The lasting legacy of the Star Wars franchise has permeated every entertainment medium. With it, Darth Vader became one of the most iconic villains in pop culture, so naturally, that meant becoming a pivotal character for exploration in Dark Horse and Marvel’s various Star Wars comic book series.
Given the timeline where Anakin Skywalker spends in his dark rebirth as one of the most feared beings in the galaxy, there are a lot of opportunities to show the Sith Lord’s ruthless, more action-packed conquests. Several writers and artists have done so, and in the process depicted some of the most striking imagery to truly sell the infamy of this character for fans only told about them in movies and other lore.
“You’ll Have To Be More Specific” – Star Wars #1 (John Cassaday)
In an irresistibly quotable moment of morbid humor, John Cassaday’s run on the first Disney-era Star Wars comic shows the actual first bout between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. At this point, the Sith Lord isn’t aware that his son is alive, let alone that he’s standing right in front of him. And while Vader is certainly not one for comedy, his imposing figure and dry, abrasive personality unintentionally give way to grimly hilarious moments like this.
Luke arrogantly thinks that taking the fight directly to Vader on pure adrenaline and vengeance is enough, with the villain telling the prospective Jedi that he’ll need to be more specific as to which father he’s killed. After all, the one-man apocalypse that is Darth Vader spent over 30 years hunting Jedi.
“NO” – Darth Vader #1 (Charles Soule)
Also known for his work on the 2015 Daredevil run, Charles Soule took over writing duties for (one of) Marvel’s Star Wars: Darth Vader series in 2017 with artist Giuseppe Camuncoli. The first issue gives fans a recount of Anakin Skywalker’s final moments and Darth Vader’s first.
In it, the creative duo gives the villain a second shot at one of the last scenes of Episode III where he learns from Palpatine that Vader killed Padmé in a fit of rage. Instead of Revenge of the Sith‘s unintentionally funny quote with the cheesy, drawn-out “no,” a single chilling and defiant exclamation is depicted. Vader breaking free of his restraints on the operating table with such incredible display of the Force that Palpatine himself is thrown back is a fantastic reimagining of this scene from the movie.
“Skywalker” – Darth Vader #6 (Kieron Gillen)
Before Soule’s run with the character, writer Kieron Gillen and artist Salvador Larroca created a Darth Vader series taking place in between the events of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. The sixth issue culminated in the Sith Lord finding out from his hired bounty hunter, Boba Fett, who was the person to destroy the Death Star during Star Wars: A New Hope‘s Battle over Yavin 4.
Of course, it’s none other than Luke Skywalker, and this is the first time Vader learns he has a son. The panels showing him reliving the moments where Padmé tells Anakin she’s pregnant and Palpatine telling Vader he killed her were powerful and vivid, especially when cut between the latter in the present gradually cracking the glass of his ship with the Force. Plus, it’s all quietly punctuated with Darth Vader simply saying “Skywalker” while overlooking a Star Destroyer and vast space.
“There Is No Escape” – Darth Vader #12 (Kieron Gillen)
In the second half of Gillen’s run of Darth Vader, the black-armor-clad Sith Lord is sent on a mission to quell a sect of Rebels known as the Plasma Devils. Of course, this is by no means Vader’s primary concern, as he’s mostly using these Rebels as an excuse to uncover Palpatine’s hidden agenda and find his newly-discovered son.
This squadron is child’s play for someone like Vader, and even when he feels like he couldn’t be bothered with an opponent, he still demonstrates how Darth Vader is a name uttered in hushed tones across the galaxy. In a futile escape attempt, Vader shoots down the would-be escapee’s Y-Wing on foot with nothing but his lightsaber.
“We Prefer Force” – Darth Vader #1 (Kieron Gillen)
Gillen and Larroca’s first issue of their series also presented a daunting display of vintage Darth Vader-induced power. It starts with the Sith Lord confronting Jabba the Hutt in his palace on the grounds of Empire business, but the matters that lead to Vader hiring Boba Fett are also a motivator for being there – and early.
He makes it clear to Jabba that he’s not one to be toyed with, proving so a Sith would. The crime lord makes the mistake of thinking Vader is a Jedi and then the latter makes a clear distinction of what Force abilities are and are not of the Dark. In a way, this retroactively emphasizes the importance of Luke’s state of mind in Return of the Jedi – since he used the Force Choke on a palace guard – when he came back to rescue Han Solo.
“You Don’t Deserve To Have It” – Star Wars Tales #6 (Ryder Windham)
Though the story came before Disney acquired the Star Wars IP – making it Legends continuity – writer Ryder Windham and artist Kilian Plunkett told an emotional short story for Vader in Dark Horse Comics’ Star Wars Tales #6. Taking place in between certain events in The Empire Strikes Back on the cloud city Bespin, Darth Vader discovers the dismantled head of his former droid C-3PO.
The Dark Lord of the Sith then has flashbacks to his childhood as Anakin Skywalker where his late mother tells him “Unless you’re prepared to care for something, you don’t deserve to have it.” Those words echo and haunt his mind as he shows a rare instance of lament, essentially acknowledging a part of Anakin he left behind and someone he loved that he’s spiritually failed. A somber moment that suits the darker tones and scenes of The Empire Strikes Back.
“I Have No Limits” – Darth Vader #2 (Charles Soule)
Even for those on the same side as Darth Vader, safety is never guaranteed by him. In the aftermath of Order 66 being enacted and the Great Jedi Purge in motion, few people within the Empire knew of Darth Vader — and far less who knew his identity. In Soule’s Darth Vader, two Clone Troopers made the grave mistake of thinking that Vader was a Jedi they managed to capture.
They think they can offer up Vader to Palpatine for a reward, believing Vader is cornered since Jedi have limits. But, as mechanically composes as ever, Vader simply states that they’ve made a mistake — — the Sith Lord has no limits — and promptly breaks their necks with the Force.
“It Is… Acceptable” – Darth Vader #1 (Charles Soule)
The beginning of the 2017 run of Darth Vader follows up with another iconic pair of panels following the villain’s rebirth. After the pain of losing his wife by his hand and being defeated by the man who was his best friend, Vader acquaints himself with the suit of armor that will essentially encapsulate who he is inside and out.
Emperor Palpatine asks how Vader finds his new suit, with the latter deeming it acceptable. It’s a popular scene that even became a meme, but it’s also a powerful set of panels with fascinating implications. Palpatine has been suggested as making the suit difficult and painful to wear, knowing it would help foster Vader’s seething hatred. Likewise, the christened Sith Lord finds it fitting, though, perhaps because he believes this is a suitable punishment for him to bear.
“All I Am Surrounded By Is Fear. And Dead Men” – Vader Down #1 (Jason Aaron)
The Star Wars crossover limited series Vader Down opens with one of Darth Vader’s most overpowered displays of the Force. In it, Vader crash lands on a planet that once had a Jedi temple and soon encounters three squadrons of Rebel soldiers. They think they have the advantage over him, but it proves predictably naive on their part.
What follows is arguably one of the most iconic Darth Vader scenes in all of Star Wars media – movies included. In response to being declared “surrounded,” the Sith Lord merely says that only fear and dead men surround him. It’s an incredible line and a perfect embodiment of who Darth Vader was, as what he said was essentially a statement of fact.
“I Am Justice” – Darth Vader And The Ninth Assassin #5 (Tim Siedell)
While Marvel’s mainline canon comics are the center of attention after the Disney acquisition, Dark Horse Comics had a solid reputation for publishing memorable Star Wars comics. Now deemed part of the separated Legends continuity, Tim Siedell, Iván Fernández, and Denis Freitas’ Darth Vader and the Ninth Assassin limited series told the story of an attempted assassination attempt on the Sith’s life.
The final assassin had been biding his time for the right time to strike, believing he’d be distracted by the threats against Emperor Palpatine. It’s a fool’s errand in the end, as it only enraged Vader before being violently struck down by the Sith Lord’s brand of “justice.”
The Tomb Of Padmé Amidala – Darth Vader #4 (Greg Pak)
In the current run of Darth Vader by writer Greg Pak and artist Raffaele Ienco, one of the most surreal panels and scenes in Star Wars generally were shown in the fourth part of the “Dark Heart of the Sith” arc. The story at that moment centered around Darth Vader hunting down everyone who hid the existence of Luke Skywalker from him, but this issue sees him take a detour to visit the gravesite of Padmé on her home planet of Naboo.
Vader goes inside and visits her tomb, displaying another emotionally resonant and quiet moment. It’s eerie getting to see the character face-to-face with a testament to one of his past failures, with no dialogue to drive the feeling home. For being such a daunting, horrifying figure of the Dark Side head-to-toe in machinery, some of Vader’s most impactful sequences happen in near or total silence.
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