As a rule I try to avoid having hot takes when it comes to Star Wars news. But yesterday’s announcement that Marvel Comics would be publishing a comic book crossover between its popular heroes and Star Wars unexpectedly evoked a strong and negative reaction from me.
This Marvel/Star Wars crossover should be right in my wheelhouse. When I was a kid, my GIJoe toys and my Star Wars figures and my Micronauts all fought alongside each other. I get it. But I hate this in ways I can't fully articulate. Even if it didn't feel desperate in this moment, I hate it.
— Intisar – This Week in Aurebesh (@thisweekinaurebesh.bsky.social) 2026-08-11T19:09:15.415Z
Now that I’ve had some time to stew in my hate, I recalled that Star Wars might have a lesson to teach about that particular emotion.
Comic books have a long tradition of crossovers ever since Batman and Superman became the World’s Finest in the 1940s. In 1976, Spider-man crossed paths with Superman. Since the 1980s, the X-Men have teamed up with the Teen Titans, the Micronauts, Star Trek and, well, everyone else. Heck, Archie met the Ramones a few years ago, and it was great. So is Star Wars really my crossover Rubicon? It might be.
My feeling is that the look and feeling of Star Wars and Marvel comics are too different to mesh together well. George Lucas’ primary aesthetic for Star Wars’ design is that the movie’s universe should look lived in. Stan Lee believed that readers should feel like Marvel Comics took place in the world outside their windows. I just don’t see how Marvel’s friendly neighborhood heroes can comfortably fit in a galaxy far, far away. The characters of Spider-man and Luke Skywalker have similarities, but the thought of a farm boy in a dusty tunic fighting alongside a guy in bright red spandex seems ridiculous to me.
This comic was printed as a giant size, 10″ x 13 1/2”, “Treasury Edition”, the IMAX of comic book formats.
The question “Who is this even for?” crossed my mind today, and it gave me pause. I rarely see that question asked in good faith, because when it comes up, the answer is usually “This thing is not for me, therefore it should not be for anyone.” I just don’t want to be that guy. I want to be the guy that lets people have their fun. This is not for me. That’s okay. I hope the fans who want this have a great time. Truly.
Maybe they should lean into the ridiculousness. I can picture the Hulk tearing his way through a division of AT-ATs. Wolverine vs. Boba Fett probably writes itself. And Iron Man facing off against Darth Vader could look amazing from the right artist.
“Two out of three ain’t bad.”
Where crossovers like this succeed is by having the comparison and contrasts of the different properties highlight what makes each side unique. Where they fail is by turning into fan service and nostalgia bait.
I think Kevin Smith is a cool guy, and if anyone understands the assignment it could be him, but the task before Smith is daunting if not impossible. Both Star Wars and the MCU are perceived as stale in many corners of popular culture these days. The success of the new Spider-man movie and the critical acclaim of Andor seem to be exceptions rather than rules. The Mandalorian and Grogu did not light the world on fire, and the anticipation for Doomsday seems guarded at best. It feels like some suit at Disney decided now was the time to “break glass in case of emergency” and pulled this project out.
Like I said on Bluesky, all my action figures played together when I was a kid, and if this comic captures that enthusiasm I guess it’ll be a success. But I may be too old for this stuff.
Six years before the Terminator. Twelve years before Cable.
But I am also weak. If they have Valance the Hunter fight Cable, I’ll probably buy it.
