·Two of the biggest franchises in pop culture are officially crossing paths for the first time.
·Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm announced Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles, a five-part comic series bringing Star Wars characters into the main Marvel Comics universe.
·The series launches in January 2027 as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of Star Wars: A New Hope.
·The story brings Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo and Chewbacca together with Marvel heroes including Spider-Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Hulk and the Avengers.
·On the villain side, Doctor Doom crosses paths with Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire.
·The setup centers on a reality-shattering spell that causes the Marvel heroes to witness the events of A New Hope unfolding on Earth.
·Marvel says the story firmly places the Star Wars franchise within Earth-616, the primary universe for Marvel Comics.
·Kevin Smith is writing the series, with artwork from David Marquez.
·Smith has a long history with comics, including work on Daredevil, Batman and Green Arrow, and says he grew up reading Marvel’s Star Wars comics and always wanted to see characters like Spider-Man and Doctor Doom enter the Star Wars story.
·Marvel has published Star Wars comics going all the way back to 1977, the same year the original movie arrived in theaters.
·Despite that nearly 50-year relationship, Hope Assembles marks the first official story where the Marvel and Star Wars universes fully collide.
