Knives Out and The Gray Man co-stars Chris Evans and Ana de Armas have united a third time for Ghosted, a spy-flavored romantic comedy that’s now streaming on Apple Plus TV. As if having those two, a pair of the most popular actors on the planet right now, wasn’t enough of an incentive to watch, the film likewise sports a handful of cameos from other very familiar faces, some of whom have previously joined Evans in playing key role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
And that’s not a spoiler either — or, at least, it’s one that was given to us before the movie came out. Chris Evans announced to the world during a recent appearance on Good Morning America that we could expect some special treats for MCU lovers in Ghosted — and, boy, he was not lying. For those that have yet to see the film and wish to retain the surprise of these cameos until then, look away now. Otherwise, here’s all you need to know about Ghosted‘s surprise Marvel stars.
Anthony Mackie
That’s right, we have not just one Captain America in Ghosted but two of them. Upon chasing after the girl of his dreams, Sadie Rhodes (De Armas), Cole Turner (Evans) ends up hunted down by assassins after he’s mistaken for an elite agent known as “The Tax Man,” who in reality is Sadie herself. In one hilarious sequence, a trio of bounty hunters on the Tax Man’s tail take each other out. And the first just happens to be played by Sam Wilson himself, Anthony Mackie.
In what has to be a deliberate nod to Mackie’s beloved Marvel role, as well as the infamous serial killer, his character goes by the codename “Grandson of Sam.”
Sebastian Stan
The treats for Captain America fans don’t end there either as who should turn up as the next bounty hunter but the third member of Evans and Mackie’s most famous trio, Sebastian Stan. The Bucky Barnes to their Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson turns up in Ghosted as another assassin mistakenly after Cole. Barnes’ character has yet another pun-based codename, which isn’t a nod to his Marvel role although it is hilarious: God the Bounty Hunter.
Stan and Mackie battle each other to get to Cole along with a third assassin played by John Cho. He might not be in the MCU (well, not yet, anyway), but his casting feels equally meta thanks to his recent turn as another bounty hunter in Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop.
Ryan Reynolds
After this cameo cavalcade, Ghosted viewers might sit back and relax, imagining that Mackie and Stan’s roles were the Marvel crossovers Evans was teasing. So it comes as a double surprise when a third superhero icon drops by the film at a later point. That’s right, it’s Ryan Reynolds.
Reynolds appears as one of Sadie’s exes who, you guessed it, just happens to be a bounty hunter as well. While he might not have joined the MCU himself yet, the Canadian comic maestro will make the leap very soon in 2024’s Deadpool 3. His cameo here may have happened to return the favor of Evans’ own cameo in Free Guy.
Marvel fans might enjoy seeing Reynolds wearing an eyepatch, which brings to mind Josh Brolin’s turn as the equally cycloptic Cable in Deadpool 2.
Ghosted isn’t exactly haunting its way to high critical praise, but it’s still very much worth the watch for Marvel maniacs.
