Superman vs. Darth Vader: The Crossover That Nearly Happened

Pop culture crossovers are everywhere today, but for most of its history, Star Wars stayed surprisingly isolated from other fictional universes. Aside from playful nods…like Indiana Jones discovering Han Solo’s remains, or Luke Skywalker visiting the Muppets…official crossovers were rare. Even as the franchise loosened up over the years with things like Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars or Fortnite events, one kind of crossover never materialized: a full‑blown comic book team‑up.

But it almost did.

At one point, fans came very close to seeing Superman square off against Darth Vader in a DC/Star Wars crossover…complete with concept art by Alex Ross. Here’s how the idea came together, and why it ultimately fell apart.

Alex Ross has illustrated countless iconic characters, but he’s always been open about the fact that his biggest inspirations come from the pop culture he grew up with. The Super Friends cartoon, the Shazam! TV series, and, crucially, the original Star Wars film all hit him at exactly the right age.

Because of that, Ross has contributed numerous Star Wars covers over the years for both Dark Horse Comics and Marvel. His painted style fit the galaxy far, far away beautifully, and he became one of the most recognizable artists associated with the franchise’s comic output.

But one project would have combined his two childhood obsessions in a way fans still dream about.

During the period when Dark Horse Comics held the Star Wars license, writer Kurt Busiek and artist Alex Ross developed a pitch for a crossover between DC’s superheroes and the Star Wars cast.

Ross even created fully painted pieces to help sell the idea, including a dramatic image of Superman facing off against Darth Vader, and another sprawling illustration pairing the Justice League with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia.

The artwork imagined:

Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman standing alongside the Star Wars “Big Three”
Green Lantern flying with an X‑Wing squadron
Flash sprinting beside R2‑D2 and C‑3PO while dodging Stormtrooper fire
Darkseid and Darth Vader looming together in the background

It was the kind of crossover that practically wrote itself, and with Busiek’s experience on JLA/Avengers and Ross’s superstar status, the creative team was a dream match.

According to Busiek, the project didn’t fall apart because of creative disagreements or lack of enthusiasm. Everyone involved wanted to make it happen.

The problem was corporate.

Back in 2017, Busiek explained that the companies involved simply couldn’t reach an agreement on how to divide the profits. Without a financial arrangement everyone could live with, the crossover stalled — and eventually died on the vine.

Ross continued to share various DC/Star Wars mash‑up illustrations over the years, but it’s unclear which pieces were part of the original pitch and which were just for fun. Either way, they serve as tantalizing reminders of what might have been.

A Superman vs. Darth Vader showdown would have been a blockbuster comic, the kind of event fans would still be talking about decades later. And while ownership changes and shifting corporate landscapes mean the idea could theoretically be revisited someday, Busiek has made it clear that the original version is long gone.

For now, the crossover remains one of the great “what ifs” of comic book history, a project that came close enough to generate art, excitement, and speculation, but not close enough to ever reach the page.

Still, imagining Superman staring down Darth Vader’s red lightsaber?

That’s a crossover dream that refuses to fade.