So, first off, what is a franchise? I've defined it as either a Movie series or a TV series. One shots and other stuff aren't included, however cameos and mid/after credits scenes ARE included.
We currently have 14 franchises in the MCU:
- Agent Carter
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Ant-Man
- The Avengers
- Captain America
- Daredevil
- Doctor Strange
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- The Incredible Hulk
- Iron Fist
- Iron Man
- Jessica Jones
- Luke Cage
- Thor
And here's the 20 characters that have appeared in at least 3 of those! If I've missed any, let me know. Note, these are CHARACTERS, and not Actors.
# of Franchises - Character (Actor(s)): Franchises
5 - Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell): Captain America, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, The Avengers, Ant-Man
For a character that made her first appearance in a movie set in World War II - and no other movie having bet set in this time period - it is impressive that Peggy has appeared in 5 franchises! She got her own show, made guest appearances in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and had cameos and Captain America and The Avengers. Unfortunately, she's unlikely to add to her 5.
5 - Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson): Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Avengers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The guy that pulled everyone together, Nick Fury had many cameos across multiple franchises, and more meaty roles in some. Nick Fury is in a great position to add his five, with a rumoured appearance in Captain Marvel (and who knows what else).
4 - Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg): Iron Man, Thor, The Avengers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The guy that needed to be Avenged!
COULSON!! COULSON!!! NO!!!! Phil Coulson, of all people, likely has more combined screen time than any other character in the MCU. Seriously. A supporting character that connected with The Avengers, before be spun off in death to this own show.
4 - Steve Rogers (Chris Evans): Captain America, The Avengers, Thor, Ant-Man
Cap is arguably the most significant character in the MCU (sorry Iron Man), and only just qualifies for this, with a sorta cameo in Thor: The Dark World and Ant-Man.
4 - Jasper Sitwell (Maximiliano Hernandez): Thor, The Avengers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Captain America
Very much a background character, before being a key part in the Hydra reveal in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
4 - Howard Stark (John Slattery/Dominic Cooper): Iron Man, Captain America, Agent Carter, Ant-Man
The only character that has switched from different actors consistently (rather than being recast). Howard Stark has played a key role for Captain America and (obiously) Iron Man, and has had a profound impact in the MCU.
4 - Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.): Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Avengers, Captain America
A side from a small cameo in The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man is the main player in just about every movie he has been in. Tony will add to his 4 franchises this year, with his appearance in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming
4 - Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson): Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist
The glue that holds the Netflix MCU together! The awesome Claire Temple just seems to attract (bleeding) heroes. She'll amazingly add to her 4 appearances with an appearance in The Defenders. I have a bad feeling that she'll be Coulson'd.
3 - Bruce Banner (Edward Norton/Mark Ruffalo): The Incredible Hulk, The Avengers, Iron Man
Bruce will make it 4 franchises with his upcoming Thor appearance (though Iron Man only barely counts). The Hulk unlikely to ever get a solo film (due to poor performances of his films, and weird rights sharing deal with Universal).
3 - Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner): Thor, The Avengers, Captain America
Clint's MCU journey has just kept getting more and more interesting. Hawkeye is the 'normal' superhero and arguably the conscious of The Avengers.
3 - Dum Dum Dugan (Neal McDonough): Captain America, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter
Ah, Dum Dum. I'm glad he got a couple of guest appearances in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter, because he's a great character. Unlikely we'll see him again though :(
3 - Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders): The Avengers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Captain America
I love Maria, I really hope she gets more time to shine, but seems unlikely in crowded Avengers movies.
3 - Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss): Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Iron Fist
Will make it 4 with The Defenders (I think), Hogarth has a had a pretty brutal journey in Jessica Jones, but seems to be over it in the Iron Fist.
3 - J.A.R.V.I.S./Vision (Paul Bettany): Iron Man, The Avengers, Captain America
Only kinda qualifies, because they aren't really the same qualify, but I really enjoyed J.A.R.V.I.S. transformation into the Vision.
3 - Dr. List (Henry Goodman): Captain America, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Avengers
This one might surprise people. He was a nothing character, but provided some connective tissue from The Winter Soldier to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to the Avengers.
3 - Thor Odinson (Chris Hemsworth): Thor, The Avengers, Doctor Strange
Thor's Doctor Strange end credit appearance brings him up to 3. The son of Odin is clearly a hugely important character, but I'm not sure where he'll add to his 3 appearances.
3 - James Rhodes (Terrence Howard/Don Cheadle): Iron Man, The Avengers, Captain America
Rhodey! Now an official Avenger, and kinda crippled, Rhodey has been here since this beginning (though he may not look the same)..
3 - Natasha Romanov (Scarlett Johansson): Iron Man, The Avengers, Captain America
Just about the only character on this list who has had a significant appearance in EVERY MCU movie she has been in. Natasha has had a great journey, not sure if she'll ever get her own movie though!
3 - Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie): Captain America, The Avengers, Ant-Man
And Sam is the final character on this list! He made his appearances very quickly, appearing in The Winter Soldier, Ultron, Ant-Man and Winter Soldier (only missing Guardians as far as consecutive MCU films goes). Could he be the next Captain America?