Darth Vader Redefines Anakin’s Past as Padmé’s Last Words are Exposed

The Dark Lord of the Sith is set to be further deconstructed once his past with Padmé Amidala is exposed in Marvel’s Star Wars: Darth Vader#24. As long-time Star Wars fans likely know by now, Anakin Skywalker’s final meeting with Padmé on the planet Mustafar in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith was not exactly a pleasant one. It was this confrontation and Anakin’s preceding showdown with Obi-Wan Kenobi that directly led to the final steps of making his transformation into Darth Vader complete.

Thanks to some dastardly persuasion from Darth Sidious, Darth Vader was convinced he killed his wife under the impression she feared what he had become. What he did not see, at the time at least, was that Padmé used her last breaths to tell Obi-Wan that she was certain that in regards to her husband, “there’s still good in him.” Now, those words are set to be revealed to someone other than Darth Vader himself.

In a new post, Star Wars’ official website revealed the full cover art and synopsis for what will be the 24th issue of Darth Vader by Greg Pak and Marco Castiello. Both can be seen further below. This issue is set to hit stores everywhere at some time in June 2022. The Darth Vader series thus far has done a lot to redefine the title character. In fact, both Vader himself and Padmé’s last words were re-contextualized previously in Darth Vader #6 by Pak and Raffaele Ienco, where Vader discovers her dying words upon stumbling onto a holorecording of her death as seen in Revenge of the Sith. This one moment reframes Vader’s actions in not only the remainder of his comic series, but his actions in Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

GREG PAK (W) • MARCO CASTIELLO (A) • Cover by PAUL RENAUDChoose Your Destiny Variant Cover by CHRIS SPROUSEPride Variant Cover by KEI ZAMA

• Someone’s been to Polis Massa. Someone’s heard Padmé’s last words. Someone knows Vader’s deepest secret. What happens when the Dark Lord of the Sith finds out?
• Meanwhile, a colony of refugees from a certain sandy planet struggle under the rule of an Imperial governor. Will their connection to Vader’s past be their salvation — or their doom?
• Plus: the shocking return of two of Anakin Skywalker’s oldest friends!

Knowing the specifics of Anakin’s past with Padmé Amidala, particularly with the implication that there’s still “good in him,” risks humanizing him. It begs the question, of how whether Vader can maintain his iron grip if his enemies see him as human? Whether or not this person who discovers Vader’s past is an ally or enemy remains to be seen within the next coming months, but having such a sensitive subject matter for Darth Vader to be discovered by anyone is surely bound to lead to major implications.

That doesn’t even scratch the surface as far as the resurfacing of Anakin’s old friends on Tatooine, whose presence alone could compromise Darth Vader’s image just as greatly for the same reasons. The synopsis does not go into specifics as far as who these old friends could be, but it’s pretty safe to bet that they’re C-3PO and R2-D2. If so, not only does the wholesome attitudes and knowledge of Vader’s past compromise his image, but if they are in any danger, it complicates Darth Vader’s already complicated journey of self-discovery and twisted redemption if he has to choose between his Dark Side sensibilities and the sensibilities of his former friends. Audiences will have to wait a few more months to see how the entirety of this story unfolds. Marvel’s Star Wars: Darth Vader is scheduled to hit local comic bookshelves and digital stores in June 2022.

Source: Star Wars

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