Darth Vader Uncovers Emperor Palpatine’s Secret Weapon

Darth Vader just uncovered one of Emperor Palpatine’s secret weapons. There have always been a lot of creatures in the Star Wars universe. New ones are continually created and revealed in new stories. Sometimes creatures are introduced and later improved upon. This is the case with Darth Vader #10.

Written by Greg Pak with art by Raffaele Ienco, Darth Vader follows the titular character as he uncovers Emperor Palpatine’s secrets. The series has shown Vader’s lack of tolerance for having things hidden from him and the Empire’s response to him. The Emperor isn’t done hiding things, however, and he has safeguards in place to keep others, including Vader, from accessing his secrets.

In Darth Vader #10 Vader is heading to Exegol, but the Emperor has a new pet – one with some upgrades. In an area called Red Space, which is the only direct path to Exegol, the Emperor keeps a bodyguard – a Summa-Verminoth. It directly shields Exegol, protecting it from all who would try to find the Emperor’s secrets. The Summa-Verminoth is a giant, tentacled creature, but this isn’t its first-ever appearance. This beast was first seen in Solo: A Star Wars Story back in 2018.

While Han Solo is fleeing from Imperials after stealing unrefined coaxium, he decides to do the Kessel Run using an alternate route. When he flies into the Maelstrom, a nebula full of space dust that appears green. Near a gravity well called the Maw, is a summa-verminoth, although it is never directly named by Han or anyone else aboard the Millenium Falcon. This summa-verminoth has the same general appearance as the one in Darth Vader #10. It is massive and has tentacles, as well as a giant mouth. Han evades it by jettisoning an escape pod towards the Maw, which the summa-verminoth follows, causing it to get sucked into the gravity well. Although the comic says that it is the galaxy’s greatest predator, it is clearly stoppable if approached with strategic thinking and a galactic means of removal.

Emperor Palpatine’s summa-verminoth is a more dangerous subspecies, according to Sly Moore, a Force Adept umbaran employed by Palpatine. This particular summa-verminoth is more than just a large monster with tentacles living in a cloudy nebula in space. It is more than just sharp teeth. This subspecies is not only physically dangerous but mentally. This summa-verminoth is capable of tampering with beings that get close enough to it, showing them visions. Although Vader navigates past its tentacles and the physical dangers, he and his passenger, Ochi of Bestoon, the Sith assassin, are subjected to its mental attacks. These attacks come in the form of visions that are meant to be disruptive and potentially crushing. Ochi reveals that he saw what he believed to be his death and asks if Vader saw the same. Vader is able to break free of it and has to face the summa-verminoth directly. Despite being a dangerous foe, Darth Vader surpasses the beast, showing not only his physical ability but also his mental fortitude.

The summa-verminoth has only been seen twice in Star Wars media so far, but it has been bested both times. First by Han Solo indirectly, and then by Vader in a way that shows how powerful and disciplined he is. The summa-verminoth is one of the most fearsome creatures in the galaxy, but it isn’t enough to stop Darth Vader.

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Samantha King
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Samantha King is a Comic News Writer for Screen Rant. She has a B.A. in English & American Literature with a concentration in Shakespeare and a minor in Creative Writing from UTEP. She also has a M.S. in Library Science from the University of North Texas.

Samantha used to get in trouble for reading comics in class back in high school, but she gets the last laugh. She took a graphic novel course in college and now gets paid to write about comics. She runs her own blog at: www.therealworldaccordingtosam.blogspot.com

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