When it comes to major media conglomerates, no company has more magic than the Walt Disney Company. The place where we learn to wish and dream as our imagination takes flight, Disney has been a major part of our lives in one way or another. The 21st century featured two major acquisitions for Disney to add to the roster: Star Wars and Marvel. Both media franchises had established themselves as major players in the pop culture lexicon, and now, with Disney at the helm, those opportunities and budgets increased exponentially!
Playing in the Star Wars or Marvel universe is a fun treat for an actor, but to get to do both? It’s like getting to go to Disney! We’re here to talk about the giant list of actors who have had the glory of playing in both worlds. For this list, we are sticking to those films and series that are canonically tied to both franchises. So yes, for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Netflix shows like Daredevil and Jessica Jones are included! The simple fact that this is a hefty list proves that both franchises can pull in mega stars.
1
Richard Armitage
This one might be a bit of a cheat, because Richard Armitage‘s presence in the Star Wars universe came in the form of a cameo. In 1999, Armitage made his film debut as an uncredited Naboo fighter pilot in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace. As it turns out, he originally had a few lines, but they were cut. Though he’s visible in the background, we’ll count it! When it comes to the MCU, Armitage played Heinz Kruger, a top Hydra assassin in Captain America: The First Avenger. Kruger is the operative who infiltrates the facility where the super serum is created and later swallows a cyanide capsule to avoid interrogation.
2
Paul Bettany
Some names on this list have prominent roles in both worlds. One such actor is the incredible Paul Bettany. He began his tenure in the MCU as the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S., the trusty artificial intelligence of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in Iron Man through Avengers: Age of Ultron. It was in that film that J.A.R.V.I.S. was uploaded into a synthetic vibranium body, putting Bettany on screen as Vision. He brought the beloved role to the small screen in WandaVision. And yes, he will return in the upcoming VisionQuest. Bettany then stepped into a galaxy far, far away as the primary antagonist Dryden Vos in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Vos is a high-ranking, merciless leader in the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate who acts as the primary employer for Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) and Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) during their smuggling days.
3
Emilia Clarke
Though her most iconic role came on Game of Thrones, this actress, known for playing Daenerys Targaryen, appeared in a Star Wars film and an MCU series. Clarke played Q’ira in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Q’ira was Han’s childhood best friend and first love from Corellia. She eventually rises in the ranks of the Crimson Dawn, only for her to defeat Dryden Vos in the end. Clarke spent more time on screen as a main character in Secret Invasion. She played adult G’iah, a hardened rebel fighting alongside the extremist faction led by Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir). Having the superhuman abilities from the “Harvest” machine, she eventually turned on Gravik and his followers. By the end of the series, G’iah ended up being one of the most powerful beings in the entire MCU. Clarke recently went on the record, saying that her time in both series, as well as in The Terminator franchise, was “disappointing” because they weren’t “liked.” (At least everything until the end of Game of Thrones was enjoyed by the audience!)
4
Rosario Dawson
Before taking on her most iconic pop culture role of the live-action iteration of Ahsoka Tano to life, Rosario Dawson had a recurring stint in the MCU Netflix series as Claire Temple. A dedicated medical professional, she first arrived on the scene as an ally to Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) in Daredevil. She continued the role in the subsequent connected series within The Defenders shows. Now to Star Wars, Dawson brought Ahsoka first to The Mandalorian and then reprised the role in The Book of Boba Fett. In 2023, she was granted the opportunity to lead her own series, Ahsoka. The iconic character is a Force-sensitive Togruta and formally Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan in The Clone Wars. Her grand journey on the small screen has solidified her as one of the most notorious and fan-favorite characters in franchise history.
5
Benicio del Toro
To say that Benicio del Toro is versatile is an understatement, but when it comes to space, del Toro loves to play it cool. Del Toro began his MCU journey as The Collector in Guardians of the Galaxy. The Collector is a prominent Elder of the Universe known for curating a vast gallery of rare artifacts from across the cosmos. The iconic character returned with cameos in Thor: The Dark World and Avengers: Infinity Wars, while also voicing the alternate timeline version of the character in the animated series What If…? In the Star Wars universe, he played enigmatic codebreaker DJ in Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi. The cynical mercenary’s motto is “Don’t Join,” believing both the Resistance and the First Order are equally corrupt. In the end, though he initially aided Finn (John Boyega) and Rey (Daisy Ridley), he betrayed them to the First Order to save himself. Del Toro may not have been a lead in either universe, but he brought two distinct, nuanced performances to the memorable parts.
6
Giancarlo Esposito
It’s not fair to call Giancarlo Esposito a character actor, but when you’re in the hunt for an exceptional actor to play a villain, look no further than him. The prolific actor’s more prominent part in the two worlds came as the ruthless Imperial warlord and leader of the Remnant Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian. Like many of us, he was obsessed with Grogu. Unlike the rest of us, he wanted to harness his powers for his own benefit. Moff Gideon has emerged as a notorious figure and one of the franchise’s greatest bad guys. Now, to the MCU. Let’s just say we were extremely short-shafted after his brief appearance in Captain America: Brave New World. Esposito played Seth Voelker, who is better known to Marvel Comics fans as Sidewinder. As the leader of the Serpent Society, Sidewinder went all combat mode with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), only to be defeated and taken into custody fairly early on in the film. Though no official projects have been announced, with Esposito’s high profile, his character is expected to return in the future.
7
Jon Favreau
Many, many years ago, one might have laughed at the thought that comedian Jon Favreau would become a prolific architect of the MCU and Star Wars franchises. But between his on-screen work and his roles as a creator, director, and producer, our current landscape has been shaped by his extraordinary work. Let’s begin in the MCU. The very first entry into the MCU was a tone-setter as Iron Man featured Favreau in the director’s chair. That is in addition to him playing the now long-running Happy Hogan, Tony Stark’s faithful bodyguard and chauffeur. Having been so successful, Favreau continued to direct Iron Man 2 before becoming a major producer on future MCU projects. And fret not, Happy was back quite often in featured and cameo moments. His proven skill then allowed him to help give Star Wars a prominent identity on the small screen, bringing The Mandalorian to life and producing many subsequent projects. Having his stamp on The Mandalorian, there was no better man than Favreau to direct the recent blockbuster The Mandalorian and Grogu. Now, it would only be fair to include Favreau on this list if he acted in the Star Wars universe, and guess what? He did! In addition to voice work on The Clone Wars, he portrayed Paz Vizsla on The Mandalorian and an Ardennian pilot in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
8
Cailey Fleming
Casting directors don’t always get the credit they deserve when they do slam dunk work by casting the spitting image of the adult in the young version of a character. Such was the case for Cailey Fleming, who portrayed Young Rey in The Force Awakens. The former The Walking Dead actress played the pivotal role, setting the stage for the adventure Ridley’s character would eventually go on. Fleming’s Young Rey did appear via archival footage in The Rise of Skywalker. Fleming once again got to take on a younger version of a major character in the Disney+ series Loki. This time, she took on Young Sylvie, the role played by Sophia Di Martino. It’s through Fleming’s appearance that we learn the critical backstory of Sylvie. All the youngster was doing was playing with the toys in Asgard before being taken into custody. But her detainment didn’t last long as she escaped, plotting her revenge under the original guise of Loki. Fleming was the perfect young star for these mammoth franchises.
9
Donald Glover
Very few actors have such a fascinating career as Donald Glover. After establishing himself on Community and as Childish Gambino, Glover continued his dominance in Hollywood. During that run, Glover made his MCU appearance as Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Though it wasn’t explicitly stated in the live-action film, Aaron is Miles Morales’s uncle, the protagonist of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Glover voiced Aaron, under his future role as Prowler in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. His big cinematic breakthrough came in Solo: A Star Wars Story as Lando Calrissian. His performance was so iconic that he was initially tapped to create a Lando project. Glover has stated that a film still lives, so we must wait for its fate.
10
Richard E. Grant
Richard E. Grant is one of the most enigmatic actors of our time. An almost chameleon of the screen, Grant’s appearances in both universes are quite wonderful. He took on a central antagonist role in Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker as the ruthless Allegiant General Pryde. The cold and ambitious high-ranking military officer in the First Order serves as a faithful ally to the Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). In the MCU, Grant’s cameo in Loki was met with great praise, taking on an older “Classic Loki” who survived Thanos (Josh Brolin) by casting a hyperrealistic illusion of himself, then going into a self-imposed exile. His variant of the God of Mischief made a major decision, sacrificing himself to distract the giant monster Alioth to allow the main Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to escape. Now, technically not in the MCU, though it might be canon soon, Grant played Dr. Zander Rice in the 2017 film Logan. Dr. Race was the ruthless chief of surgical operations who was responsible for creating X-23, also known as Laura Kinney (Dafne Keen). Put a pin in her!
