Which characters from the original Marvel ComicsStar Warsrun would work the best in modern, live actionStar Wars? The original film,A New Hope, then titled justStar Wars, was released in May 1977 – but the Marvel Comics adaptation of the movie began in April of the same year. This series continued on past the events of the film, though, expanding theStar Warsuniverse for the first time.
Marvel’sStar Warsencapsulates the fantastical and whimsical aspects of the saga more than probably anything else. Because of this, it was largely dismissed by the rest of theStar WarsExpanded Universe, until later on in the 2000s when it was more embraced. This has continued into modern canonStar Warsstories, with the return of several elements of MarvelStar Warsinto modern comics.But beyond comics – which elements from this landmark series should come into live action?
9Baron Orman Tagge
TheTagge familywere major villains during a large part of the 1977 run. The House of Tagge was first introduced with one of the Death Star Imperials, Casio Tagge, inA New Hope. Casio’s many siblings became recurring antagonists, like Baron Orman Tagge himself.
Baron Orman Tagge was the head of the House of Tagge, a massive corporate empire that existed in theStar Warsgalaxy for decades. In the months afterA New Hope, Orman came into conflict with Luke Skywalker, proving to be a powerful and exciting foe for the young hero. Blinded by Darth Vader & needing cybernetic goggles, Orman notably developed a failed superweapon called the Omega Frost and wielded an imitation lightsaber against Luke in an iconiclightsaber battle.
8Fenn Shysa
Rebel Mandalorian Protector
Fenn Shysa is another standout of the later years of MarvelStar Wars. A Mandalorian protector, Shysa first came into the plot during the first ever visit to theplanet Mandalore. Leaving the Rebels on good terms, Shysa returned again in the series' final issues to formally join the Rebel cause against extragalactic invaders.He was much more noble than other Legends Mandalorians, a hero of the Nagai-Tof War.
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Shysa became a much more iconic character later on with appearances in a few prequel-era tie-in stories, with a distinct connection to the Republic Commando novels by Karen Traviss. Shysa is intricately tied into the Mandalorian Dark Times history inLegends, and could be a very cool addition to canon storytelling. Though,Din Djarindoes seem to be filling several of Shysa’s roles in canon – except for the romantic subplot with Princess Leia, of course.
7Domina Tagge
Secret Sister In House Tagge
Another member of the Tagge family, Domina Tagge also dates back to the original MarvelStar Warsseries. Long after her initial appearance, Domina has actually made quite the resurgence in modernStar Warscomics, particularly in Alyssa Wong’s 2020 run ofDoctor Aphra. Another powerful & cunning industrialist, Domina is a fearsome foe.
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Dating back toStar Wars#33 by Archie Goodwin and Carmine Infantino, Domina was a dangerous enemy for the Rebel Alliance. She worked with Darth Vader, and swore revenge on Luke Skywalker after he killed Orman Tagge in a lightsaber duel. In canon, Domina Tagge could fit perfectly into theNew Republic era, as a mysterious figure tied into both the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic itself.
6Flint
Luke’s First New Foe
One of the most minor characters on this list, only appearing in two issues ever, Flint was a one-time villain in the series. He was a young man that Luke Skywalker met around the time the Empire attacked his home planet, Belderone, killing his family.Flint decided to become a stormtrooper, and was later discovered to be Force-sensitive, becoming an apprentice of Darth Vader, and seeking revenge on Luke after Vader’s death.
On the planet Naldar, Flint attacked Skywalker and his student Barney, a former friend of Flint’s from Belderone. This was a historic event for the series, as it was the first proper lightsaber-vs-lightsaber duel outside the films. Flint would be a wonderful addition to canon as a foil to Luke Skywalker, and something of a proto-Starkiller. Whatever future Luke Skywalker-centric story takes place in the early New Republic era, it could use a character just like Flint.
5Dark Lady Lumiya
Light-Whip Wielding Dark Apprentice
One of the most iconic characters from Marvel’sStar Wars, and one who played a much bigger role in the laterLegacy of the ForceExpanded Universe books, is Dark Lady Lumiya. Lumiya was yet another dark side apprentice of Darth Vader, who once infiltrated the Rebel Alliance to assassinate Luke, but of course, she failed. She was then healed with cybernetics, and crafted her ownlightsaber whipto become a deadly Shadow Hand of Vader.
After his death, Lumiya reemerged, aligning her Imperial remnant with the extragalactic Nagai forces to challenge the Alliance of Free Planets.She took Luke nearly to his death in a duel on Kinooine, forcing him to build another lightsaber to combat her properly. If canon stories need another mini-boss type threat for Luke Skywalker, or even Ben Solo to face off against during the New Republic era, Lumiya would be a fantastic choice.
4Kiro
Luke Skywalker’s Aquatic Student
In the post-Return of the Jediera of Marvel’sStar Wars, Luke Skywalker began to teach a few other characters in the ways of the Jedi. He was hesitant about this, but did indeed gather powerful allies in this pursuit. One of those close allies was an aquatic Chuhkyvi warrior named Kiro, whom Luke met on the water world of Iskalon. Because of his biology, Kiro needed to wear a water bubble helmet after accepting Luke’s offer to leave Iskalon with him.
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Kiro became a member of the Rebel Alliance’s new government, the Alliance of Free Planets, and was a regularly recurring character throughout the end of the MarvelStar Warsrun.An excellent fighter with a unique set of abilities, Kiro was a great ally for Luke, and someone who could be a great addition to live actionStar Wars. His appearance is unique, and would continue the tradition of aquatic beings aiding our heroes.
3Ship
The Sentient Ship From Another Galaxy
Absolutely the strangest character on this list, is Ship. Yes, just Ship. Ship was the ‘name’ of a sentient, globular, green vessel that Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa encountered shortly before the events ofThe Empire Strikes Back.Semi-organic, Ship was fully conscious due to a melding of pilot and vehicle, and communicated with Luke and Leia while they boarded itdue to a hyperdrive error sending them into the intergalactic void.
While onboard,Ship reveals to the Rebels that it was indeed from a different galaxy, and was the final survivor of a war there. This war decimated their galaxy, with a weaponized plague leaving only a single pilot left to wander the intergalactic void alone, in his ship. The two merge, and, proving to not be as villainous as first thought, Ship fights off an Imperial fleet with its advanced weaponry and releases Luke and Leia back into their galaxy. Ship would be an absolutely incredible subject for anyStar Warsseries, and its unique look would be striking in live action.
2Beilert Valance
The Original Bounty Hunter
It’s no shock to say that bounty hunters have been in the spotlight in the modern era ofStar Wars.The Mandalorianhas taken fans further into bounty hunting than any other live actionStar Warsproject, and with it, should come a reflection on the out-of-universe history of bounty hunting in the galaxy far, far away. And that long history begins with Beilert Valance.
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First appearing inStar Wars#16 by Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson, Beilert Valance was referred to as “The Hunter”.A droid-hating warrior, dead set on killing all droids– while secretly being half droid himself. In the modern era, Valance has become a staple of modernStar Warscomics, being the main character of the 2020Bounty Hunterscomic series by Ethan Sacks. Thus, introducing this killing machine with a heart-of-gold into live action should be no big deal at all.
1Jaxxon
The Green Space Rabbit
Quite possibly the most iconic – or most notorious – character from Marvel’sStar Wars, is the green rabbit himself:Jaxxon. Jaxxon was introduced in the first arc of the series beyond the adaptation ofA New Hope, as part of Han Solo & Chewbacca’s slapdash crew called the Star-Hoppers of Aduba-3. Jaxxon, a humanoid, green, rabbit-like Lepi, was quite the fighter, in aSeven Samurai-type storyline led by Solo. But George Lucas himself really did not like this character.
Instantly notorious for his appearance, and the goofiness of a humanoid space rabbit, Jaxxon became rather controversial. Some fans agreed with Lucas and disliked his goofy nature, while some embraced him as a good representation of the inherent sillier side ofStar Wars. Because of the second group, Jaxxon has made his triumphant return toStar Warscanon books and comics in the modern age, meaning that his potential translation into live actionStar Warsis not only possible, it’s something that almost feels inevitable.
