5 MCU actors who also appeared in Star Wars projects

What do Star Wars and the MCU have in common besides being two expanded franchises in both cinema and TV? Well, we know that Hollywood has always thrived on crossovers, but sometimes the most intriguing connections are not found in the stories themselves but in the faces behind the characters.

Few franchises command the same level of cultural impact as the MCU and Star Wars. One is a modern mythology of superheroes and gods; the other, a sprawling space opera that redefined epic storytelling. However, despite existing in entirely separate galaxies, these two universes have a surprising number of shared actors.

While the transition from lightsabers to superpowers might seem like a leap, for these five actors, it's another opportunity to test their limits, evolve as artists, and make their imprint in not one but two legendary franchises of the contemporary world.

With their energy and charisma on full display in each part they play, be it a merciless Imperial officer, a troubled Jedi, or a hero torn between worlds, they remind us that the actual crossover has little to do with the realms in which they find themselves. What matters is the nuance they infuse into each character.

Great acting transcends galactic boundaries. Without further ado, here are five actors who portrayed iconic roles in both worlds:

1. Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson was influential in a galaxy far, far away before he led the Avengers Initiative in the MCU. The Jedi Council was granted a colder and harsher aura with Jackson as Mace Windu in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

Unlike the more conservative Jedi, Windu was a realist willing to confront the current quo if it meant defending the Republic. His well-known purple lightsaber stood for a Jedi who accepted both the light and the dark.

Jackson would later play Nick Fury in the MCU. Already a living legend, right? Nick Fury, whose change in appearance in the comics was inspired by the actor himself, is the cold-blooded head of S.H.I.E.L.D., a man with an eyepatch, a sharp tongue, and brutal practicality. The best puppet master of all time. With a moral compass forged by secrets and manipulation, Nick Fury wasn't limited by anything like a Jedi Code, like Mace Windu was.

Jackson's authoritative presence is on full show in both series, whether he's leading a Jedi council or organizing the formation of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. In both cases, he has a strong desire to keep order, no matter what.

2. Oscar Isaac

The characters played by Oscar Isaac in Star Wars and the MCU face similar demons, yet their battles are utterly distinct. In the Star Wars sequel trilogy, heroic Resistance pilot Poe Dameron openly expressed his views. Gregarious, talkative, and devoted, his confident façade hid his inner agony. Behind the swagger was a leader struggling to make tough decisions as others fell.

In Moon Knight, Isaac ventured into very dark realms as Marc Spector. Due to his dissociative identity disorder, Spector's internal turmoil in the MCU was an actual conflict between him and the outside world. Moon Knight's psychological depths allowed Isaac to show off his range as both the cruel mercenary and the mild-mannered Steven Grant.

In both Star Wars and the MCU, Isaac brilliantly portrayed men whose greatest battles were internal, caught between who they are and who they need to be.

3. Andy Serkis

Andy Serkis is known for playing edgy characters like power-hungry beasts or devious manipulators. So, it comes as no surprise how well he portrayed the Supreme Leader Snoke in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

Through motion capture, he turned a hideous, misshapen figure into a fearsome presence that managed to inspire both dread and compliance. Snoke was a dark puppet master whose looks reflected how the Empire's influence was still corrupt and falling apart.

In the MCU, Serkis gave life to Ulysses Klaue, the crazy arms trader who first appeared in Avengers: Age of Ultron and then in Black Panther. Klaue was noisy, unpredictable, and charming. He was a man who thrived on confrontation and loved the chaos he generated while Snoke worked from behind the scenes.

Serkis returned to Star Wars in Andor as Kino Loy, a Narkina 5 Imperial prisoner who grudgingly leads. Unlike Snoke, Kino is powerless and struggles to control himself and others. Serkis' genuine, emotional performance captured the anguish of a guy who refuses to give up even when hope is virtually gone.

These roles allowed Serkis to explore two extremes: the quiet, sinister control of Snoke and the unrestrained, violent chaos of Klaue. In the end, whether buried under digital layers or unmasked and unhinged, Serkis remains a master at capturing the darker side of human nature.

4. Paul Bettany

The transformation of Paul Bettany from AI to a merciless crime lord is one of the more striking changes in these two franchises. In the MCU, he first appeared as the disembodied voice of Tony Stark's AI assistant, J.A.R.V.I.S.,which evolved into Vision, a synthezoid with a soul as innocent as the Mind Stone that gave him existence.

Bettany lent Vision an air of tranquility and otherworldliness, bringing him to life with a blend of boundless wisdom while tragically innocent in his understanding of the human condition.

Bettany's character in Star Wars, on the other hand, was not at all innocent. In Solo: A Star Wars Story, he played the cold and cunning crime boss Dryden Vos, whose scarred face and calm demeanor made him seem dangerous. This part allowed Bettany to show off his darker side since Dryden Vos could go from friendly to deadly in the blink of an eye.

These two personas show Bettany's breadth, from a character characterized by moral clarity to a morally corrupted one. Vision and Dryden Vos couldn't be more different, yet each character is memorable in their own fashion.

5. Ben Mendelsohn

Whether fighting for freedom or rising in a repressive regime, Ben Mendelsohn excels at portraying complex moral characters. In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, he played ambitious Imperial officer Orson Krennic, who sought to supervise the construction of the Death Star. Krennic would give up everything to show his worth to the Empire. Cold-blooded, ambitious, and dangerously insecure.

In the MCU, Mendelsohn had a harder time playing Talos, the Skrull general from Captain Marvel and Secret Invasion. Talos, unlike Krennic, was a hero fighting for his people's survival despite his villainous appearance.

What makes Mendelsohn so interesting to watch is his talent for giving humanity to characters who may otherwise be perceived as simple villains. He portrays men in both the Talos and Krennic universes who will stop at nothing to accomplish their aims, but the revelations about their character that these goals bring about are very different.

From Jedi to Skrulls: the actors who crossed galaxies and changed the game

The line between galaxies may be light-years wide, but for some actors, stepping from the Jedi Council to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters isn’t such a stretch. Samuel L. Jackson, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Paul Bettany, and Ben Mendelsohn have all navigated both worlds, finding unexpected parallels between characters that couldn’t be more different on the surface.

Jackson commanded authority as both Mace Windu and Nick Fury, two men driven by a fierce commitment to their respective causes. Isaac found himself caught between conflict and loyalty, whether he was piloting a Resistance ship or battling the demons in his head.

Serkis gave Snoke a sinister intensity and Klaue a flashy one. Mendelsohn added dreadful depth to his parts as two individuals who can't seem to break free from their despair, and Bettany went from the coldly menacing Dryden Vos to the heartbreakingly human Vision. Together, these five actors show that excellent acting is universal.