Yousa people ganna die? Again? –
We go to to spoiler-filled lengths to explore the revelation — and guess what’s to come.
.jpg)
Enlarge / An alternate cover for Marvel Comics’ new (Darth Vader # 1 implies that this series will dig deeply into the history of Star Wars’ most iconic villain. The Skywalker Saga “of nine fi lms may have finally arrived , but that doesn’t mean the Lucasfilm and Disney powers-that-be are done mining the original Star Wars films’ stories and characters. Barely one month after the finale of The Mandalorian ‘s first season, the Star Wars universe has already thrown another curveball at fans — but not in another TV or film launch.
Instead, this week’s news comes from a brand-new Marvel series of comic books starring Darth Vader. We’re here to spill the beans — and offer context and guesses as to what might come next.
Noooooooooooo …?
Longtime comics writer Greg Pak has helmed a few Star Wars comics series since last year, and his latest,
-
Why, who is this? Vader sees this woman and responds by saying, “Padme?” But we’ll have to wait to learn more about this mysterious person.
MarvelAfter the publication of issue # 1, Marvel went so far as to reveal the series’ next two cover images. They most certainly qualify as “spoilers.”
Marvel
Their accompanying descriptions imply that this person from Vader’s past hangs around for at least two more issues.
Marvel
This droid, Z – 728, informs Vader that Skywalker hasn’t been found since his fall. “I will find him when the time is right,” Vader replies, as if to imply that he already knows his son is still alive. In the meantime, he privately tells Z – 67 that their mission is to find the breadcrumb trail of whoever kept Skywalker safe through the years “and destroy them.”
I’ll leave most of the book’s details out for those who want to enjoy the book’s pacing and plot build-up , as it jumps to a few familiar locations with a mix of new combat and old-film flashbacks. But the issue’s ending won’t remain a secret for long, since its spoiler element will be front-and-center on the second
Darth Vader issue’s cover. The first issue concludes with Vader finding a familiar face hiding on an distant planet outpost: Padme Amidala. A different kind of “clone” war?This is the first time we’ve received any indication that someone resembling Padme, played by actor Natalie Portman in the prequel film trilogy, somehow survived after the events of
Revenge of the Sith . Since her latest appearance comes in the form of a one-panel cameo, however, we don’t have a lot of information to work with as of press time.Vader is the one who greets his possible ex-wife with the call of “Padme?” as a question, so the second issue could very well begin with this person simply saying “No,” or “Actually, I’m her body double, Sabe.” If she turns out to be a projection or illusion, she is at least seen by both Vader and Z – 728, implying that this person is not merely in his imagination. And, heck, this is Star Wars — a series that saw fit to insist that Emperor Palpatine was kept alive decades after the events of of the Jedi By comparison, a Padme fake-out funeral seems milquetoast.
While we don’t have an encyclopedic recall of references to Star Wars in various novels, comic books, and animated series , we can point to one curious “Padme might have lived after all” tidbit: a mention in a YA novel retelling of
of the Jedi . This 2015 book includes a question from Leia Organa wondering whether she had actually met or seen her mother Padme as a child. Otherwise, Star Wars fans have been led to believe that she died after giving birth to Luke and Leia.
The standard cover of Darth Vader # 1. The rest of this gallery includes spoilers if you click through.
Marvel
This panel contains “spoilers,” we suppose, but they’re from ‘s Empire Strikes Back If this scene shocks you by now, well, you’re at the wrong site.
MarvelDarth Vader gets a new droid friend, Z – , in his search for answers.
Marvel
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings