Decades after their debut in Marvel‘s Star Wars comics, one long-forgotten anti-hero deserves to return to the spotlight in the two franchise’s first-ever crossover. Franchise crossovers have a special place in pop culture, as even though most of them exist outside regular continuity, they grant considerable freedom to explore possibilities that could never happen under ordinary circumstances. Only in limited events can Batman fight the Predator, Superman have a boxing match with Muhammad Ali, or the Avengers and the Justice League both fight and merge together into a single universe.

Marvel Comics has built a huge collection of inter-franchise crossovers. Its earliest major experiments included Superman and Spider-Man in 1976, followed by DC and Marvel’s increasingly ambitious collaborations such as Batman vs. The Incredible Hulk and Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man. Marvel then crossed into other genres and publishers with collaborations like Alien, Predator, Army of Darkness, Evil Dead, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, and Transformers. Marvel’s relationship with Godzilla has been especially fruitful, from Marvel’s licensed 1970s series to the currently ongoing, multi-part Godzilla Destroys the Marvel Universe continuity.

Star Wars has taken a much more cautious approach. Lucasfilm has allowed numerous licensed Star Wars adaptations and multimedia projects, but official crossovers with separate franchises have been rare. But after decades of Marvel-licensed comic titles, both universes are finally clashing for the first time in Star Wars / Marvel: Hope Assembles.

Jaxxon Needs To Appear In Star Wars & Marvel’s Crossover

Star Wars / Marvel: Hope Assembles; Written By Kevin Smith; Art By David Marquez

Jaxxon is almost tailor-made for Star Wars / Marvel: Hope Assembles given his special place in Star Wars history. Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin introduced the green Lepi smuggler in Marvel Comics’ Star Wars #8 in 1977, during a period when Marvel had considerable freedom to invent adventures beyond Episode IV. Jaxxon joined Han Solo and Chewbacca on Aduba-3, with a wisecracking personality, two blasters, and an intentionally bizarre bunny-like appearance that made him one of the strangest Star Wars characters at the time.

Jaxxon’s original adventures became Legends after Star Wars‘ continuity reset, but he never disappeared completely, as Marvel brought him back on a variant cover during its 2014 Star Wars relaunch, and Cavan Scott later restored him to modern storytelling in Star Wars Adventures. Subsequent stories gave him the full name Jaxxon T. Tumperakki and expanded his connection to Han Solo. Since Jaxxon is, quite literally, a product of the Marvel era of Star Wars publishing, Star Wars / Marvel: Hope Assembles is the perfect opportunity to reaffirm his Canon status.

Star Wars & Marvel’s Crossover Is The Perfect Opportunity For Various Exciting Encounters

Hope Assembles’ Anticipation Goes Beyond Spider-Man, Darth Vader, Doctor Doom, And Han Solo

Marvel Comics

While the most obvious pairings are the main appeal of Star Wars / Marvel: Hope Assembles, the real excitement could lie behind the encounters that nobody would normally expect to see. For example, Luke could cross paths with Daredevil and discover how much Matt Murdock accomplishes through heightened perception rather than the Force, or Chewbacca could find an unlikely friend in Wolverine, whose feral instincts and loyalty would make the two surprisingly compatible. Han Solo and Rocket Raccoon could form a reckless smuggler partnership, while Mace Windu and Nick Fury could show two sides of the same Samuel L. Jackson-inspired coin.

Marvel & Star Wars‘ crossover could be even more memorable if it allows Marvel’s darker heroes to experience the Star Wars galaxy firsthand. The Punisher fighting through an Imperial installation would be a radically different kind of spectacle from a Jedi duel, as Frank Castle could slice through entire armies of clone troopers with sheer firepower. Meanwhile, Doctor Strange could have his own encounter with a Force-wielding villain like Darth Sidious. On the Star Wars side, characters like Ahsoka Tano, Boba Fett, Lando Calrissian, and Grand Admiral Thrawn could have their own subplots, meeting a variety of similar or wildly different Marvel characters for the first time in pop culture history.

Which character do you want to see in Star Wars / Marvel: Hope Assembles?

Star Wars / Marvel: Hope Assembles is available January 2027 from Marvel Comics

TV Show(s)

The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions

Cast

Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal

Movie(s)

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order