When Bob Iger took over The Walt Disney Company in 2005, he acquired several titles that would be made into franchises. The first expanded universe would begin in 2008 with Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man. Phase One of the MCU would introduce other heroes like Black Widow, The Incredible Hulk, Hawkeye, Captain America, and Thor. The initial phase also introduced oganizations like S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra to audiences. At the end of Phase One, all six heroes would unite in Marvel’s The Avengers. With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever being released in November 2022, Phase Four of the MCU has concluded. In 2023, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantunmania will kick off Phase Five.

Another title Iger acquired as CEO was Star Wars. While the franchise had initially been successful, the origin story of Anakin Skywalker in Episodes I-III with the intermediary cartoon series, The Clone Wars, may have divided fans even more than the 1978 Holiday Special. Disney’s acquisition of the franchise has made part of the Star Wars universe better and more available to not just a new generation, but new fans as well. While Disney hasn’t done a Marvel-Star Wars crossover, many actors in the MCU were first in a Star Wars film or series. Director-actor Taika Waititi famously asked Natalie Portman to be in a Star Wars project, 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. Actresses like Rosario Dawson, Cailey Flemming, and Ming Na-Wen should receive the same acknowledgment. Here are some actors who starred in both Star Wars and MCU projects.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

10 Mads Mikkelsen

     Marvel Studios

Known for his role as the cannibal-serial killer Hannibal Lector in the Hannibal series, Mads Mikkelsen has played Kaecilius, the villain in Doctor Strange, and Galen Erso in Rogue 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.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

9 Richard E. Grant

     LucasFilm

Multi-award-winner and classical actor Richard E. Grant portrays the anti-hero, Classic Loki, in Loki and villain General Pryde in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker. Classic Loki reveals that he lived in exile for years and was captured by the TVA when he decided he wanted to return to Asgard. While the classic Loki costume was finally on-screen, Grant revealed to The Wrap that he felt like Kermit the Frog. General Pryde fought on the Empire’s side through many wars and was eventually manipulated by Kylo-Ren into pursuing Rey as the framed murderer of Snoke.

8 Oscar Isaac

     Disney Platform Distribution

Possibly one of the best actors in Hollywood, Oscar Isaac has portrayed a hero in both the MCU and Star Wars franchises. In Moon 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 in Star 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.

7 Hannah John-Kamen

While she is mostly known for portraying Ghost in Ant-Man and The Wasp, Hannah John-Kamen portrayed an officer in the First Order in the Star Wars franchise. Ghost lost her parents in an accident and was manipulated by Bill Foster to get revenge on the Pym family. In Star 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 with NME, she reveals that she loves being in science fiction productions because they hold a mirror up to society.

6 Rosario Dawson

     DeKnight Productions

Rosario Dawson portrayed a nurse named Claire in Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and The Defenders. Claire is first introduced in Daredevil when Matt Murdock ends up in her alleyway dumpster. In The Mandalorian, Mando and The Kid land on Ossus and meet Ahsoka Tano, portrayed by Dawson. Ahsoka is well known among fans as Anakin Skywalker’s former Padawan. She plays a pivotal role in The Mandalorian as she reveals the true name of The Kid as Grogu.

5 Cailey Fleming

Child actress Cailey Fleming portrays Young Rey in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens and Young Sylvie in the Disney+ series, Loki. Though she is on-screen for a minimal amount of time in both productions, it’s no less impressive for an actor of her age to have starred in two of the biggest franchises ever. As Young Rey, she is separated from her parents to protect her from the Empire. In Loki, Fleming portrayed Young Sylvie, who was playing in her room alone when TVA agents arrested her.

4 Lupita Nyong’o

     Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o portrays Nakia in the Black Panther films and voices Maz Kanata in Star 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. Though Maz made sure Rey would be protected by giving the Skywalker lightsaber to Finn to deliver to Rey.

3 Erin Kellyman

In Solo: A Star Wars Story, Erin Kellyman portrays the masked marauder Enfys Nest. She also portrays a misguided young adult, Karli, in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier series. Enfys has several run-ins with Han Solo but is fighting the crime syndicate, Crimson Dawn, led by Darth Maul. Karli, however, is the leader of the Flag Smashers, an anti-government group formed after The Snap. She is radicalized by the Global Repatriation Council’s slow movement to help people around the world.

2 Natalie Portman

     Marvel StudiosDisney

Though she hardly needs an introduction, Natalie Portman has played the formidable senator Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episodes I-III and the brilliant physicist Jane Foster turned Mighty Thor in the Thor films. While many Thor fans recognized Portman right away from the Star Wars franchise or otherwise, apparently director Taika Waititi forgot about Portman’s legacy, as Entertainment Weekly reports.

1 Ming-Na Wen

     Disney+

Actress Ming-Na Wen is the Disney trifecta. She voiced Mulan, portrayed a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and most recently played a bounty hunter in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Agent Melinda May is a former pilot turned confidant of Agent Phil Coulson. Together, they rebuilt S.H.I.E.L.D. after its fall. Fennec Shand is a bounty hunter who worked for the Hutt family until Boba Fett is entrusted with maintaining the legacy.