Star Wars #1 (1977). Marvel Comics. Princess Leia debuts alongside Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Han Solo. Roy Thomas adapts the upcoming film.

1st Comics Appearance

First Appearance of Princess Leia

Star Wars #1

April 1977 · Marvel · Bronze Age

George Lucas's diplomatic-warrior princess. The Marvel Star Wars #1 first comics appearance, plus the Mark Waid 2015 solo limited series, plus Carrie Fisher's defining four-decade screen role.

Key Issue

Created by Roy Thomas · Howard Chaykin

By Atomm Updated Apr 25, 2026

Earth-616

Princess Leia's first comics appearance is Star Wars #1 (April 1977), the Marvel Comics adaptation by Roy Thomas (writer) and Howard Chaykin (artist). The issue debuts Leia alongside Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Han Solo, approximately six weeks before the film's May 1977 theatrical release. Her first self-titled comics series is Princess Leia #1 (March 2015), a Mark Waid and Terry Dodson five-issue limited series. The 35-cent variant of Star Wars #1 is the high-tier collector target.

Quick Facts

Debut: Star Wars #1 (April 1977, Marvel Comics adaptation)
Real name: Leia Organa Solo
Creators: George Lucas (original film creator); Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin (Marvel Comics #1 adaptation)
Publisher: Marvel Comics (1977 to 1986); Dark Horse (1991 to 2014); Marvel Comics (2015 onward)
First enemy: Darth Vader (her biological father, antagonist across the original trilogy)
First ally: Luke Skywalker (her brother), Han Solo (her partner), Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chewbacca
Team affiliations: Rebel Alliance (founder), New Republic (senator/general), Resistance (founder)

Firsts Timeline

First Comics Appearance April 1977

Star Wars #1

By Roy Thomas, Howard Chaykin

Roy Thomas writes; Howard Chaykin pencils. Marvel Comics adapts the upcoming Star Wars film. The first issue debuts Princess Leia alongside Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Han Solo. The comic shipped approximately six weeks before the film's May 1977 theatrical release.
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First Self-Titled Series March 2015

Princess Leia #1

By Mark Waid, Terry Dodson

Mark Waid writes; Terry Dodson pencils. First Princess Leia self-titled limited series under Marvel's relicensed Star Wars run. Five-issue mini that developed Leia's post-Episode IV character framework before The Empire Strikes Back.
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Creation Story

Princess Leia is George Lucas’s original Star Wars film co-protagonist, with the comics first appearance arriving approximately six weeks before the film’s theatrical release. Star Wars #1 (April 1977) is Marvel Comics’s adaptation of the upcoming film. Roy Thomas writes; Howard Chaykin pencils. The issue debuts Leia alongside Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Han Solo.

The framework is the Marvel adaptation of Lucas’s original character: Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, a senator-diplomat-warrior from a destroyed homeworld, leader of the Rebel Alliance, and the franchise’s primary female protagonist across the original trilogy. Carrie Fisher’s defining film performance shaped the character’s cultural reception; the comics adaptations preserve the canonical character framework across decades.

The 2015 solo series

Princess Leia #1 (March 2015) by Mark Waid and Terry Dodson was one of the first Marvel relicense-era Star Wars comics. The five-issue limited series developed Leia’s post-Episode IV character framework before The Empire Strikes Back: her processing of Alderaan’s destruction, her reunification with surviving Alderaanians, her ascension to broader Rebel Alliance leadership. Widely regarded as one of the strongest extended Leia-focused comics works.

The 2015 mini was substantial as Leia’s first self-titled comics series; Marvel’s prior Star Wars Bronze Age run (1977 to 1986) and Dark Horse’s extensive expanded-universe titles had featured Leia prominently but never as a solo-title lead.

The film tradition

Carrie Fisher played Leia across the original trilogy (Episode IV, 1977; Episode V, 1980; Episode VI, 1983), the sequel trilogy (Episode VII, 2015; Episode VIII, 2017), and via archival footage in Episode IX (The Rise of Skywalker, 2019) following her death in December 2016. Fisher remains the canonical screen Leia across four decades of Star Wars storytelling.

Vivien Lyra Blair’s young Leia in Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+, 2022) added substantial Leia-Obi-Wan prequel backstory.

Collector context

Star Wars #1 (Marvel, 1977) is the Princess Leia comics first-appearance key, shared with Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Han Solo.

Standard 30-cent cover, CGC 9.8: crossed $5,000 at auction
35-cent variant, CGC 9.8: crossed $30,000

The 35-cent variant is the high-tier collector target.

Secondary keys: Princess Leia #1 (March 2015, Waid-Dodson five-issue limited).

Key subsequent appearances

After the debut, these are the issues collectors and historians reach for next.

1977
Star Wars #1
First comics appearance (Marvel adaptation).
2015
Princess Leia #1
First self-titled series.

In adaptations

Film, TV, animation, and game appearances.

1977
Star Wars (Episode IV: A New Hope)
Film
Starring:Carrie Fisher
George Lucas directs. Fisher's original-trilogy performance defines the character. Reprises across Episode V (1980), Episode VI (1983), Episode VII (2015), and Episode VIII (2017). Fisher died in 2016; her likeness was used in archival footage for Episode IX (2019).
2022
Obi-Wan Kenobi
TV
Starring:Vivien Lyra Blair
Disney+ series. Blair plays a young Leia in flashback prequel material. The framework adds substantial Leia-Obi-Wan backstory.

Frequently asked questions

The questions readers and collectors ask most.

What is Princess Leia's first comics appearance?

Princess Leia's first comics appearance is Star Wars #1 (April 1977), the Marvel Comics adaptation. Roy Thomas writes; Howard Chaykin pencils. The issue debuts Leia alongside Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Han Solo.

Is Star Wars #1 (1977) valuable?

Yes, but with print-run caveat. Star Wars #1 (Marvel, 1977) had the highest print run in Marvel history at over 1 million copies. High-grade standard-cover survival is abundant; CGC 9.8 copies have crossed $5,000. The 35-cent variant is substantially scarcer; CGC 9.8 35-cent variants have crossed $30,000 and are the high-tier collector target.

Are Luke and Leia really siblings?

Yes, in canon. The reveal arrived in Return of the Jedi (Episode VI, 1983) and was canonized across subsequent comics, novels, and animated continuations. Luke and Leia are twin children of Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader) and Padmé Amidala. The sibling relationship was retroactively established; the original trilogy's earlier Luke-Leia romantic-tension framing in Episode IV and V became canonically incestuous in retrospect, a complication the franchise has navigated awkwardly.

What is the Mark Waid Princess Leia mini?

Mark Waid and Terry Dodson's five-issue Princess Leia limited series (March 2015 onwards) was one of the first Marvel relicense-era Star Wars comics. The series developed Leia's post-Episode IV character framework before The Empire Strikes Back: her processing of Alderaan's destruction, her reunification with surviving Alderaanians, her ascension to broader Rebel Alliance leadership. Widely regarded as one of the strongest extended Leia-focused comics works.

Did Carrie Fisher return after her death?

Yes, via archival footage. Fisher died in December 2016 after completing principal photography for Episode VIII (The Last Jedi, 2017). Episode IX (The Rise of Skywalker, 2019) used unused footage from earlier productions to give Leia a substantial role despite Fisher's death. The framework was technically and creatively challenging; reception was mixed but the appearance preserved Leia's continuity through the trilogy's conclusion.