Darth Vader explores Exegol and makes a decision as “Into the Fire” reaches a conclusion in Star Wars: Darth Vader #11 written by Greg Pak, art by Raffaele Ienco, colored by Neeraj Menon and lettered by Joe Caramanga.
Having survived being left broken & marooned on Mustafar, fighting his way past droids, Sith assassins and an Imperial fleet, before breaking a Cthluluian one-eyed space vagina tentacle monster to his will, this issue finds Darth Vader coming face-to-face at last with the Emperor on the world of Exegol, home to some of Palpatine’s deepest secrets. Their ensuing confrontation, one towards which the entire “Into the Fire” arc has been building, can be roughly split into two parts.
In the first part, the fight between Vader and Palpatine is direct and external. Vader directs the tentacle monster under his control to attack his master. Palpatine, in turn, counters with a pair of Space Lobster Lizard Claw monsters, which are under his control. What follows is a battle between two evil space wizards fought by Kaiju proxy, which is exactly as awesome as it sounds. The only downsides are the fact that it’s over far too quickly, and that Raffaele Ienco’s artwork, while meticulous and well-suited to depicting things like Vader’s armor or Imperial spacecraft, somewhat restrains the visceral impact of the giant monster fight.
In the second half of the issue, the conflict turns more inward, as Vader (slowly) chases the Emperor through the same temple that will later host the final Palpatine/Rey/Kylo Ren confrontation in Rise of Skywalker while Palpatine taunts/encourages Vader from afar. As Vader faces down one challenge after another – a group of clones that are a cross between royal guards and General Grevious’ Magna guards from Revenge of the Sith, a horde of Sith cultists – Palpatine twists the proverbial knife, telling Vader his opponents represent possible replacements while mocking Vader’s quest for vengeance.
It culminates in Vader discovering a mass of Force-sensitive Kyber crystals, the things which make lightsabers (and planet-destroying lasers) possible. They are screaming in pain, and projecting that pain outward, as Palpatine imparts the ultimate lesson of his story-long deconstruction of Vader: Darth Vader cannot escape his pain, as it is the source of his power, and only by embracing it can Vader share Palpatine’s power. Vader ultimately agrees, and falls in line once more behind his master.
But not before Greg Pak throws in a twist. The confrontation between Vader and Luke Skywalker at the end of The Empire Strikes Back has been the inciting incident of this series, the thing that has driven Vader’s internal struggle & triggered the external threats he’s faced. Here, just before he agrees to once more serve the Emperor, Vader returns to that confrontation with his son, in a vision provided by some combination of the Force, the Kyber crystals and himself (the source is deliberately – and wisely – left vague).
Only now, their positions are reversed: Vader is the one hanging over a chasm, while Luke tells him that it is Vader’s destiny to destroy the Emperor. By placing this vision in direct juxtaposition to Vader’s renewed pledge of fealty to Palpatine, Pak is making it clear that Vader is now operating from his own agenda, that his spoken pledge to Palpatine is just a feint. Vader internally now accepts that he must destroy his master. Not only does this recontextualize events in this post-Empire era of comic books and Vader’s ultimate fate in Return of the Jedi, it further cements Vader’s role as a heroic figure in his own story. On the surface, he remains much as he’s always been presented: a staunch servant of his master, operating at the head of a vast Imperial war machine determined to wipe out the traditional heroes of the narrative.
But inside, he is now operating in opposition to the Emperor, his encounter with the son he thought lost inspiring him to act against his cruel master. This doesn’t exactly make Vader a purely heroic figure, but it does add some teeth to his ultimate redemption arc. If Palpatine’s goal in this story was to build up his wavering apprentice by tearing him down, he succeeded. But the rebuilt Vader who emerges from the fire of Palpatine’s trials is stronger only because those trials forced him to embrace his destiny as a hero.
Force Facts
- As Vader chase-fights his way through the temple on Exegol, he passes by the containers containing proto-Snokes.
- It’s also suggested that the Emperor acquired the hand Vader cut off Luke in The Empire Strikes Back. Is this setup for the future re-introduction into canon of Luuke Skywalker? Only time will tell!).
- Vader also fights a group of Sith cultists, the same types who were seen watching & chanting during Palpatine’s confrontation with Rey & Kylo Ren in Episode IX. That suggests they’re some kind of evil Greek chorus whose main role is to give Palpatine an audience. Vader seemingly kills them all here, meaning their ranks must have been restocked before the later film.
- Also from Rise of Skywalker, Vader and Ochii of Bestoon discover the fleet of Star Destroyers equipped with planet-killing lasers this issue. It’s interesting Palpatine succeeded in miniaturizing that tech this early in the timeline. That begs the question of why, if he was secretly controlling the First Order, he even bothered with Starkiller Base (or, for that matter, the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi).
- The line-wide “War of the Bounty Hunters” crossover begins next month, with this series tying in to that story.
Austin Gorton also reviews older issues of X-Men at the Real Gentlemen of Leisure website, co-hosts the A Very Special episode podcast, and likes Star Wars. He lives outside Minneapolis, where sometimes, it is not cold. Follow him on Twitter @AustinGorton
