5 stars who crossed between the MCU and Doctor Who: double duty in two iconic franchises

Doctor Who and the MCU. Two universes. Two sets of rules. Two very different kinds of storytelling. One thrives on quantum realms and infinity stones. The other is powered by wibbly-wobbly time travel and centuries-old lore. Yet somehow, a handful of actors have slipped through the cracks, bringing their talents from the MCU’s polished spectacle to Doctor Who’s TARDIS.

Whether it’s David Tennant trading his Tenth Doctor’s trench coat for Kilgrave’s sinister smirk, or Karen Gillan shedding Amy Pond’s warmth to slip into Nebula’s unrelenting steel, these performances are more than just footnotes in two massive franchises. They’re case studies in how one acting star can live and die across multiple universes and what gets left behind in the process.

Today, we're going to take a look at five stars that bridged the gap between Doctor Who and the MCU by jumping from one dimension to another while merging elements of both with them.

1. David Tennant – From the Tenth Doctor to Kilgrave

David Tennant’s transition from the TARDIS to the MCU is a study in contrasts. Charming, intelligent, and full of limitless vitality, he was the final hero as the Tenth Doctor. Beneath that contagious smile lay a deep melancholy, a guy who endured decades of loss yet still managed to save the cosmos with a screwdriver and a smirk.

Then came Kilgrave in Jessica Jones. Gone was the warmth and wit of the Doctor. In its place, Tennant delivered a chilling, controlled performance as the sadistic, mind-controlling villain who could force anyone to do anything. Kilgrave was all the Doctor’s intelligence without a shred of his humanity, a walking nightmare who left a trail of trauma and devastation.

Tennant saw Kilgrave as an opportunity to flip his charismatic persona on its head. His performance was both captivating and frightening; the role was so dark that even Tennant admitted it got under his skin. Both fans and critics liked his depiction of Kilgrave, a predator with an unnervingly calm attitude.

Speculation surrounding Kilgrave's return is now louder than ever because Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones is confirmed to return to the MCU. Asked if he’d reprise the role, Tennant quipped,

“From your mouth to Kevin Feige’s ear,” a response that keeps the door open and fans guessing.

2. Karen Gillan – From Amy Pond to Nebula

Karen Gillan brought both warmth and passion to the role of Amy Pond, the Eleventh Doctor's fearless and fiery companion. She went from the naïve kid waiting for her Raggedy Man to the status of a tough lady facing cosmic horrors and her own heartache over the course of three seasons.

In stark contrast to Nebula's frigid steel, Amy Pond's warmth is palpable. Gillan gave up her fiery red hair and mischievous smile for cybernetic implants and an insatiable hunger for revenge in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Deep inside, however, they have a lot more in common than Nebula's tough exterior suggests, as those who witnessed her legacy in the MCU already know.

Nebula’s transformation from Thanos’ tortured, bitter assassin to a reluctant ally and finally a Guardian of the Galaxy gave Gillan one of the most emotionally charged arcs in the franchise.

Gillan herself has acknowledged how both roles shaped her as an actress. According to her, Amy Pond showed her how to see the truth in the fantastic, while Nebula pushed her to explore the darkest corners of trauma and redemption.

3. Christopher Eccleston – From the Ninth Doctor to Malekith

Christopher Eccleston's path through two of the largest franchises in contemporary entertainment was not precisely seamless. He was the face of Doctor Who's 2005 revival as the Ninth Doctor.

A soldier struggling with the guilt of the Time War, his Doctor was severe and profoundly damaged, fighting to reconnect with the cosmos he once attempted to preserve. Eccleston redefined the Doctor as a battle-weary survivor with a glimmer of hope under the surface by bringing a raw, erratic energy to the part.

The effect was less noticeable, though, when he joined the MCU as Malekith in Thor: The Dark World. A dark elf determined to throw the cosmos into endless darkness, Malekith was set as a key antagonist. Malekith, though, ended up as one of the least memorable villains in the MCU despite the character's promise.

Eccleston has not minced words in interviews regarding his unhappiness with the project. Citing artistic disagreements and a shallow script, he has referred to the part as "not my finest hour."

While his Doctor remains one of the most compelling iterations to date, Malekith has largely been relegated to the forgotten corners of the MCU, a missed opportunity for an actor capable of so much more.

4. Toby Jones – From the Dream Lord to Arnim Zola

Toby Jones excels in portraying memorable yet disturbing individuals. In the episode Amy's Choice of Doctor Who, he played the Dream Lord, a psychological foe that makes the Doctor, Amy, and Rory doubt their reality.

Jones gave a terrifying performance that made viewers wonder what was genuine and what was a warped nightmare with a wicked smile and a mind brimming with manipulation.

In the MCU, Jones played Arnim Zola, a Hydra scientist whose loyalty to the Red Skull and later Hydra put him at the core of some of the worst events in Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. When Zola's consciousness was loaded into a computer system, transforming him into a digital ghost with infinite ability to haunt the MCU, what started as a seemingly eccentric, old-fashioned adversary developed into something considerably more unsettling.

Though he has never been the focus of either franchise, his performances are crucial in forming the more sinister aspects of both Doctor Who and the MCU. Jones shines at creating a disconcerting presence in every scene, whether he's mocking the Doctor with psychological warfare or plotting with Hydra.

5. Andrew Garfield – From Frank to Spider-Man

Before entering the MCU as Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield was simply another struggling actor in a supporting part in Doctor Who. In the two-part narrative Daleks in Manhattan and Evolution of the Daleks, he played Frank, a Depression-era New Yorker caught up in the Daleks' perverse scheme to produce human-Dalek hybrids. The role was small, but Garfield’s raw talent was already evident as he brought depth to a character surrounded by CGI monsters and over-the-top alien schemes.

Years later, Garfield would become a household name as Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel. Though those films existed outside the official MCU timeline, everything changed with Spider-Man: No Way Home. In 2021, Garfield donned the Spidey suit once more, officially merging his version of Peter Parker with Tom Holland’s and Tobey Maguire’s in a multiverse event that solidified him as part of the MCU canon.

For Garfield, the return was more than just a fanservice cameo. It was a chance to revisit a character he obviously adored, so closing an arc that had finished abruptly in 2014. He called the event "unexpectedly emotional" in interviews and acknowledged that sharing the screen with the other Spider-Men allowed him a chance to finally bid farewell to a character still relevant to fans.

Tales of two Doctors – Tennant and Eccleston’s divergent paths in the MCU

The MCU has had two former Time Lords in its ranks, but their journeys through the Marvel universe couldn’t be more different. Many consider David Tennant's portrayal of Kilgrave in Jessica Jones to be among the most terrifying villain performances in the whole Marvel television catalogue.

Tennant transformed all the charm and charisma he developed as the Tenth Doctor into something dark, so producing a character who used his voice and presence to dominate and torture everybody who came into contact with him. Unforgettable, disturbing, and deep his performance was.

Conversely, Christopher Eccleston's time as Malekith in Thor: The Dark World was far from remarkable. Though he was one of the most powerful villains in the comics, Malekith was flattened by prosthetics and a dull storyline to become a one-dimensional foe. Eccleston, who had brought such depth and complexity to the Ninth Doctor, was given little to work with, and the result was a performance he’s openly criticized as one of his least satisfying roles.

In a franchise that thrives on charismatic villains, Tennant’s Kilgrave remains a fan favorite, a terrifyingly human monster whose shadow still looms over Jessica Jones. Meanwhile, Malekith has been largely forgotten, a footnote in a movie that ranks among the weakest in the MCU.

Two Doctors, two villains, two vastly different outcomes. The MCU showed Tennant at his most darkly compelling while burying Eccleston in a role that squandered his talent.

From Doctor Who to the MCU: Two worlds, one stage

In the MCU and Doctor Who, actors play gods, monsters, and everything in between. Some are given a second chance to shine while others fade into the void. Whether they’re wielding sonic screwdrivers or infinity stones, these five stars have proven that talent transcends universes even when the roles don’t.