Latest Fantasy News: Fans compare two vital characters from ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Game of Thrones’ and look back on the near miss that was Harry Potter in the MCU

The media landscape is wild at the moment, with multiple behemoth franchises vying for our collective attention.

The Star Wars universe is only getting larger, thanks to new additions in the form of The Mandalorian and the upcoming Ahsoka, and fantasy franchises are getting a similar treatment. The Game of Thrones universe has House of the Dragon, Lord of the Rings has Rings of Power, and Harry Potter now has Hogwarts Legacy adding lore — and controversy — to its existing history. That’s not even to mention the MCU, which adds fresh films and television shows to its rapidly growing roster every year. Even DnD is getting its moment in the sun, thanks to the upcoming release of Honor Among Thieves.

Several of these massive franchises nearly collided when the legendary Stan Lee made attempts to get J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter universe to cross with Marvel. Fans are looking back at the blessedly failed effort with relief, as backlash continues to weigh down the Hogwarts Legacy release.

Another strange crossover is likewise distracting Star Wars and Game of Thrones fans from the continued Hogwarts Legacy discourse, as an attempt to compare two vital characters from the starkly different franchises stirs up debate online.

Marvel could have had had ‘Harry Potter’ crossovers

Back in 2018, long before J.K. Rowling’s transphobia came to light, the great Stan Lee nearly made a decision that would have changed Marvel completely. The comic book legend jokingly reached out to Rowling on Twitter, and asked if her Hogwarts wizards would be interested in crossing wands with the likes of Doctor Strange and the Scarlet Witch. The match-up was never likely, thanks to licensing issues, but longtime Marvel fans are breathing a sigh of relief in the wake of ongoing Rowling drama.

Has the original licensing of DnD changed?

A recent licensing snafu with Hasbro, Wizards of the Coast and DnD worked the game’s massive fanbase into a frenzy, and nearly destroyed the recent surge in popularity the game has experienced. Branching DnD content is a huge part of the reason the game is so popular, and leaked information hinted that new legal restrictions would prevent shows like Critical Role from continuing. Thankfully, the immediate backlash prompted the company to walk back on its intended changes, apologize, and broadly say that licensing isn’t set to change overmuch in the near future.

Fans compare Qui-Gon and Ned Stark’s character arcs

An attempt to compare two vital sci-fi and fantasy characters didn’t go exactly as intended, after a Redditor made the attempt to compare Qui-Gon Jinn and Ned Stark. Both characters are vital within their respective stories, and their early deaths have prompted branching fan theories about how things may have changed if they’d survived. Overall, the two men couldn’t be more different, but their demise near the start of their stories connects the two men in a surprising number of ways.