From the Original Trilogy to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars fans have spent a lot of time with Darth Vader over the years. He is not only the franchise's most recognizable antagonist, he also consistently ranks as one of pop culture's most famous villains. However, there are still a few mysteries surrounding the man formerly known as Anakin Skywalker, primarily in the era between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope when the Empire dominated the galaxy. One of those mysteries will finally be answered this summer, as a new comic book series will reveal how Darth Vader created his red lightsaber.
It was announced today that Darth Vader will lead a new ongoing series over at Marvel, which will be written by Charles Soule (who already has plenty of Star Wars comic experience penning Lando, Obi-Wan & Anakin and Poe Dameron) and illustrated by Giuseppe Camuncoli. Set immediately after Revenge of the Sith, the series will shed light on some of Darth Vader's early acts after becoming a cyborg, which will include seeing him construct his red lightsaber. Soule wouldn't provide any spoilers to StarWars.com about how this happens other than that it will be part of the opening arc. Other beats the new Darth Vader book will hit include further exploration of Vader's relationship with Emperor Palpatine and how the Inquisitor program was established, the latter tying back to Star Wars Rebels. This will be the second Darth Vader comic book series from Marvel. The first one, written by Kieron Gillen, concluded its 25-issue run last October, and was set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.
Although 2005's Revenge of the Sith showed Anakin Skywalker's fall from grace and transformation into Darth Vader, the movie never showed him wielding that iconic red blade. When he was slaughtering the Jedi, killing the Separatist leaders and dueling Obi-Wan Kenobi, he was still using his blue lightsaber. Kenobi grabbed that weapon after emerging victorious from their fight on Mustafar, and years later, he gave it to Luke Skywalker. We know that Vader got his crimson blade at least a couple years after Revenge of the Sith since he was using it in the book Lords of the Sith, but now fans will finally learn about the circumstances in which the Sith Lord built the weapon he would later use to kill many Rebels and a wizened Jedi Master. It's certainly not crucial information to know, but it's a nice addition to Vader's history for hardcore Star Wars fans.
You can pick up Darth Vader #1 digitally and at your local comic book shop sometime this June. And with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story arriving on Digital HD March 24 and Blu-ray/DVD April 4, you'll also be able to re-watch Vader's badass moment from the first Star Wars Anthology movie in the comfort of your home soon.
