Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Darth Vader #50!Darth Vaderis easily one of the most iconicSith Lords in the history ofStar Wars, right up there with the likes ofEmperor Palpatinehimself. However, that shouldn’t suggest that Darth Vader is exactly like every other well-known Sith inStar Warscanon, as he differs from them greatly in one major way. And now,Star Warsfans are shown exactly what that difference is withDarth Vader’s defeat of Palpatine, which reveals the one word that defines his life as a Sith.
InStar Wars: Darth Vader#50 by Greg Pak, Raffaele Ienco, Luke Ross, Paul Fry, and Adam Gorham,Darth Vader has finally gathered all the strength he needs to challenge Emperor Palpatine. Vader’s story leading up to this point has been the slow process of accumulating allies, weapons, and power for the sole purpose of killing Palpatine. Vader is sick of the games his Master continuously plays with his life, and after trying to recruit Luke Skywalker to rule the galaxy by his side inEpisode V, Vader figures now is the best time to eliminate their competition.
If Darth Vader wanted to even stand a chance against Palpatine, let alone defeat him, he first needed to recruit allies like the M.A.R. Corps and the Schism Imperial, which gave him foot soldiers he could use to gather immensely powerful weapons. Those weapons included a kyber-powered Zaly Shield and electrostaff, with the added upgrade of power cells derived from the energy of an entire planet, which he plugged directly into his suit. Now, Vader had followers, he had weapons, and he had power, all of which amounted to him being ready to face Palpatine.
When the two Sith Lords finally fight, Darth Vader hits Palpatine with a blast from his kyber-powered weapons (the same energy source used to power the Death Star), and he literally tears Palpatine to shreds. Before he learns that Palpatine does, in fact, have the upper hand, Vader (and readers) believes that he’s won. However, his victory is not a satisfying one, as there’s only one word that echoes through his mind as he’s watching his master die: “Hate”.
Darth Vader’s Life as a Sith is Filled with Nothing but Hatred
Some Sith Seek Power, Influence, & Legacy, Darth Vader Only has Hate
Historically, the one thing Sith crave more than anything is power. Darth Sidious himself is a perfect example of this, asPalpatine committed heinous atrocitieson a cosmic scale for the sole purpose of ruling the galaxy. Plus, every horrible thing Sidious did only strengthened his connection to the dark side of the Force, which incentivized him to keep going. Darth Vader, on the other hand, turned to the dark side (and stayed) for a completely different reason.
While it is true that Anakin Skywalker accepted the dark side for the sake of power, he only sought that power to save Padmé’s life following incessant, hellish visions of her death (ones that Palpatine implanted in his mind). That’s why, when he learned that he was the cause of Padmé’s death, Darth Vader didn’t turn back to the light for decades, as he instead clung to the one feeling that he was utterly consumed by: hatred.
There was nothing left inside of Darth Vader except hate.
There was nothing left inside of Darth Vader except hate. Hatred of the Jedi for betraying him, hatred of Palpatine for corrupting him, and - most of all - hatred of himself. Even when he thought he killed Palpatine in this issue, Darth Vader’s inner monologue said it all: “Hate you. Hate… me. Hate me. Hate”.
Darth Vader has no grand ambition. No true philosophy or ideology. He’s just trapped in a swirling hell of his own creation, stuck in hate, raging against his life.
Fighting Palpatine wasn’t the First Time Darth Vader Called Upon His Hatred to Beat a Powerful Sith
Star Wars Tales#9 “Resurrection” by Ron Marz and Rick Leonardi
In the Legends story “Resurrection”, Darth Vader is summoned to a strange world where a dark side cult calls upon ancient magick to resurrect Palpatine’s original apprentice: Darth Maul. The cult believed that Darth Vader wasn’t a true Sith, since he was once a Jedi. They thought Darth Maul was more fit to rule the galaxy at Palpatine’s side, so they held a fight to the death to prove just that.
While Maul came close to killing Vader and reclaiming the position he was robbed of all those years ago, Darth Vader claimed victory after he stabbed Darth Maul in the stomach through his own torso. As he was dying, Darth Maul asked Vader, “What could you hate enough… to destroy me?” to which Vader replied, “Myself”.
Darth Vader Completes His Ultimate Force Weapon, Finally Rising to Palpatine’s Level
Darth Vader reclaims his ultimate Force weapons, making him strong enough to challenge Palpatine in the final issue of his Star Wars comic series.
“Resurrection” may not be canon, but it perfectly articulates the source of Darth Vader’s power, andStar Wars: Darth Vader#50 just did the same. Darth Vader doesn’t want to rule the galaxy, he doesn’t even want power for its own sake. His strength in the dark side is a byproduct of the one thing that defines his life as a Sith: hate - andDarth Vader’s defeat ofEmperor Palpatineproves it.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #50by Marvel Comics is available now.
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
Conceived by the will of the Force itself, Anakin Skywalker was the prophesied Chosen One, destined to bring the Force into balance. Anakin struggled to balance competing attachments to the Jedi Order and his wife Padmé Amidala, and ultimately fell to the dark side, becoming Darth Vader. For years he served as Palpatine’s right hand man, but he was ultimately redeemed by the faith of his son, Luke Skywalker. Now a Force Ghost, Anakin continues to act as an agent of balance.
