A quartet of Marvel stars is now part of the cast of Star Wars' next movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu. Marvel and Star Wars both have massive plans for 2026, with some of the biggest films of the year set to hit the big screen. Additionally, as both franchises are under the wide Disney umbrella, it is only natural that some of their stars are crossing over between universes.
Actor Matthew Willig confirmed that he plays a role in Star Wars' The Mandalorian and Grogu, being released on May 22. Posting on Instagram, he shared the newly released official image from the movie (first shared by Empire Magazine), featuring Jonny Coyne next to Grogu inside a cage.
Willig stands next to Coyne, dressed as an Iktotchi character from past Star Wars projects. Never seen before in the live-action Star Wars movies, the Iktotchi are known for their rust-colored skin and horns protruding from their heads, although one of Willig's horns is broken in the image.
While this marks Willig's Star Wars debut, he also has experience in the Marvel universe. Appearing in six episodes of Season 3 of ABC's Agents of SHIELD, the 6'8" former NFL star played an Inhuman named Lash.
Originally a villain, Lash was believed to be nothing but a mindless monster who killed other Inhumans. By the end of the season, fans learned that he was created to protect Chloe Bennet's Daisy Johnson from Hive, one of the most powerful Inhumans in history.
Willig is the fourth former Marvel star to join The Mandalorian and Grogu's cast, which is led by Pedro Pascal. Pascal joined the Star Wars universe in 2019, playing the leading role of Din Djarin in The Mandalorian on Disney+.
Pascal also debuted in the MCU in 2025 as Reed Richards, starring in Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Next up for Pascal, he will join the cast of Avengers: Doomsday, which arrives on December 18.
Next to Pedro Pascal in The Mandalorian and Grogu will be Avatar and Ghostbusters star Sigourney Weaver, who plays a character named Colonel Ward. She is said to be a high-ranking veteran pilot and official in the New Republic, specifically working with the Adelphi Rangers.
She also took on a villainous role in 2017's The Defenders on Netflix, portraying Alexandra Reid. Reid was the leader of the Hand (who are rumored to return to the MCU soon), forcing Matt Murdock, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Danny Rand to unite and defeat them.
Finally, Steve Blum will take on his first live-action role in the Star Wars universe, bringing his portrayal of Garazeb "Zeb" Orellios to this movie. Originally created for Star Wars Rebels, Zeb was a core member of Ahsoka's Ghost crew, fighting enemies across the galaxy before meeting Din Djarin in The Mandalorian Season 3.
As for his Marvel work, Blum is perhaps best known for voicing Wolverine in multiple animated series, including Wolverine and the X-Men and Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. He can also be heard voicing Red Skull and Beta Ray Bill in other Marvel projects.
Marvel Stars Shining in the Galaxy Far, Far Away
While The Mandalorian & Grogu features four former Marvel stars, the two franchises have had actors crossover countless times over the decades. One of the earliest examples was Mark Hamill, who had voice-over credits in the 1990s animated Spider-Man series (Hobgoblin) and multiple other Marvel projects, along with his key role in Star Wars as Luke Skywalker.
More recently, two core stars from the Star Wars prequel trilogy became regulars in the MCU. Samuel L. Jackson, who played Mace Windu in the Star Wars universe, has more appearances in the MCU than almost anybody as Nick Fury, while Padme Amidala actress Natalie Portman has four appearances as Jane Foster.
Additionally, Ben Mendelsohn joined both franchises within a few years, playing Director Orson Krennic in Star Wars and the Skrull leader Talos in the MCU. Rosario Dawson also has extensive credits in both sagas, starring as Ahsoka Tano in her own Star Wars solo series after playing Claire Temple across multiple shows in the Defenders Saga.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
