There were rumours it was on the way, and Star Wars and the Marvel Universe are finally coming together in Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles, a five-issue limited series launching from Marvel Comics next January.
Daredevil and Green Arrow writer Kevin Smith is teaming with Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man artist David Marquez for this comic book crossover, which will arrive in time for the Star Wars franchise's 50th anniversary.
Scant plot details have been revealed, though we know the story will feature the Earth-616 versions of Marvel's most iconic heroes crossing paths with Star Wars characters from 1977's A New Hope. Interestingly, it's said that this meeting sees "the events of A New Hope unfold on Earth and before [Marvel's mightiest heroes] after a reality-shattering spell."
That means Captain America, Spider-Man, and The Hulk will join forces with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia when villains like Doctor Doom, Thanos and Ultron join Darth Vader's Galactic Empire. It likely also leaves the door open to sequels based on The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
"Back in the early '80s, I had a subscription to Marvel’s Star Wars comics. And as fun as it was to follow the continuing adventures of Luke, Leia, and Han, I always wished that Spider-Man or Doctor Doom could cross over into their cinematic saga," Smith told Entertainment Weekly. "So when the opportunity arose to actually tell that story, nobody had to Force my hand!"
New Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Stephen Wacker added, "Marvel and Star Wars' histories have been intertwined for 50 years and continue to set the standard for storytelling across the world…and across the media landscape. Lifelong lovers of both Star Wars and Marvel have a lot to look forward to as we finally bring the characters together in ways fans have been dreaming about for decades!"
Michael Siglain, creative director at Lucasfilm Publishing, shared similar sentiments by noting, "With Hope Assembles, Kevin Smith has written a true love letter to Star Wars, to Marvel, and to comics in general. And combined with David Marquez’s incredible art, we’ll see the heroes and villains of Star Wars team up and battle with the heroes and villains of Earth-616."
"Hope Assembles is exciting, unpredictable, and heartfelt. In short, it’s comics at its best, and we can’t wait for readers to experience both franchises as never before."
It's certainly an intriguing premise, and one that fans have indeed imagined for many decades. Marvel Comics has now been publishing Star Wars comics for upwards of a decade, and after recent crossovers with the Alien and Predator franchises, this mashup was perhaps inevitable.
Check out the first cover art for Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles below.