Yes, Jenna Ortega Is Part Of The MCU - Here’s What Movie She’s In
Did you know that Jenna Ortega was in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)? More than a decade ago, Ortega made her debut in the massive franchise. She recently spoke about her experience in the role in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. Ortega said, “I was so happy to be in a movie, I had been begging my mom for years [before] she finally let me start auditioning. It was one of the first things I ever went out for. Booked it, was thrilled.”
The next time I saw Ortega on screen was as a young Jane Villanueva in Jane the Virgin (2014). Of course, she would eventually break out as Wednesday Addams in Wednesday (2022). Like Ortega, there have been plenty of big talents that have appeared in smaller roles in the MCU. Some of whom may be forgotten now as the universe becomes more sprawling. I often think about Jenna Coleman in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). Her role was significantly brief, but then she debuted on Doctor Who (2005) a year later. So what was Ortega’s role and in what MCU movie? And, what could it mean for a possible future for her in the MCU?
When Does Jenna Ortega Appear in the MCU - And as Who?
Jenna Ortega appeared for a split second in Iron Man 3 (2013)—the best and most underrated movie in the Iron Man (2008) trilogy, if you ask me. She played the daughter of Vice President Gil Rodriguez (Miguel Ferrer) in a singular scene. The character was a lower-leg amputee. Mainly, Ortega’s role was a plot device for Aldrich Killian’s (Guy Pearce) plan. He manipulated Gil with the potential of Gil’s daughter’s limb to be regenerated with the Extremis virus. That leverage became an opportunity for Aldrich to plan and execute terrorist attacks, including the plot against President Ellis (William Sadler). Eventually, the truth came out, and Gil was arrested.
There is more to that story, but that is the most relevant information for Ortega's character, who is only seen for a solid 11 seconds. Because of that, people forget that she was in the MCU. Just last year, during the press tour for Death of a Unicorn (2025), Ortega reminded everyone that she was in an MCU movie. She said, in part, to Entertainment Tonight, "I did it once. It was one of the first jobs I ever did. They took all my lines out.” She added, “They even took my name away. I count that, then I move on.” To be fair, it is wild to cut the character’s name. At least that should have stuck—Gil could’ve easily said her name!
Could Jenna Ortega Return to the MCU?
At that time, Ortega was doing press with her co-star Paul Rudd, who also stars in the MCU as Scott Lang/Ant-Man. He suggested there could be grander plans for Ortega. “Marvel is very good at, like, kind of laying those bread crumbs. And so it might very well be that you come back. That they are going to create something for you, ’cause they should be so lucky to have Jenna Ortega in their franchise,” Rudd shared. And he’s right! Ortega is a rising star with great range—the MCU didn’t know what it had with her. They’d be smart to fold her back in, even if it’s not as the unnamed character she once played. Honestly, that makes more sense!
The good thing is that there is a precedent for people playing two roles in the MCU. Obviously, the one at the top of mind is Robert Downey Jr. playing both Tony Stark and Victor von Doom. But both of those roles are massive. There’s also Gemma Chan, who played Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel (2019) before playing Sersi in the underrated Eternals (2021). Michelle Yeoh played Aleta Ogord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and then Ying Nan in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). All of their first roles had more than 11 seconds of screen time, and their incredible talents were still able to return in another significant capacity in another property.
There are plenty of roles that Ortega could play. The MCU is still building its X-Men team, for example, and there are plenty of Spider-Man fans who are patiently waiting to see if Felicia Hardy/Black Cat makes it opposite Tom Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Ortega’s comments suggest that she may have moved on from the MCU. If she ever changes her mind, I’ll always be super excited to see what she adds to this universe when she has more than 11 seconds.
