Marvel Comics Reaches Full Corporate Synergy With January’s ‘Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles’

Since October of 2012, two of the biggest entertainment franchises have lived under the same corporate roof. Finally in January 2027, the Marvel Universe and Star Wars collide in Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles.

2027 marks the 50th anniversary of the original Star Wars. The Walt Disney Company has promised that would be a big deal, and this 5 issue limited series appears to be the start of that. The series will be penned and drawn by the superstar team of Kevin Smith and David Marquez.

It appears that reality altering magic is in play here. The Marvel Universe is firmly set on Earth-616, and Star Wars definitively exists on that Earth. So what happens when the Avengers, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and X-Men see the events of Star Wars: A New Hope unfold on their world after a reality altering spell?

Well, their only hope is to team with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia and Chewbacca against the combined forces of Darth Vader and Doctor Doom.

This series is a baffling one, without a doubt. I’m thrilled that Disney is throwing their weight behind celebrating Star Wars’ birthday, but as a fan of both franchises since childhood, this throws me. The EW.com announcement did bury the “reality altering spell” part of the equation a bit, so that does help with some of the confusion.

It’s still very weird though. These two universes seem like they’d mix together about as well as peanut butter and mayonnaise, and even with a tongue in cheek concept, I don’t know if it would truly work. At least under Marquez’s pencils, it’s going to look great.

“On April 12th, 1977, Marvel Comics introduced readers to a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars #1. Now, 50 years later, it’s only fitting that the Star Wars galaxy collides with the Marvel Universe to celebrate the 50th anniversary of A New Hope,” reflects Michael Siglain, Creative Director of Lucasfilm Publishing. “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.”

“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,” adds Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Stephen Wacker. “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!”

Series scribe Smith is one such lifelong lover of both franchises. “Back in the early ‘80s, I had a subscription to Marvel’s Star Wars comics. And as fun as it was to follow the adventures of Luke, Leia and Han, I always wished that Spider-Man or Doctor Doom could cross over into their cinematic saga,” he shares. “So when the opportunity arose to actually tell that story, nobody had to Force my hand! I’m ecstatic to be writing Hope Assembles for the 50th anniversary of Star Wars! Many thanks to Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm for trusting me to fly the Falcon and the Quinjet!”

“My time at Marvel has been filled with many ‘dream come true’ moments but this Hope Assembles crossover is truly one of our proudest. It’s an idea we’ve wanted to explore since getting the Star Wars license back over a decade ago, but we knew we’d have to wait with the patience of a Jedi to make it happen,” adds C.B. Cebulski, outgoing Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief and Consulting Editor on Hope Assembles. “The 50th Anniversary of A New Hope has finally given us the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring these two universes together, in this incredible story being told by Kevin Smith and David Marquez.”

Meanwhile, Patton Oswalt was unavailable for comment.