Marvel has unveiled plans to feature characters from The Acolyte on upcoming Star Wars comics for Black History Month. However, fans of the canceled Disney Plus show have claimed it’s not enough.
(L-R): Osha Aniseya (Amandla Stenberg) and the Stranger in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, season one, exclusively on Disney+. ©.
In another example of why you can’t placate the mob, Marvel learned an interesting lesson this week when it announced plans to dedicate four Star Wars comic book covers in February to Black characters in celebration of Black History Month. However, fans of The Acolyte—a group not known for its laid-back attitude or willingness to express gratitude—fired back at the Disney-owned publisher for not doing more outside of comics.
Mother Aniseya from The Acolyte Featured on a Star Wars Comic Book Cover – YouTube, Nathan Stark
An upcoming issue of the Star Wars comic book Legacy of Vader will feature The Acolyte‘s mother Aniseya, the leader of the coven of witches at the center of Disney’s widely panned Star Wars show. February’s issue of Star Wars: The High Republic Fear of the Jedi features both Mae and Osha, the twins played by Amandla Stenberg.
A Star Wars comic book cover featuring Osha and Mae from The Acolyte – YouTube, Nathan Stark
Note that The Acolyte characters appear only on the variant covers for these comics. They won’t feature in the books’ stories.
Marvel will also feature Lando Calrissian from the Star Wars original trilogy and Vail, who was (apparently) a character from Star Wars: Outlaws—the failed video game from Ubisoft.
A Star Wars Comic Book cover featuring Lando Calrissian – YouTube, Nathan Stark
Mace Windu from the prequel trilogy and Finn from the sequel trilogy are not featured whatsoever. Despite fan sentiment toward the sequel trilogy, many fans see Finn in a favorable light and believe the character received a raw deal in the tug-of-war battle between directors JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson.
Mace Windu is, of course, a hugely popular character with legions of fans.
And yet these two were overlooked in favor of characters from perhaps the two most widely panned Star Wars projects ever made: The Acolyte and Outlaws.
Vail from Star Wars: Outlaws on a Comic Book Cover – YouTube, Nathan Stark
One might assume that fans of The Acolyte (who apparently do exist, if online tantrums following the show’s cancellation are to be believed) would be happy about this. However, outlets like Feminegra seem to think it’s not enough.
“While comics expand Star Wars narratives, fans and cast members have made it clear that they want more,” the outlet said in its official write-up. “Marvel’s celebration of Black History Month is a step forward, but Lucasfilm and Disney Plus must rethink their approach. Transitioning The Acolyte into additional seasons or new media formats would better meet the demand for diverse stories. Comics alone cannot satisfy the desire for representation and compelling storytelling in a galaxy far, far away.”
(L-R): The Stranger and Osha Aniseya (Amandla Stenberg) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, season one, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
The Acolyte was canceled because the show had a bloated reported budget of $230 million, as uncovered by That Park Place in UK tax filings. The high cost didn’t meet demand, with the show pulling abysmal ratings and falling off the Nielsen chart for Top Ten Original Streaming Series in its fifth week.
However, apparently, because of the “demand for diverse stories,” Disney should, according to Feminegra, shell out even more shareholder money to produce a show with virtually no audience.
How do you feel about The Acolyte returning through Marvel Comics? Did you watch the show when it aired? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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