However, the context of its presence in pop culture might be very different, as George Lucas’s prequel trilogy did, for better or for worse, revitalize the franchise, as did Disney's sequel trilogy. On the contrary, many of the references, such as Ned’s Lego Death Star in Spider-Man: Homecoming, imply that the MCU certainly has a devoted Star Wars fanbase. That's not to say that Star Wars isn't culturally relevant in the MCU. This could mean that the franchise did not have the same resurgence in popularity that it did in the real world. If this is the case, then the original Star Wars trilogy might be the only one that exists in the MCU. While this could just be a coincidence, as the original trilogy is generally considered the most iconic set of films, the fact that there hasn’t been even one allusion to the franchise’s more recent outings comes across as a deliberate move on the part of the writers. RELATED: Star Wars: Matt Smith Discusses His Scrapped, 'Transformative' Rise of Skywalker Role Instead, all the callbacks to Star Wars are deeply rooted in the original trilogy, meaning it is the only one that is confirmed to exist. When looking at all the Star Wars references throughout the MCU, none of them appear to refer to the sequel or prequel trilogies. There could be a deeper in-universe explanation for this, though. Even at the age of fifteen, it seems like it would be common knowledge that most people are familiar with Star Wars. Because of this, it's weird that Spider-Man treats the film as if it were a niche topic.

In fact, by the time Captain America: Civil War was released in 2016, the series already had seven films to its name, as well as a few animated shows. While it is a funny moment that emphasizes the age difference between Spider-Man and the other Avengers, the wording is kind of strange.Įven though Empire Strikes Back is an old movie, the Star Wars franchise still has a heavy presence in pop culture today. The character cites “that really old movie, Empire Strikes Back” as the source of his inspiration. During the battle sequence at the airport, Spider-Man comes up with a plan to take down Ant-Man by tying his legs up with a web. However, probably the most curious Star Wars reference in the MCU occurs in Captain America: Civil War.

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