Emilia Clarke has had an incredible post-Game of Thrones career that's been filled with interest projects. Her latest venture is particularly exciting, though, as it ushers her into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She's set to star alongside Samuel L. Jackson on Secret Invasion, a new MCU series premiering on Disney+. It's a much-anticipated series that adapts a classic storyline from the comics and features an excellent cast. This feels like a natural career move for the Me Before You actress, and it's interesting because many of her Game of Thrones co-stars have already jumped into the sprawling franchise. Clarke recently learned that well over a dozen Thrones alums have joined the superhero-laden fold already, and she seemed pretty wowed by it.
The Last Christmas actress chatted with ET during the red carpet premiere of Secret Invasion. She talked about the scale of this latest Marvel project as well as how Disney has been pulling out all of the stops to promote the streaming series. It was during the interview that she was also informed of just how many Thrones stars who've been tapped for MCU fare at this point. She responded by saying:
Oh my God. I did not know that…That seems like a lot! That's a lot of people.
This steadily expanding stat shows just how dominant both franchises have been in pop culture. There have been numerous MCU projects over the years and, given that GoT produced some big stars, it was probably inevitable that a number of former cast members would get tapped. As it stands, it would seem that there are 18 actors who have been in both franchises, if you include projects that are adjacent to the cinematic universe proper like the Netflix shows. The actors, aside from the Daenerys Targaryen actress, who performed in both are as follows:
- Natalie Dormer
- Peter Dinklage
- Kit Harington
- Richard Madden
- Richard E. Grant
- Hannah John-Kamen
- David Bradley
- Lena Headey
- Richard Dormer
- Joseph Gatt
- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
- Clive Russell
- Richard Brake
- Enzo Cilenti
- Ralph Ineson
- Rhys Ifans
- Finn Jones
- Jessica Henwick
There have certainly been some memorable performances by the stars above. Who could forget Richard E. Grant's turn as an older Loki in the show of the same name. Peter Dinklage also made the most of his time as Eitri in Avengers: Infinity War. All in all, these stars have proven to be great for the comic book-inspired franchise thus far.
Emilia Clarke certainly played a significant role in the hit HBO drama and will portray a key character in this upcoming show as well. In Secret Invasion, she's set to play Skrull rebel G'iah, Talos’ daughter who was previously portrayed as a child in Captain Marvel. According to Clarke’s description of the character, she's angry and resentful of Nick Fury for not finding the Skrulls a home as promised. There are likely more character details that make G’iah essential to the Disney+ series, but fans won’t truly know until it’s released. Interestingly, this isn't the first time time Clarke has come into contact with Marvel, as the actress almost appeared in Iron Man 3.
As for her Game of Thrones character, Daenerys Targaryen is one of the most iconic figures to come out of the series. She's known as the Mother of the Dragons and is a member of one of the central families of the series. Her character is heavily explored throughout the run and has a starring role in all eight seasons. It was Clarke's breakout role, and she's become a major star as a result. Her performance was also critically acclaimed, earning her several Emmy nominations. She is clearly incredibly talented, and I can’t wait to see her follow in the footsteps of so many of her colleagues by bringing that GoT talent to the MCU.
Disney+ subscribers will be able to check out Secret Invasion when it hits the streaming service on June 21. In the meantime, fans can watch Emilia Clarke and the rest of the GOT cast in the eight-season fantasy series, which is streamable with a Max subscription. For more information on other projects heading to the small screen this year, make sure to consult our 2023 TV schedule.
