When all the Marvel Star Wars comic plots intersect in 2022, they'll still be part of a sprawling narrative, but much different than what War of the Bounty Hunters just pulled off.
In an interview with CBR, writer Charles Soule broke down how his upcoming Qi'ra-centric storylines Crimson Reign and The Hidden Empire will stand out from the last multi-comic event. "War of the Bounty Hunters was a full-on crossover, with direct tie-ins," he explained. "Crimson Reign (and The Hidden Empire) are more like state changes for the Star Wars galaxy -- during them, Qi'ra's activities will cause a lot of other things to happen for the various factions, but it's not as direct as it was in War of the Bounty Hunters, where all the books were essentially telling one huge story."
One reoccurring theme that will play out across every Star Wars comic, however, is the return of Crimson Dawn, Darth Maul's former criminal syndicate that, as War of the Bounty Hunters revealed, is now under Qi'ra's leadership. "Qi'ra will definitely be popping up, though -- she's all over my Star Wars book with Ramon Rosanas, for example," Soule continued, before teasing the appearance of "Crimson Dawn elements in Darth Vader, Doctor Aphra, and Bounty Hunters."
War of the Bounty Hunters officially confirmed Qi'ra's involvement in the Marvel Star Wars timeline following her ambiguous exit in 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story, played by Emilia Clarke. After stealing Han Solo's carbonite block from Boba Fett, Qi'ra openly invites multiple criminal parties to bid on him -- including the Empire and the Hutt Clan -- formally establishing Crimson Dawn's return to the galaxy. This prompts multiple characters from Star Wars, Darth Vader, Bounty Hunters and Doctor Aphra to converge on the auction for various reasons, though it ultimately ends with Fett reclaiming his bounty. However, in a major twist, Chelli Aphra discovers that Crimson Dawn has planted undercover agents across the entire galaxy, including moles in both the Empire and the Rebellion.
A preview for Crimson Reign shed more light on Qi'ra's motivations and plans for Crimson Dawn going forward, including an alliance with various figures like the Knights of Ren to achieve those goals. Building upon her brief Solo conversation with Darth Maul, it's revealed that she learned about the Sith from Maul and wishes to destroy Palpatine and Vader's rule for the power imbalance they have caused across the galaxy. In addition to the original trilogy-era Star Wars comics, which are currently connecting events between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Marvel's other ongoing series, Star War: The High Republic, follows Jedi-related conflicts set two centuries before the prequel original, and sequel trilogies took place.
Written by Charles Soule and with artwork by Steven Cummings and colors by GURU-eFX, Star Wars: Crimson Reign #1 arrives Dec. 1.
Source: CBR