The Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Star Wars universe are very different. While Star Wars takes place in a fantasy galaxy.- one far, far away from ours – the MCU takes place at least some part in our galaxy, relatively in our time. This allows movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home to reference Star Wars in its material, much to the delight of fans of both mega-franchises.
In the epic conclusion to the latest Spider-Man trilogy, Peter Parker’s unfinished and ultimately destroyed LEGO Death Star pays subtle homage to Return of the Jedi. But IGN points out that the Death Star II appearance (and demise) wasn’t actually the first time these Spider-Man movies, or the MCU overall, referenced Star Wars.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is home to the iconic scene where Ned discovers Peter is Spider-Man. Holding Peter’s LEGO Death Star set the moment he finds out, he accidentally drops and destroys the model, the same way the Death Star explodes into pieces in A New Hope.
IGN argues that the lack of LEGO Death Stars in Spider-Man: Far From Home expertly mirrors the absence of spherical superweapons in The Empire Strikes Back. However, Peter Parker does make a direct Episode V reference in his first MCU appearance. In Captain America: Civil War, he suggests taking down Ant-Man the same way the rebels eliminated the threat of the AT-ATs on Hoth.
The MCU bears no shame in celebrating a galaxy far, far away specifically for those who get to whisper “I understood that reference” quietly to themselves as they watch No Way Home in their Star Wars T-shirts.
Congratulations to directorJon Watts for completing a trilogy of films that will never be forgotten … much like the sci-fi trilogy they honor with easy-to-destroy LEGO.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is playing exclusively in theaters now.