Star Wars and Marvel are world-renowned names associated with exciting action, adventure, the classic battle of good vs evil, and fantastical science-fiction. By also being two of the best film franchises of all time, fans have also witnessed them cast top-tier actors.
Whether Jedi, Sith, superhero, villain, sidekick, or human confidant there for moral support, tons of A-list actors take the esteemed opportunity to appear in a Star Wars or Marvel movie/TV show. However, there are some incredibly lucky thespians out there that have been able to play characters in both epic universes.
Oscar Isaac
Oscar Isaac has an incredible acting resumé with lead roles in praised films like Dune (2021), Ex Machina (2014), Annihilation (2018), and Scenes From A Marriage (2021). In the most recent Star Wars trilogy, Episodes VII-IX, Isaac plays the heroic pilot Poe Dameron. He's the perfect rebellious Rebel who's best friends with BB-8 and his sarcasm steals one of the first scenes in The Force Awakens (2017).
Isaac is also starring in the upcoming Disney+ series Moon Knight as Marc Spector (aka Moon Knight). Needless to say, fans are stoked for the casting of Isaac for this role as an ex-Marine, who's granted the powers of an Egyptian moon god. Ironically, and less known, is that this won't be Isaac's first Marvel appearance. He also played En Sabah Nur - also known as the mutant-g0d Apocalypse in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016).
Natalie Portman
The Oscar-winning Natalie Portman has brought her talents to Star Wars as Padmé/Queen Amidala in Episodes I-III (and also the mother of Luke & Leia Skywalker). Her first appearance in The Phantom Menace (1999) features a young Portman, just 18-years-old at the time, and progresses to show her rise to power and marriage to Anakin.
In the MCU, Portman made her debut in Thor (2011) as Dr. Jane Foster, astrophysicist and love interest to the Norse god. While she returned as Jane in the 2013 sequel, Thor: The Dark World (2013), she was absent from the third installment, Thor: Ragnarok (2017). However, fans can rejoice because Portman will reprise her role as Jane and also become Mighty Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder coming out later this year.
Woody Harrelson
Another actor with infinite talent, 3-time Academy Award-nominated Woody Harrelson made his debut in a galaxy far, far away in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) as Beckett. Harrelson's dry humor and ability to play the antagonist audiences love to root for is ever apparent.
Although his first Marvel appearance was in Venom (2018), fans fully got to see Harrelson's full potential as the villainous Cletus Kasady in Venom: Let Their Be Carnage (2021). Here, he also got to play the terrifying symbiote, Carnage, who proved to be just as strong and threatening as Venom.
Paul Bettany
It can be easy to forget that Paul Bettany was also in Solo: A Star Wars Movie as the villain, Dryden Vos. Seeing him in an adversarial role was a nice change of pace from his usually protagonistic roles like the ones in Legion (2010), A Knight's Tale (2001), and Wimbledon (2004).
Bettany's most notable role, however, is undoubtedly Vision in the MCU. Before embodying Vision, he also voiced Tony Stark's AI, JARVIS. Fans were able to get their biggest dose of Bettany's Marvel character in the Disney+ limited series, WandaVision (2021).
Jon Favreau
Jon Favreau isn't just a great actor, he's also an incredible director and is responsible for films like Elf (2003), The Jungle Book (2016), and The Lion King (2019). He is also the Creator of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. What some may not know, however, is that Favreau was the voice of Rio Durant in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Needless to say, Favreau's credits are immense. It's arguable that he's the reason for the MCU that exists today as he directed Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010). In front of the camera, Favreau plays the lovable Happy Hogan, Tony Stark's right-hand man, and glorified babysitter to Spider-Man.
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson needs no introduction. The iconic actor with approximately 200 acting credits on their resumé, not including producer credits, speak for themselves. In Star Wars, Jackson played a member of the Jedi High Council, Mace Windu, who hailed a purple lightsaber fell to his death thanks to Anakin and Palpatine. This Jedi Master needs the Kenobi series treatment.
For Marvel fans, they might recognize Jackson best for playing the iconic Nick Fury. Nick Fury is crass and doesn't hold back his opinions, which Jackson embraces perfectly. There truly is no other who can play the pivotal MCU character.
Andy Serkis
Andy Serkis, possibly best known for his role as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, aided his incredible voice acting talents to Star Wars Episodes VII-IX as the Sith Lord, Supreme Leader Snoke. It's not surprising that such an acclaimed vocal talent like Serkis was chosen for this creepy villain.
In the MCU, Serkis plays Ulysses Klaue, who first appears in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), an illegal weapons dealer looking for Vibranium. Ulysses is a robust and hard criminal, and fans liked seeing Serkis in a role that didn't conceal his just as great live-action talents.
Lupita Nyong'o
Lupita Nyong'o began making waves in Hollywood with her harrowing performance in 12 Years A Slave (2013), which awarded her with an Oscar for "Best Supporting Actress." In the Star Wars universe, Nyong'o may slip under the radar as the voice of Maz Kanata, the CGI character with big, lovable goggles and a crush on Chewbacca.
Nyong'o jumped onto the screens as a Marvel character in Black Panther (2018), where she played Nakia. It will be interesting to see where Nakia's journey goes in the upcoming sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as she had been T'Challa's (Chadwick Boseman) love interest in the first installment.
Mads Mikkelsen
After playing Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Mads Mikkelsen's most prolific roles are eccentric and exciting villains. However, in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Mikkelsen plays protagonist Galen Erso, father to Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), and is integral to the Star Wars saga in its entirety through his role in creating a weakness in the Death Star.
Back to his fantastic villainous ways, Mikkelsen played the space-bending Kaecilius in Doctor Strange (2016). His dark eyes and incredibly unique action scenes with the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) are some of Marvel's most intricate and aesthetically exciting fights.
Ben Mendelsohn
Ben Mendelsohn is most recently recognized as Ralph Anderson in the HBO miniseries The Outsider (2020) (based on Stephen King's novel of the same name). In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Mendelsohn plays Orson Krennic, an Imperial officer who forces scientists into creating the Death Star.
Mendelsohn is easier to miss in his appearances in the MCU as Talos, who first appeared in Captain Marvel (2019) and, again, in the after-credits scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). The Skrull General is mainly recognized for his green, reptilian skin and pointed ears.
Rose Byrne
With just a small role as one of Padmé's maidens, Rose Byrne played Dormé in Star Wars: Episode II–Attack of the Clones (2002). Byrne is mostly in the background of scenes with the rest of the royal entourage, but she does have a small scene where she has an exchange with Padmé just before an assassination attempt (where Dormé dies in an explosion).
For Marvel fans, they will remember Byrne plays FBI Special Agent Moira MacTaggert in X-Men: First Class (2011) and X-Men: Apocalypse. She helps bring Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr aka Magneto (Michael Fassbender) together and, in turn, plays a crucial role in the creation of Xavier Institute.
Donald Glover
Donald Glover's portrayal as Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story left fans floored by his impeccable rendition of the character (previously played by Billie Dee Williams in the original trilogy). His onscreen chemistry with Alden Ehrenreich, who played Han Solo, presented a beautifully crafted cinematic time capsule.
Glover briefly appeared in the MCU in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) as Aaron Davis, a criminal who gets mildly wrapped up in The Vulture's (Michael Keaton) plot to obtain alien technology from the Battle of New York in The Avengers (2012). Audiences may remember Glover in the film best when he banters with Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and is left webbed to his car.