The Walt Disney Company is known for many properties, including their Princess characters, Pixar, andPirates of the Caribbean, just to name a few. Yet two of their biggest franchises, the ones that essentially hold up their entire slate across film and television, were not originally Dinsey franchises but ones they acquired. The first was in 2009 when the company purchased Marvel, just one year after Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk kicked off theMarvel Cinematic Universe. It has been one of the best acquisitions as the franchise has reached new heights since being acquired by Disney and brought the company some of the biggest movies of all time, includingThe Avengers,Black Panther, andAvengers: Endgame.
Update July 09, 2025: This article has been updated with even more actors that have appeared in both the MCU andStar Warsfranchise.
Another major title the company acquired wasStar Wars. While the franchise had initially been successful, the origin story of Anakin Skywalker inEpisodes I-IIIwith the intermediary cartoon seriesThe Clone Warsmay have divided fans even more than the1978Holiday Special. Disney’s acquisition of the franchise has made part of theStar Warsuniverse better and more available to not just a new generation but new fans as well. While Disney hasn’t done a Marvel-Star Warscrossover, many actors in the MCU were first in aStar Warsfilm or series. Director-actor Taika Waititi famously asked Natalie Portman to be in aStar Warsproject, completely forgetting she was in the prequel trilogy! Actors like Samuel L. Jackson and Stellan Skarsgård are instantly recognizable as their respective characters in each franchise. Here are some actors who starred in bothStar Warsand MCU projects.
26Mads Mikkelsen
Known for his role as the cannibal-serial killer Hannibal Lector in theHannibalseries,Mads Mikkelsenhas played Kaecilius, the villain inDoctor Strange,and Galen Erso inRogue One: A Star Wars Story. Kaecilius is a former student of the Ancient One and becomes corrupted by dark magic. He plans to end the universe with help from his followers, the Zealots. Galen is an engineer hiding from Darth Vader. He is captured by the Empire and forced to create the Death Star, which he built a kill code into, so it could be destroyed.
25Lupita Nyong’o
Oscar-winnerLupita Nyong’oportrays Nakia in theBlack Pantherfilms and voices Maz Kanata inStar Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. Nakia is the princess of the River Tribe in Wakanda and the Queen consort of Wakanda, as she married T’Challa. Maz is a humanoid who is more than 1,000 years old. She was a pirate queen who helped look after Rey until her castle was destroyed. Maz ensured Rey would be protected by giving the Skywalker lightsaber to Finn to deliver to Rey.
Related:Every Time Star Wars Was Referenced in the MCU, Explained
24Oscar Isaac
Possibly one of the best actors in Hollywood,Oscar Isaachas portrayed a hero in both the MCU andStar Warsfranchises. InMoon Knight, Isaac portrays an individual with Dissociative Identity Disorder who goes by Marc, Steven, and Jacob. As the Egyptian god Khonshu’s Moon Knight, Steven fights the villain, a cult leader named Arthur Harrow. A pilot for the Rebels, Isaac portrays Poe Dameron inStar Wars: Episodes VII-IX. Poe is entrusted with a map from General Organa to retrieve her brother, Luke, with the help of the android BB-8.
23David Tennant
Best known for playing the Tenth Doctor inDoctor Who,David Tennantsurprised everyone with his villainous turn as Kilgrave in the Netflix’s Marvel seriesJessica Jones.Like his comic book counterpart, Kilgrave possesses the ability to control people’s minds, which he uses to carry out various sinister and self-serving schemes. Tennant also appears in theStar Warsuniverse, where he voices the loyal and kind architect droid, Huyang, who could not be more different from Kilgrave. Huyang first appeared onscreen inThe Clone Warsbefore popping up as a main character in the Disney+ series,Ahsoka.
22Forest Whitaker
The character of Saw Gerrera first appeared in theStar Warsuniverse inThe Clone Wars, where he was voiced by Andrew Kishino. However, when it came to casting an older version of the character in the 2016 live-action filmRogue One: A Star Wars Story, the makers called upon esteemed actorForest Whitaker. In that film, Gerrera is the leader of an extremist rebel group known as the Partisans, who operate separately from the Rebel Alliance. Whitaker went on to reprise the role inStar Wars RebelsandAndor. Meanwhile, in the MCU, he portrays the character of Zuri in the firstBlack Pantherfilm.
21Taika Waititi
Taika Waititimight be better known for his credits as a filmmaker, but that hasn’t stopped him from stepping in front of the camera on a number of his projects. While he directed the 2017 MCU sequelThor: Ragnarok, he also portrayed the character of Korg, a Kronan that Thor encounters on the planet Sakaar. Waititi later went on to reprise the role in three further MCU projects:Avengers: Endgame,Thor: Love and Thunder, and season one ofWhat if…?.As well as his role in the MCU, Waititi also directed the final episode of the first season ofThe Mandalorian,a show in which he also voices the character of IG-11.
20Stellan Skarsgård
Skarsgård family patriarchStellan Skarsgårdmade hisStar Warsdebut when he appeared in the first season of the critically acclaimed seriesAndor.He played Luthen Rael, a member of the Rebel Alliance who hires the main character, Cassian Andor, to complete a dangerous mission. In order to hide the fact that he is part of the alliance, Luthen disguises himself as the flamboyant proprietor of a rare antique shop on the planet Coruscant. Years before cropping up in theStar Warsuniverse, Skarsgård was a key player in the MCU, playing the character of Erik Selvig inThor, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Age of Ultron,and, more recently,Thor: Love and Thunder.
19Emilia Clarke
Though she is best known for her role in another popular franchise - namely, Daenerys Targaryen inGame of Thrones-Emilia Clarkehas found her way into both theStar Warsand Marvel universes. InStar Wars, she played the role of Qi’ra, the love interest of Han Solo in the 2018 prequel filmSolo: A Star Wars Story. Meanwhile, she was recently seen in the MCU Disney + seriesSecret Invasionas a Skrull named G’iah. The character and the show, as a whole, were met with mixed responses, particularly because of the wider implications they have on the MCU as a whole.
18Ray Stevenson
Ray Stevensonhas recently been receiving praise for his role as the menacing Baylan Skoll inStar WarsshowAhsoka,which was released posthumously after Stevenson sadly passed away just a couple of months before its release. However,Ahsokaisn’t the actor’s first foray into the world ofStar Wars. He previously voiced the character of Gar Saxon in bothStar Wars RebelsandThe Clone Wars,making him one of the few actors to have played multiple roles in the Star Wars universe. On top of that, he also took on the role of Volstagg in the first threeThorfilms in the MCU.
Related:Will Star Wars and the MCU Ever Crossover? Marvel Boss Kevin Feige Weighs In
17Hannah John-Kamen
While she is mostly known for portraying Ghost inAnt-Man and The Wasp,Hannah John-Kamenportrayed an officer in the First Order in theStar Warsfranchise. Ghost lost her parents in an accident and was manipulated by Bill Foster to get revenge on the Pym family. InStar Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, the Empire relies on engineers, communications specialists, and others to maintain power. John-Kamen portrays an officer in the film, though she doesn’t speak. In an interview withNME, she reveals that she loves being in science fiction productions because they hold a mirror up to society. John-Kamen will reprise her role as Ghost inThunderbolts.
