Star Wars Releases New Looks at Mark Hamill's De-Aged Luke Skywalker During The New Republic Era With New MandoVerse Series Art

Star Wars just released a new look at a de-aged Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker during the New Republic era in a new Mandoverse series art. The Mandalorian Season 2 unexpectedly brought back Hamill's character in Episode 8, "The Rescue," where he effortlessly chopped down Moff Gideon's Dark Troopers with his green lightsaber. He later returned in The Book of Boba Fett, serving as Grogu's teacher. These Disney+ appearances marked the first time fans saw the Jedi Master in the New Republic era, a period set years after Return of the Jedi on the Star Wars timeline.

The new de-aged look comes from the covers of Marvel Comics' Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett #6, a seven-issue series adapting the Disney+ show, written by Rodney Barnes with art by Will Sliney. Luke appears on the main edition as well as one of its variant covers. The issue, which arrives on November 25, adapts the sixth episode of the series, "From the Desert Comes a Stranger," where Hamill made his first and only appearance in the show.

The main cover, illustrated by Phil Noto, properly captures the story at the heart of that episode. It shows Din Djarin in his Mandalorian armor on the left while Luke stands on the right, with Grogu between them. 

In front of Grogu is the beskar chainmail Din had forged for him, and beside Luke is Yoda's lightsaber. 

In that episode, Grogu was faced with the tough choice between the Mandalorian path, represented by the chainmail, and the Jedi path, represented by the weapon of Luke's old master.

The variant cover, on the other hand, encompasses the training Luke put Grogu through. The artwork shows the Jedi gripping the hilt of his lightsaber, ready to strike, while Grogu perches on a tree, peering over Luke's shoulder from behind.

 In Episode 6, the pair train in the swamps as the Jedi Master teaches the child the ways of the Force, and this cover art by British comic artist Mike McKone captures that moment perfectly.

Will Mark Hamill Return To Star Wars as Luke Skywalker?

Almost every Star Wars fan would love to see a de-aged Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker on their screens again, but what are the chances of that happening? Unfortunately, it looks unlikely, at least going by the actor's own recent words. Last year, he expressed his disinterest in returning to the franchise, telling ComicBook that "I had my time," urging Lucasfilm to give the spotlight to new characters instead of circling back to his.

Lucasfilm has a new creative chief in Dave Filoni, who took over as President and Chief Creative Officer in January, with Lynwen Brennan serving alongside him as Co-President following Kathleen Kennedy's exit. Whether the Star Wars veteran can convince Hamill to return in any capacity remains to be seen. The actor, for his part, was pleased to hear that Filoni was now the one steering the ship, telling USA Today that he "can't think of better hands" to lead the franchise.

Lucasfilm also seems to have found its next Luke Skywalker for its upcoming Mandalorian project. Lego Star Wars: The Mandalorian, a comedic animated retelling of all three seasons of the show, arrives on Disney+ on September 2, with Eric Bauza returning to voice Luke. Between this and other non-live-action adaptations, the franchise is clearly comfortable handing the part to another actor. Live-action, however, is quite tricky. It would be difficult to recast Luke given how passionate the fanbase can be, and those are shoes too big to fill.