When Mark Hamill was first announced to be appearing in “Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens” I, like many people, suspected he’d be little more than a glorified cameo. If any Original Trilogy character was likely to have a larger role, Harrison Ford’s Han Solo seemed the more likely. But a number of recent indicators, many coming from the comic book world, may suggest a larger role for Luke Skywalker in “Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens” than suspected.

"Star Wars" #1 is Coming from Marvel

Marvel will be releasing “Star Wars” #1 in Jan. of 2015. The ongoing comic series will be a direct sequel to “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope,” taking place between the events of the first “Star Wars” and it’s sequel “The Empire Strikes Back.” The comic will be written by Jason Aaron, with art by John Cassaday.

There are also awesome variant covers from Alex Ross and Joe Quesada out there.

Little is known about the plot of “Star Wars” #1, but the writer told StarWars.com that the core cat would be Luke, Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO, and Darth Vader. “Star Wars” #1 aims to recapture the spirit of the first, and while their probably won’t be any huge spoilers in it for “Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens,” the renewed emphasis on Luke and the old cast suggests that they’ll be playing a integral role in the universe moving forward.

“Our book is riven in some big way by Luke and the pretty interesting spot we find him in at this period in the timeline,” Jason Aaron elaborated in the interview, and the comic “Star Wars” #1 is just the beginning.

Marvel Begins Star Wars "Who's Who"

Marvel has also released a little less explicit indicator of the new emphasis on Luke Skywalker, posting a “Who’s Who in the Star Wars Galaxy” profile of the “Star Wars” hero. Although there is nothing new, it’s still a fun read that attempts to cast us back into the place Luke Skywalker is in after blowing up the Death Star: a confused hero, just entering a much larger world.

So why do I think this means anything for “Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens”? Because the old days of a wild and expansive “Star Wars” Extended Universe are gone, and Disney has promised massive oversight over a variety of properties, all with something to contribute to the continuity of the whole series.

Plus, I think Luke Skywalker could use a bit of reputation overhaul. Not only did he have zero presence in the Prequel Trilogy, but Skywalker has also become overshadowed by popular niche characters like Jabba the Hutt and Boba Fett. Now that they’ve been beaten into the ground, time get back to the original “Star Wars” hero in time to attach him to the new legacy “Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens” hopes to fertilize.

There will be much more Luke Skywalker to come before the release in “Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens” on Dec. 18, 2015, including a whole year of the ongoing “Star Wars” comic series. So while Mark Hamill’s role in “Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens” is still a mystery—disregarding leaked rumors—I think we can expect more Luke than something like the Leonard Nimoy mega-cameo as Old Spock in the rebooted “Star Trek.”

If it wasn’t obvious before, I’ve chosen Mark Hamill’s beard as the unofficial sponsor for this post.