What If...? Director: Disney Axed a Marvel and Star Wars Crossover

What if Marvel and Star Wars crossed over? It's a question that Marvel Studios' animated anthology series What If...?, which re-imagines and rewrites the events of the MCU, almost answered. Writer and story editor Matthew Chauncey — who scripted such episodes as T'Challa Star-Lord, Marvel Zombies, and the season 2 finale — pitched an idea that is "absolutely doable," reveals director and executive producer Bryan Andrews. But the gatekeeper of both IPs is Disney, so to borrow a phrase from non-Disney IP Ghostbusters: do not cross the streams.

"I think Kevin [Feige] really doesn't want to cross certain streams. But we did pitch… We actually had a Star Wars/Marvel crossover," Andrews told Moovy TV, adding that Chauncey came up with "a reason that made sense" for the Star Wars and Marvel universes to cross paths.

"So I think it's absolutely doable. I just don't know if [Feige] wants to cross those streams, but it's really funny," Andrews said. "Once you get to the realization of why, you go:'Oh, that… oh, right!' It totally makes sense. It won't rain on anyone's parade. But it was just a love letter to old-school Star Wars. And it was great. And I don't know if we'll ever be able to do it. But we have thought about that stuff."

With Marvel and Star Wars under the same company since 2012, Andrews was able to sneak in an Easter egg in "What If... T'Challa Became a Star-Lord?": the episode includes a blink-and-you'll-miss-it spotting of an Imperial TIE Fighter ship. But Disney — also gatekeepers of the Alien and Predator franchises via 20th Century Studios — nixed cameos by Xenomorphs and Yautja hiding in the Collector's museum.

"I have tried to put easter eggs. All these different things that Disney actually owns, but they're really sharp about," Andrews said. "They're like, 'No, no, no, no, no.' They spot that sh-t. We did sneak in a TIE Fighter… I don't think anyone will ever be able to see it, but in the shot when Starlord T'Challa runs in and there's spaceships around… In one of the shots, when it goes by, it's maybe motion-blurred, but there is a TIE Fighter in there. I don't know if you'll ever see it, but technically it's been painted.. it's in there. So that's one we were able to get in."

Disney-owned Marvel Comics publishes Star Wars comics and, under its new 20th Century Studios label, Alien, Predator, and Planet of the Apes comics. There have been crossovers between the company's major brands before: Marvel's Predator vs. Wolverine comic pit the Yautja against the metal-clawed X-Man, while the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 4 — a mashup of Disney and Pixar franchises — may include characters and locations from Star Wars.

All episodes of Marvel's What If...? seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Disney+.