Marvel Has Used Alien and Predator—So Why Is Darth Vader Still Off-Limits?

Marvel’s Star Wars comics have pushed canon in bold new directions, yet there’s one glaring omission: Darth Vader has never crossed paths with any Marvel icon. Since 2015, Marvel has packed its Star Wars line with some of the coolest, most ambitious stories in Disney-era canon. But with Vader’s comic book saga heading toward a natural endpoint, Marvel is squandering a golden opportunity; not letting Vader play in the Marvel Universe sandbox.

Marvel’s Star Wars Run: Top-Tier Canon, One Big Exception

Let’s give credit where it’s due: Marvel hasn’t done Star Wars by half-measures. From the 2015 flagship series to the multiple best-selling Darth Vader solo runs (2015, 2017, 2020), they’ve gone deep into the psyche of Anakin Skywalker. We’ve seen his early days as a Sith, plots to overthrow Palpatine, the inner struggle that paves the way for his redemption, even his attempts to reconnect with his late wife Padmé.

Marvel’s output isn’t just about Vader. The main Star Wars comics, plus fan favorites like the Black, White, and Red miniseries, focus on characters from Darth Maul to Boba Fett. The High Republic era, launched in 2021, has given the comics a fresh battlefield outside the core Skywalker story. These series bridge gaps between films, add new context, and flesh out connections that make the Star Wars timeline feel vibrant and emotionally rich.

Still, for all that ambition, Marvel’s savvy has been strictly canon-bound. No matter how wild the stories, they refuse to color outside Lucasfilm’s established lines. Crossovers with other Marvel heroes or villains? Nowhere in sight. For all Vader’s popularity, he’s never stood in the same comic panel as Iron Man, Wolverine, or anyone else from the Marvel side of the house.

Darth Vader: Kept Apart, While Marvel Crosses Every Other Line

What’s truly bizarre is how much Marvel loves non-canon crossovers, unless it’s Star Wars. The publisher has churned out spectacle-driven mashups like Alien vs. Captain America and Predator Kills the Marvel Universe. There’s zero expectation of canon. These are wild, fan-service battles with no bearing on either franchise’s main storylines.

But with Star Wars, and Darth Vader’s finite timetable, Marvel remains hesitant. Vader’s arc, covering just a small slice of the vast Star Wars timeline, is close to being completely mapped. After nearly a decade, there’s only so much space left between the original and prequel trilogies, and Marvel’s already explored almost every corner.

The refusal to embrace a full-blown, “what if” crossover feels stranger with every passing year. Marvel could pit Vader against the Avengers, the X-Men, or Spidey in a one-shot, alternate-universe showdown. Need a workaround for Lucasfilm’s rules? No problem. The Marvel Universe already treats Star Wars as a pop-culture phenomenon, just like ours. They could conjure a Vader-like villain with magic, illusions, or create a cybernetic lookalike. The X-Men’s Kitty Pryde even dressed as Vader in the 1980s, a nod that proves Marvel’s never been shy about mixing worlds, at least for a wink and a nod.

Vader fighting the Hulk, or trying to outfox Doctor Strange—that would be a comics event to rival any Alien or Predator crossover. Yet Marvel’s stayed silent. That caution is baffling when the publisher routinely drops Xenomorphs and Predators in the Marvel Universe. Why draw the line at Darth Vader, of all characters?

Letting Vader cut loose against Marvel’s biggest names would be pure, non-canon fun, and a real moment for fans of both galaxies. It’s a spectacle Marvel’s been oddly unwilling to deliver, and time is running out before the license, and story possibilities, dry up for good.

Darth Vader’s Legacy: Huge in Star Wars, Missing from Marvel Crossovers

Vader, created by George Lucas and first appearing in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, remains one of the most iconic antagonists in pop culture. Across decades and multiple actors; Bob Anderson, Hayden Christensen, James Earl Jones, Matt Lanter, Matt Lucas, Jake Lloyd, David Prowse, Sebastian Shaw; his presence has shaped the Jedi and Sith legacy.

Marvel’s comic work has stacked layer on layer onto his mythos. Still, the publisher’s reluctance to let him clash with their superhero juggernauts is its biggest missed opportunity. Marvel’s not shy about mashing up its cast with sci-fi’s wildest icons. Holding Vader back is the one thing they haven’t been bold enough to try.

With non-canon crossovers thriving elsewhere, will Marvel finally pull the trigger before the moment passes? It’s the kind of battle Star Wars and Marvel fans both deserve, and might even need.