House of the Dragon Season 3 is right around the corner, and it is expected to feature three actors who played substantial roles in the Marvel universe. The HBO series has showcased many different top-tier actors throughout its three installments, and Season 3 is no different. Many big names who have passed through the Game of Thrones universe have gone on to play in other major franchises such as Star Wars, DC, and more.
House of the Dragon Season 3 will be premiering on HBO on Sunday, June 21. It is expected to be the most action-packed chapter of the series to date, as trailers and other pieces of marketing have teased that viewers will get to witness major events such as the Battle of the Gullet, the Fall of King's Landing, and more.
Many hope that Season 3 will be a step up from Season 2, which was criticized for pacing issues, straying away from the source material, and weak writing. Hopefully, the three actors who will be in Season 3 who have also been in Marvel projects will help Season 3 be an improvement as well.
The first of those three actors is Matt Smith. He is one of House of the Dragon's lead actors and has already portrayed Daemon Targaryen across the two seasons of the hit HBO series that have already been released. He will reprise his role in the third season and has already teased that Season 3 will be a brutal and bloody affair. Fans can expect to see him carry out Rhaenyra Targaryen's (his wife and niece) wishes as he tries to bring victory for the Blacks in the Dance of the Dragons.
Smith has not appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) at any point during his acting career, but he did play a major role in one of the most talked-about Marvel movies of the decade, Morbius. The actor stood alongside Jared Leto's Michael Morbius as Milo, the film's primary antagonist.
In the movie, Milo was Michael Morbius' lifelong friend who suffered from the same rare blood disease as the titular character. Because of Milo's wealth, he helped fund Morbius' research in hopes that the doctor would find a cure for their disease. When Morbius discovered a potential cure, Milo stole it and used it on himself, but it turned him into a vampire.
Rhys Ifans is another House of the Dragon actor who has shown up in both seasons of the show in a major role. He portrayed Otto Hightower, the former Hand of the King and the father of Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower. Ifans will reprise his role in the third season, but how expansive his role will be has not been confirmed.
It is possible that he could return to his Season 1 form, where he was featured on-screen heavily in nearly every episode, but depending on when one major event happens in Season 3, it is also possible that his role could be relatively small.
Notably, Ifans is one of the only actors who has appeared in an MCU project, and in another Marvel title outside of that franchise. He is in even rarer company in that he played the same character both within the MCU and outside it. Specifically, Ifans' first Marvel role was in Andrew Garfield's The Amazing Spider-Man. The actor played Dr. Curt Connors, who began as a mentor to Peter Parker, and then became the film's primary antagonist after he turned into the Lizard.
Ifans returned to the same role in the MCU's 2021 film, Spider-Man: No Way Home. Notably, the actor was never actually on set for filming, and the Lizard was brought to life solely through outtakes, unused footage, and CGI, but he did record new voice lines for the film, so he received an acting credit.
Tommy Flanagan is another actor who will have appeared in both franchises after he is introduced in House of the Dragon Season 3. In that show, he will play Rodrick Dustin, and almost everyone can agree that the actor was born to bring a character from Westeros to life. Specifically, according to George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood, Rodrick Dustin (who is also called Roddy the Ruin) is as ferocious and rough as they come. In the source material, he led the Winter Wolves from the North toward King's Landing to support Rhaenyra's claim to the throne.
For reference, the Winter Wolves are often regarded as one of the most fascinating aspects of the Fire & Blood story. Essentially, they are old, tough-as-leather warriors from the North who deliberately leave their homes for war and expect not to return so that their families won't have another mouth to feed and another body to take care of in the harsh northern environment. Basically, they have nothing to lose or live for, so they make perfect warriors, and Flanagan's character will be leading them.
In the MCU, Flanagan appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as a character named Tullk. Tullk was a veteran member of Yondu's Ravager Clan and was known as being extremely loyal to Yondu.
During the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Taserface staged a mutiny against Yondu, which led to a major conflict. Because Tullk was so loyal to Yondu, he directly opposed Taserface and the other individuals on Taserface's side, which led to Tullk's death.
Other Marvel Actors Who Have Been in the Game of Thrones Universe
House of the Dragon Season 3 will only feature three major actors who have also been in Marvel films, but the Game of Thrones universe as a whole has been home to a ton of other big names who have appeared in the world of Marvel.
One of the biggest actors who has been in both franchises is Emilia Clarke. Clarke got her big break in Game of Thrones, where she portrayed Daenerys Targaryen, and she later went on to star as G'iah in Disney+'s Secret Invasion.
Another actor who has been in both universes is Kit Harington. Like Emilia Clarke, Harington grew in fame thanks to his portrayal of Jon Snow in Game of Thrones, and then he joined the MCU in 2021's Eternals film. Notably, he is expected to reprise his role at some point in the future, as his character, Dane Whitman, eventually becomes the Black Knight in the comics.
Speaking of Eternals, that MCU flick also starred Richard Madden as Ikaris. Madden had a much more substantial role in Game of Thrones as Robb Stark, the eldest of Ned Stark's children, and the main protagonist in the War of the Five Kings plotline in the early seasons of the show.
There have been plenty of other major actors like Peter Dinklage, Finn Jones, and Natalie Dormer who have had roles in both franchises, and, most likely, even more actors will cross over between the two in the future.
