Updated February 12, 2021 2.2k votes 448 voters 30.3k views
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Vote up the most shocking revelations from the comics.
When Disney bought Lucasfilm from George Lucas himself, they acquired the rights to all aspects of the Star Wars franchise, not just the films. Another company within the Disney conglomerate, Marvel Comics, has been publishing the official Star Wars comics since 2015, and that’s meant a lot of exciting additions to the new Star Wars comics canon.
The Disney buyout meant the end of the famed Star Wars Extended Universe, or EU, but also the birth of a brand new Extended Universe, one that’s finally all under the creative control of one corporate entity. That means when something happens in a Marvel Star Wars comic, it “counts” as far as continuity is concerned, and there have been franchise-shaking moments added to the mythos already.
In A New Hope, Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker barely interact - and Vader seems to have no idea who the young Jedi is. But by The Empire Strikes Back, he knows enough to boldly state “I am your father.” So, how does he acquire that knowledge?
Dual storylines in Marvel’s Star Wars and Darth Vader ongoing series provide the answer - Vader learns the truth from everyone’s favorite bounty hunter, Boba Fett. After the events of the first film, Vader hires Fett to track down the young Jedi who brought down the Death Star. Though Fett returns mostly empty-handed, he does at least provide the Sith Lord with a name: Skywalker.
Marvel’s Lando miniseries starts out fun and dynamic, only to end in utter tragedy - but not for Lando Calrissian himself. Instead, the victim is Lobot, Lando’s robotic companion from the original trilogy. As it turns out, Lobot wasn’t always so machine-like.
During the events of Lando, Lobot is a regular, if slightly uptight, human with cybernetic implants in his brain. During a mission to rip off the Emperor gone wrong, Lobot has to allow his implants to take over his mind to get himself and Lando out of a perilous situation - sacrificing his humanity to save his friend and leaving Calrissian with an enormous amount of guilt.
144 votes
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191 VOTES
Darth Vader Uses Chunks Of Alderaan To Threaten People
Darth Vader is one of the most recognizable villains in any form of media, but the vast majority of his screentime comes while he's still Anakin Skywalker, so there are only so many iconic Vader moments out there. Marvel’s Star Wars comics, however, have made some significant additions.
In Darth Vader Annual #1, the Sith Lord finds himself in a conflict with a very Leia-esque princess of a planet - so he decides to threaten her in true Vader fashion. He gifts her a box, and inside is a rock which Vader informs her is the last remaining chunk of Alderaan. He doesn’t even need to verbalize his intentions beyond that, as it’s clear he’s advising the princess of her planet’s future should she continue to cause him problems.
191 votes
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160 VOTES
Vader Builds His Castle On Mustafar In An Attempt To Resurrect Padme
Of all the many galaxy-spanning locales in the Star Wars mythos, Darth Vader’s castle on Mustafar remains among the more mysterious. The spot first appeared onscreen in Rogue One, but few details about it were made available - save it matches the Sith aesthetic and is built at the “birthplace” of Vader.
In the ongoing Darth Vader series, however, the real purpose of “Fortress Vader” becomes apparent: the resurrection of Padme Amidala. Vader built his dark new home overtop a cave that contains a dark side locus - a portal so powerful it can bend time and space. Vader tries and fails to use the locus to bring his lost love back to life - yet another Mustafar-based tragedy for Anakin Skywalker.
Most fans probably didn’t need much of an explanation for why C-3PO showed up in The Force Awakens with a new red arm - he is a droid, after all, and droids occasionally need new parts. But Star Wars fanatics are a special breed, so Marvel Comics provided them with an explanation.
A C-3PO one-shot comic tells the tale of the red arm, and it’s surprisingly tragic. During a mission for the Resistance, C-3PO leads a team of droids, including a red one who sacrifices his artificial life to save 3PO, leaving behind only his arm in the process. Since C-3PO loses a limb of his own on the same mission, he co-opts it as a way of paying tribute to his fallen comrade.
139 votes
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122 VOTES
Padme’s Mortician Sacrifices Himself To Protect Knowledge Of Leia’s Existence From Vader
There are plenty of heroes in the Star Wars mythos, and the ongoing Marvel Comics series Darth Vader has done much to highlight some of the more unheralded individuals, many of whom come into direct conflict with the titular star of the series. One hero, in particular, mortician Commodex Tahn, is revealed to have played an enormous role in the saga thanks to his outstanding bravery.
Tahn is the medical examiner who oversaw the autopsy of Padme Amidala, late wife of Anakin Skywalker and mother of Luke and Leia. While being questioned by Vader’s henchmen, Tahn confirms their suspicions that Padme gave birth to a son. But he takes the secret of Leia’s existence to his grave, and thus protects her from Vader long enough for her to lead the Rebellion to victory.
