The most famous boarding action in movie history just got interrupted. Marvel has released a new preview of Star Wars | Marvel: Hope Assembles #1, and its opening pages drop Iron Man through the breach of the Tantive IV in place of the stormtroopers — the first full look inside the first-ever crossover between the Marvel Universe and Star Wars.
The six-issue series, written by Kevin Smith with art by David Marquez, replays the opening events of the 1977 Star Wars film on Earth-616 after a reality-shattering spell. The preview opens where the film does: C-3PO and R2-D2 making their way through the blockade runner's corridors while Rebel troopers take aim at a sealed door and brace for the breach.
What comes through that door is not what the Rebels — or anyone who has seen A New Hope — expect. Iron Man drops in through the fire and smoke, the Rebels open fire on him, and the Human Torch flames on in the same fight. Iron Man greets the Star Wars characters mid-battle: "May the Force Be With You. I'm looking for a princess. A Disney Princess, come to think of it."
Another page sends Captain America charging down a corridor of stormtroopers at the head of Thor, the Thing, Black Widow, Black Panther and the Invisible Woman, his shield deflecting blaster bolts as they come. Marquez even tucks what appears to be Howard the Duck into a row of stormtrooper helmets.
The fight then spills planetside. Leia's blockade runner screams over a city skyline with a Star Destroyer raining fire behind it, Captain America shields a child from falling debris, and Spider-Man swings through the wreckage while the Hulk and the Invisible Woman get civilians clear — and a pair of Skrulls runs for cover.
Running under the action is the preview's best joke: on Earth-616, Star Wars exists as a film, and most of Marvel's heroes have seen it. Captain America, frozen in ice for seventy years, has not — leaving him to ask the Thing whether the white-armored soldiers have a name: "You're gonna love this, Cap. They're called Stormtroopers."
The crossover lines up each side's biggest names. The Avengers and Spider-Man will team up with Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo and Chewbacca, while Doctor Doom allies himself with Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire. Marvel has confirmed the story will remain part of Marvel continuity after it ends.
"One of the most exciting things about this series is seeing familiar moments through an entirely new lens," editor Mark Paniccia said. "Every issue has moments that will leave fans smiling, cheering, and eager to see what happens next." The preview will also run in the back of select Marvel titles over the coming months.
Marvel has also shared a closer look at the variant cover drawing the most attention: Rafael Albuquerque's Crossover variant, first revealed at New York Comic Con, showing Darth Vader wielding the Infinity Gauntlet. It anchors a nine-cover program for the debut issue, led by Marquez's connecting main covers and an Alex Ross Alliance variant painting Spider-Man swinging in over a lightsaber-drawn Luke Skywalker.
The remaining categories run through the series: Kaare Andrews' Battle variant stages one-on-one showdowns, Cory Smith's A New Hope variant recreates iconic film moments with Marvel characters, Dan Jurgens' Retro variant channels Marvel's original Star Wars comics, and the lineup is rounded out by a Marvel Homage variant, Matteo Lolli's Foil variant and a Virgin variant by Andrews.
Hope Assembles arrives as Star Wars celebrates its 50th anniversary, nearly five decades after Marvel published Star Wars #1 in 1977 — the year the original film reached theaters. Star Wars | Marvel: Hope Assembles #1 goes on sale January 13, 2027, and preorders are open at local comic shops.
Source: Marvel
