan show. But it’s important to remember that Terence Winter, the same man who helped write The Sopranos, The Wolf of Wall Street & Boardwalk Empire is helping to write this season. Winter is as good as it gets when it comes to writers. What’s more is that Sylvester Stallone is 80 years old & still acting. Stallone will always hold a special place in my heart. Part of my love of Cinema came from him. He’s Rocky. He’s Rambo. He’s also amazing in The Tulsa King. Just the fact Sly is still acting & doing his thing at this age is something I really appreciate & respect. It’s also the reason I’ll be tuning in October 16th.

— Cinema Tweets (@CinemaTweets1) September 3, 2026

The biggest Marvel name in the group is Samuel L. Jackson. He has played Nick Fury in 12 films and 3 series, a record for appearances in the MCU, beginning with 2008’s ‘Iron Man’ and including a lead role in ‘Secret Invasion.’

In ‘Tulsa King’ Season 3, Jackson plays Russell Lee Washington Jr., a friend Dwight made during his time in federal prison who is sent to Tulsa to take him out. The character proved popular enough to earn a spinoff, originally announced as ‘NOLA King,’ and Paramount is now prepping ‘Frisco King’ with Jackson in the lead.

This crossover isn’t a coincidence so much as a sign of how many veteran character actors orbit both Marvel and Sheridan’s growing television universe. McDonough had worked with Sheridan before, playing a role in the second season of ‘Yellowstone,’ while Stallone and Jackson are both executive producers on the spinoff.

For viewers, it adds a fun layer to watching the show. The next time Dwight sits down with his crew, you may find yourself picturing a Ravager captain, a Hydra enforcer, a high school teacher, a World War II commando and the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. all in the same room.

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