Solo: A Star Wars Story has been on the receiving end of mixed feelings ever since it was first officially announced back in in 2015. Some fans were thrilled at the prospect of revisiting the roguish - albeit slightly dorky - smuggler, and others lamented another movie focused on a well-known white man despite a plethora of other Star Wars characters to choose from.

The mixed reviews continued after the movie’s release as well, with some criticizing its poor handling of Val, played by the iconic Thandie Newton, and others praising its action sequences and Donald Glover as Lando. Regardless of your opinion of the end result, Solo has provided a host of new worlds and characters from which ideas could be mined for future spinoffs, some perhaps surpassing Solo itself.

In order to be considered for the list, the fan art must feature characters who actually appear onscreen in Solo. Mentions or other allusions don’t count (sorry, Bossk). Alternate universes are included, and so are crossovers.

Obviously, the list contains some spoilers for Solo even though it explores potential spinoffs rather than the movie itself, so proceed with caution if you’ve yet to see it!

Here are 20 Fan Art Spinoffs Better Than Solo.

Enfys Nest

She is awesome. As the leader of the Cloud Riders, Enfys Nest (drawn by Torchwick_Roman) wears a mask that distorts her voice, concealing her true identity. She’s featured in some truly amazing action sequences, including the scene in which the Cloud Riders disrupt Beckett’s team attempting to steal coaxium.

Enfys is yet another figure in Star Wars’ long tradition of mysterious masked characters. Even though she takes off her mask in the third act in an understated yet epic reveal that challenges assumptions about gender (a la Éowyn from Lord of the Rings), the mystery that surrounds her character hasn’t lessened one bit. In fact, by explaining the true motives of the Cloud Riders, she adds to the intrigue.

There’s no lack of characters driven to rebel against the Empire because of a lifetime of first-hand experience with their brutal colonization. Cassian Andor and Rose and Paige Tico come to mind. Many of the characters in the franchise come from hardships of their own, often linked to the Empire. But the colonialism of the Empire is often in the background, with characters mentioning it rather than being depicted onscreen. It’s about time that Lucas Film showed us what the beginning of a rebellion looks like, led by a tenacious young girl.

The Decraniated

Remember the dude who threatens Luke in Mos Eisley in A New Hope? That’s Dr. Cornelius Evanzan, a surgeon who disfigured his patients and made a bunch of servants by installing cybernetic augmentations on human victims who now only have half of their faces left.

Dryden Vos has one such servant on his personal yacht, but Solo isn’t the first movie to feature the Decraniated. A Decraniated person can be seen on Jedha in Rogue One, where Evanzan also has a cameo.

This Star Wars tid bit gives off sci-fi horror vibes, and since Star Wars is already a major sci-fi franchise that has veered into the space western genre with Solo, perhaps they could also develop a something with a horror twist.

The spinoff could center on Evanzan’s experiments, in the vein of the classic evil scientist.

Then it could shift its focus onto a Decraniated person— depicted here by lledra-fanstuffs— and their fight for autonomy, keeping with the broader Star Wars theme. Plus, it could potentially evoke some elements of Frankenstein, arguably the very first work of science fiction. With Disney increasingly acknowledging the power of women, it would be a good way of paying homage to the genre by a young woman, the brilliant writer Mary Shelley.

Han and Lando

No list of potential spinoffs would ever be complete without Lando Calrissian, our favourite suave, sabacc-cheating smuggler. Although Solo has now established a canonical backstory for Han and Lando’s first encounter, there is no such thing as too much Lando.

There is still so much room for a Lando spinoff, set before or after the events of Solo. Lando is introduced as kind of a big deal in Solo, so how did he get to that level of infamy in the first place? How did he wind up getting Cloud City by gambling? Solo doesn’t end with Lando and Han (drawn here by rahzzah) on the best of terms, so how does their relationship progress? Most importantly, what’s with all the capes?

Sure, Lando’s enjoyed numerous appearances outside of the main films, but it's still not enough in our book. Especially now that Donald Glover has won over so many hearts with his performance in Solo, it’d be cool to see him at the helm of a spinoff Lando movie.

It’d also be a great chance to finally depict an explicitly LGBT character in a Star Wars movie. Sure, Chuck Wendig gave us an explicitly gay character in Aftermath. Jon Kasdan has confirmed that Lando is pan, but by mentioning it in an interview afterwards rather than including it in the actual content.

Solo on the Seas

The Millennium Falcon is one of the most iconic ships in pop culture, but Aerowan reimagines Han as a medieval smuggler captain, sailing on the high seas instead, and the result is pretty mind-blowing.

With Chewbacca still as some sort of bipedal anthropomorphic animal (which the artist describes as hyena-styled), this would probably be a historic fantasy alternate universe rather than a straight historic retelling.

It could be reminiscent of Treasure Planet, combining the space opera elements with some epic swashbuckling action.

Regardless of the exact setting, a Han and Chewie buddy cop-esque spinoff would be a fun-filled romp. Solo does revolve around a heist and it’s interesting to see Han and Chewie’s initial interactions, but their dynamics are an absolute goldmine just waiting to be revealed. What better way to explore their evolving relationship than through an adventure of questionable legality? They’ll charm their way through trouble, fail to charm their way, and then fight their way out with a combination of Han’s wit, Chewie’s pragmatism keeping his more fanciful ideas at bay.

Besides, it’d be a good chance to dig deeper into Chewie’s choice to stay with Han instead of finding his fellow Wookiees, especially since he appears to be torn between the choice in Solo.

Lando and Luke

Lando and Han obviously have a lot of history, but what about Lando and Luke? We know that Lando becomes a general in the Rebellion and does his part in fighting the Empire, so surely their interactions go beyond what we see in the original trilogy.

The extended universe/Legends does have the two being buddies, but it would still make for a great spinoff, now that the bulk of that content has now been removed from canon.

Politics and the fate of the galaxy aside, maybe Lando has a hand in Luke’s major sartorial upgrade in Return of the Jedi. Stitchy Art’s piece certainly suggests fashion would be a part of their dynamic. Plus, Mark Hamill himself has agreed that since there’s no explicit mention of Luke’s orientation in the movies, it’s open to interpretation. How about a spinoff with Lando and Luke, and they can finally explicitly include Lando being pan and Luke's orientation?

In any case, there’d of course be the question of casting a young Luke Skywalker if this spinoff were to happen. Hamill has thoughts on that too! His “son” Sebastian Stan is a popular choice, given the physical similarities, while Hamill has nominated Jacob Tremblay, the young actor known for his work in Room.

Wookiee the Chew

“I told you I’d come back!”

James Hance reimagines Chewie and Han as Pooh and Christopher Robin in this rendering, part of a series he’s entitled “Wookie the Chew”. While Solo already establishes Han and Chewie’s encounter, we don’t really have that much information on Chewie after Han’s passing.

Sure, Chewie is in The Last Jedi, but the focus is never really on him and his grief, someone who’s known Han for so long. And we know for certain that Chewie is just as devastated as Leia.

There’s a Wookiee honor code that prohibits Wookiees from using their claws for anything besides climbing. Those who violate the code get exiled. It’s a big deal then that Chewie uses his claws on a stormtrooper after Kylo Ren ends Han. That said, he does justify his choice saying that Kylo’s patricide shows that honor doesn’t exist within the First Order.

Since the dynamic duo have such a long and rich history together, it’s worth exploring Chewie’s grief over Han’s passing.

It would also provide another shot at giving a wider audience more insight into Wookiees as a whole besides them being enslaved by the Empire for their labor.

The spinoff would be full of Shyriiwook, but hey, foreign language films get subtitles all the time.

Leia and Han

Now that Lucas Film is part of Disney, it’s no surprise that fans would start making Disney and Star Wars crossovers. While this piece by Luxris isn’t technically a crossover per se, it’s a creative take on Leia and Han’s relationship as compared to Rapunzel and Flynn’s.

Leia and Han’s relationship is nothing short of iconic, with a plethora of merch dedicated to their “I love you” “I know” exchange. Due to the three-year time jump after A New Hope, the build-up to their getting together in The Empire Strikes Back can seem a bit sudden.

A spinoff focusing on Han and Leia’s relationship growth could be interesting. If a rom-com isn’t on Lucas Film’s radar, a young Leia spinoff featuring a young Han could also work. The spotlight could be on Leia’s adventures as she trudges onward in a galactic war after losing her family and entire homeworld, and then being tormented by her birth father. Her budding feelings towards Han could be a subplot to help provide more insight on how they became a couple despite the terrors of an outright war.

This would mean casting a young Leia as well, which is a bittersweet thought with Carrie Fisher still fresh in every mind. Still, Leia has had her share of spinoff books, and the icon deserves to star in her own movie as well.

Darth Maul

Darth Maul (drawn here by Jimbobox)already has had quite a remarkable journey in the available canon. He has some amazing lightsaber fights in The Phantom Menace, in which he’s introduced as a mysterious villain and then gets cut in half by Obi-Wan. He gets bisected and falls into a pit, leaving audiences and in-story characters alike assuming he’s gone forever.

But then he pops up in The Clone Wars TV series, where he has amnesia and is discovered by Savage Opress, another Nightbrother from Dathomir. And then he gets robot legs. He fails to get his revenge on Obi-Wan, and then tries to build a criminal empire, running the Shadow Collective. Then he shows up in Rebels as well, and ends up fatally wounded by Obi-Wan (for now, at least).

In a controversial cameo in Solo, Maul turns out to be the real leader of the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate, another entry in his long resume.

Despite his extensive list of appearances through Star Wars, there are still so many questions to be answered.

How did he go from the leader of such a powerful gang to stranded on Malachor? He explains how he has managed to survive on Lotho Minor after Obi-Wan slices him in half, but still, how is he not a goner after being bisected?

Baby Han and Chewie

How about a child-friendly animated spinoff about Han and Chewie’s adventures, spired by jpzilla's piece? After all, Star Wars really started off as a children’s movie, and with the sequel trilogy introducing the franchise to a whole new generation of fans, it seems apt to add something more light-hearted, a la the junior merchandise.

There’s no shortage of Star Wars animations, of course. There’s The Clone Wars, Rebels and Forces of Destiny, to name but a few.

This could be a great way for more mischievous kids to learn valuable lessons from someone who is a scoundrel with a heart of gold.

It’d be easy for kids to point to Han as an example of a cool rule-breaker, but we’ve seen time and time again that Han has a strong sense of right and wrong, no matter how much he tries to act otherwise. Kids could learn from a young, animated version of Han that there can be a balance between rowdiness and doing the right thing.

Since Chewie doesn’t speak Basic, Han would have to continue translating, which gives off Blue’s Clues vibes! Maybe this spinoff could have the duo breaking the forth wall and addressing the kids directly like Steve and his puppy Blue.

Han and Deadpool

Two self-serving characters known for being morally ambiguous, what could go wrong? We can’t seem to find the artist of this brilliant piece (please give us any leads!), but oh boy, does this open up a whole world of possibilities!

Ryan Reynolds himself has said that he wants to see Deadpool and Han work as a team, adding that he has acquired “non-vocal commitment from Harrison Ford,” in the form of his astrological chart.

The drawing seems to take place in yet another seedy cantina, and it makes sense that Deadpool would be the one to traverse universes to join Han in our favorite galaxy far, far away. This could be another spinoff about two reluctant partners forced to work together for survival, and then parting ways on murky terms once the deed is done. Maybe Han’s in some serious debt (again), and gets Deadpool as hired muscle, all the while keeping one eye open in case Deadpool turns against him. Han would probably make a lot of witty quips whenever Deadpool turns to the camera. They’d have some pretty epic banter, period.

If Disney really does want to put a darker, more adult spin on Star Wars, this is definitely one way to go about it.

The Crew Reunited

This might be more of a missing scene than a full-blown spinoff, but this piece by Matt Rhodes depicts the crew (minus Luke) regrouping on the Millennium Falcon after Han’s rescue from Jabba the Hutt at the beginning of Return of the Jedi.

If it were to become a longer spinoff, it could recount the events leading up to Return of the Jedi from Lando’s end, since he does become a general in just a year. That means he must’ve done some pretty spectacular things that culminate in such a big promotion. Perhaps it could even be someone in the vein of Rogue One, bringing the focus on lesser-known characters with support from more central characters like Lando and Leia.

It could show the chaos after Han’s capture as well as how the crew comes up with the plan to rescue him. At the end of The Empire Strikes Back, Lando and Chewie split off in order to find Jabba and Boba Fett, taking the Falcon with them. Since it takes one year for them to execute the plan to save Han, it’s not hard to imagine that Lando and Chewie’s journey took quite a few detours. Besides, it would be interesting to see how the two get along without Han on-board.

Lando: Rogue

Again, you can never ever have too much of Lando Calrissian, especially with Donald Glover charming everyone’s pants off in Solo.

In this comic book cover-esque piece by Duncecap-Dan, Lando takes center stage at last! Lando’s story arc within the canon films has always been tied to Han in some way, so how about a spinoff that doesn’t feature Han at all?

There are novels that focus on Lando, but an origin story for our favorite smuggler turned administrator turned general seems like a pretty sweet idea.

How does Lando learn to fly? What’s his childhood like? Does he have a family? How does Lando end up with the Millennium Falcon? Let’s be real, any sort of verbal explanation from Lando would be embellished, so why not a cinematic depiction of the actual events?

Again, can someone please explain his love of capes? After all, they’re not exactly the most practical thing to have, especially for a smuggler. Edna Mode from The Incredibles yelling “NO CAPES” comes to mind, vividly.

It’d also be worth investigating Lando’s history with Drebble, his long-time arch nemesis who appears in Lando’s comic series. Plus, Drebble hires bounty hunters, one of whom is Bossk, to catch Lando at some point, which surely means the spinoff would feature some daring escapes.

Sana Starros

When Solo was first announced, there was much speculation as to who would appear in the film. A popular fan choice was Sana Starros, drawn here by Lazy-Afternooner. Starros has quite a history with Han.

If you didn’t know, Sana appears in the comics and joins forces with Han in order to pull off a heist. Part of the plan was to pretend to be a married couple. However, Han, the rogue that he is, ran off with her share as well, which obviously ticked her off. As she hunts Han down across the galaxy, she continues to say they were married, although Han denies it.

Starros does appear in quite a few Star Wars tie-in works, but her moral ambiguity would make her an engaging protagonist in her own right. Han and Sana could be reluctant partners-in-crime (as all of Han’s criminal associates are, really), working together to smuggle some goods under the Empire’s radar with an uneasy alliance. Sana probably wouldn’t join the Rebellion outright like Han and Lando, but it would also be interesting to see where she stands as the fight against the Empire escalates.

Plus, imagine the field day she and Lando would have, poking and prodding at Han where it stings the most. The banter would be incredible to behold.

Dryden Vos

Dryden Vos (depicted here by venamis) has been criticised for being an underdeveloped villain in Solo, but he definitely has a lot of potential to dig into.

Not much is known about Dryden, other than his status as a major crime lord and apparent leader of the crime syndicate Crimson Dawn.

Perhaps the biggest mystery is how he came in contact with Darth Maul, the true leader of Crimson Dawn.

He leads a lavish lifestyle aboard his personal yacht the First Light, with his study full of plundered goods. One of them is a slab of obsidian stone that he got from a Sith temple. One of the most famous examples of obsidian is probably Darth Vader’s castle on Mustafar, which is made of the material.

Maybe Dryden has connections with the Sith Order. The red glow of his blades is certainly reminiscent of the iconic red lightsabers wielded by Sith Lords. On top of that, Dryden is near-human, and we don’t have any specifics regarding the exact alien species he is. A Dryden spinoff could be a chance for Star Wars to expand its geography even further, introducing new worlds and ecosystems.

Who knows, maybe he might not even be truly gone, and get a whole other arc - like his boss Darth Maul.

Papa Han

Ever since the bulk of the expanded universe was decanonized and rebranded as “Legends”, not much is known about Han and Leia’s canonical parenthood, other than they had Ben Solo and sent him off to Luke to train as a Padawan. That doesn't stop fans like Lorna-ka from drawing pictures, though.

Given how restless Han is and how vehemently he argues that he’s the bad guy, it’s hard to imagine him being in charge of the wellbeing of an actual baby human. There’s been a lot of speculation about Kylo Ren’s childhood, with some serious  Kylo fans having headcanons that he was raised by irresponsible or even abusive parents and others suggesting that his childhood was fulfilling and loving. A spinoff focusing on Han and Leia as parents would probably put the speculation to rest.

In Leia, Princess of Alderaan, it’s clear that both Breha and Bail Organa love Leia beyond words, and that love is clearly reciprocated. Leia grows up knowing she’s adopted, which complicates her feelings, but she insists in the novel that she loves her parents nonetheless. So it’s not hard to imagine Leia as a stern yet loving mother. Han’s parenting skills, however, are up in the air.

Maybe he gets kind of his act together once Ben is born, or he gets to play "fun parent" to Leia’s "boring parent." We’ll know the answer if this spinoff ever comes to fruition.

Uncle Chewie

Since Chewie appears with Han when the smuggler returns in The Force Awakens, it’s pretty much safe to say that they’re such good friends that Chewie chooses to stay with Han even when he leaves Leia. So it’s not hard to imagine that Chewie would have played a large role in Ben Solo’s childhood as well, like in this sketch by Renny08.

Chewie is clearly distraught when Kylo ends Han’s life, and goes so far as to say that Kylo’s patricide is a sign that the First Order has no honor, he doesn’t take a lethal shot at Kylo with his crossbow. Now, one could obviously interpret that as a moment of distress causing the Wookiee to aim poorly despite his centuries of experience. But another fan theory is that he’s still hesitant to actually hurt Kylo because of their shared history as Uncle Chewie and Baby Ben.

If there were to be a spinoff about Han and Leia’s journey as parents, surely Chewie would be in the picture as well, playing starfighter with Ben sitting on his shoulders.

Chewie’s reaction to Ben turning to the dark side would also be worth exploring. Han and Leia are both understandably devastated, but Chewie would probably be, too.

The Underworld

Forget Pirates of the Galaxy - this piece by Raymond Swanland puts an even darker spin on the beloved space pirate duo of Chewbacca and Han Solo. With the sequel trilogy taking the franchise on a more somber path, maybe there could be a gritty Han and Chewie spinoff.

The duo’s adventures are often depicted as light-hearted heists despite the high stakes and questionable legality and morality. The fact of the matter is, they’re really doing some questionable stuff, and ending a lot of lives in their pursuit of riches. Plus, Chewie’s hatred of the Empire is more than justified given how his entire race has been enslaved, but the extent of his rage has never been fully explored. After all, slavery is brutal beyond words.

Han, too, has had a rough upbringing on Corellia, what with his servitude to Lady Proxima. He’s essentially been forced into child labor all his life in exchange for questionable safety.

Having a more adult-oriented spinoff could mean really ruminating on the cost of personal profit and the burden of trauma caused by war, as well as the urge to preserve oneself versus helping others in dire need. We're still waiting on Star Wars: Underworld, after all.

The Question of Qi'ra

Fans were excited to see several female characters introduced in the trailers leading up to the release of Solo, all in roles that seemed to be pivotal. When the movie came out though, its treatment of the women was met with some criticism.

Lucas Films has been pushing towards more inclusive representations throughout the franchise lately, including the spinoff animation Forces of Destiny directed specifically at young girls. The Force Awakens has Rey, and The Last Jedi gave us Rose Tico, the first Asian lead in the franchise, as well as Amylin Holdo, a high-ranking Resistance officer.

To make up for how criminally underused Qi’ra is in Solo, why not have a spinoff with her at the center of it?

What exactly made Qi’ra (depicted by Chris Desiatnyk) wind up indebted to Dryden Vos? What happens to her after the events of Solo? On that note, let’s have Val make an appearance, too— Thandie Newton is an absolute icon. Imagine some sort of chance encounter between Val and Qi’ra before the events of Solo. It’d be a chance for Star Wars to pass the Bechdel Test again.

Plus, Qi’ra also grew up doing child labor, just like Han, and has done morally questionable things, just like Han. If Han gets a solo movie, why not Qi’ra as well?

Han and Chewie, Part 2

Now we know how Han and Chewie met. We know that they’ve stuck together between the end of Return of the Jedi and their tear-inducing return to the Millennium Falcon in The Force Awakens - or have they?

Let’s be real here: sure, Chewie sticks with Han even after they free some enslaved Wookiees on Kessel in Solo, but that’s because they’re on a mission. Chewie then stays with Han and the pair leaves for Tatooine for another heist at the end of the movie. But they really don’t know each other that well.

So what kind of adventures do they have leading up to the events of A New Hope that solidify their alliance in the very first Star Wars movie? Surely they’ve had major disagreements before, perhaps even leading to brief partings. Given how strong Chewie’s sense of morals and duty, how does he feel when Han runs off once Ben Solo becomes Kylo Ren, and how does he reconcile that with leaving the Resistance?

Since Alden Ehrenreich has confirmed that his contract deal as Han Solo extends to two more films, maybe more details about Chewie and Han’s partnership will be unveiled in a sequel, perhaps with a poster like Michael Pasquale’s awesome rendition.

Lando

Yes, more Lando, yet again. But we did say that we can’t get enough of him!

Lando has done some incredibly shady things in the past. After all, he’s a smuggler, albeit allegedly “retired” when we meet him in Solo. Like Han and Chewie, though, his shenanigans are often portrayed as light-hearted, fun adventures. His suave mannerisms, good looks, indelible charm, and astonishing fashion sense certainly helps people overlook his questionable life choices.

Even his seemingly “smallest” transgression, cheating at sabacc, is really pretty messed up if you think about it. The man is cheating people out of their livelihoods, out of everything they have, without remorse. He’s really just out for himself, even though he eventually has a change of heart, becoming a general in Return of the Jedi and risking his life to evacuate Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back.

Still, it’d be interesting to see if Lucas Film opts to go a darker route with Lando’s backstory like in this rendition by Liviora Mondelli, if he ever does get a spinoff. Beneath the veneer of charm and wit, it’s hard to imagine there’s no underlying hardship, especially with the Empire looming over the galaxy.

Plus, L3-37 obviously means a lot to him, if his reaction to her demise is any indication. Perhaps losing his droid companion and his beloved ship hit him hard after Solo.

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What Star Wars spinoff do you most want to see? Tell us in the comments below!