The Star Wars movie world is in a holding pattern for the moment, which means, as is often the case for the franchise, TV and other media is keeping the universe alive. Fans are likely well aware of the television shows keeping the franchise relevant, but they may be less aware of the current Star Wars comics fleshing out the universe and revealing some potentially game-changing story elements that weren't previously revealed in past Star Wars content.
The latest of these developments came in Darth Vader #11, where readers may have learned what became of Luke Skywalker's hand after it was severed by Vader on Cloud City. So what became of this hand, and why could it soon become a very relevant part of Star Wars lore? Let's break down what we learned and what it could potentially mean for the future of Star Wars.
What Happened To Luke Skywalker's Severed Hand
We all know that Luke Skywalker got his hand lopped off by his father in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, and then found out Darth Vader was his father soon after. What we didn't know (at least after Disney's acquisition of the franchise) is what became of that hand, and now we may have an answer. In Darth Vader #11, we saw Vader make his way to Exegol, where he learned of Palpatine's secret cloning facility.
That part, for readers, may not be that interesting, but the severed hand Vader spotted to the side absolutely will be. It would appear that this hand was studied and possibly even used on Exegol for some experiments. Provided this is Luke's hand (which feels likely), this could mean some big things for the Star Wars mythos.
Luke Skywalker's Hand Was Used To Create Supreme Leader Snoke?
We've already seen Exegol had cloning chambers thanks to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and there was also a strandcast (a bioengineered organism) that bore a striking resemblance to the villain from The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, Supreme Leader Snoke. We know that Snoke strandcasts were puppets for Palpatine to act as head of the First Order, but the exact process of how Snoke was created is still a mystery.
That is, unless the Darth Vader comic just hinted that Luke Skywalker's DNA was used to create strandcasts that could be used to make a serviceable (though imperfect) vessel for the Emperor to flex his will through. We know that Luke is Force-sensitive and is quite powerful using this mystical energy. Is it possible his hand could be used to create a bunch of strandcasts that the Emperor could run through? I'm not entirely sure, but it wouldn't be the craziest thing to suggest to Star Wars fans.
Making Luke's hand the source of Supreme Leader Snoke would be a neat way to tie the universe together, though it's ultimately a detail that doesn't change the Star Wars mythos in a massive way. That's usually the type of detail the comics would like to include, as it wouldn't shake up the Star Wars universe so much that someone who only watches television or the movies will be lost. For that reason, I feel this reveal will be the most likely option, though not the only one we could see.
Did The Sith Eternal Create a Luke Skywalker Clone?
Another possibility is that the Sith Eternal took Luke Skywalker's hand and, believe it or not, created a clone of Luke Skywalker. It may sound ridiculous, cliché and improbable, but those who feel that way obviously don't know that a clone version of Skywalker was previously done before. Yes, Legends fans, I'm saying it's definitely possible after this Darth Vader comic that "Luuke Skywalker" could once again be canon.
No, that's not a typo. Star Wars once had an evil clone of Luke Skywalker named Luuke Skywalker. This clone was grown from the hand in the course of a month and trained afterwards in the Dark Side to ultimately take on Luke Skywalker and defeat him. The character was introduced in the Timothy Zahn-penned book The Last Command and died after he was killed by Palpatine's former hand and Skywalker's future wife, Mara Jade.
The story is a bit silly, but it has a strangely similar setup given the severed hand in a jar found in the Darth Vader comic. A potential Luke Skywalker clone running around would be a pretty huge deal, especially if his existence was unknown to this point. Like, imagine that it was an evil clone Luke that picked up Grogu in The Mandalorian, and not the real one? That seems unlikely given the Luke that arrived had an X-Wing and R2-D2, but I'd almost imagine finding a replica astromech and X-Wing would be the easy part of that process.
Is The Severed Hand Actually Luke Skywalker's?
While it hasn't been explicitly revealed that the severed hand in the jar on Exegol belonged to Luke Skywalker, there's solid reason enough to assume it's his as opposed to Anakin Skywalker's or Count Dooku. Sure, the Emperor would feasibly have access to all those severed hands with his resources, but there's a time element that makes it more likely to be the hand of Skywalker.
The current run of Marvel's Darth Vader comic book series is set between the events of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Given that, and the fact that Luke lost his hand within that timeframe, it's only logical to assume this hand was indeed Luke Skywalker's that Vader spotted, though we have no clues yet as to what it could possibly be used for. Honestly, I'm hoping for the Skywalker clone angle just for the sheer chaos it could create in the story and with fans, but I'm not counting on it to happen.
Looking to follow along with what Star Wars is doing in comics? Visit your local comics store or pick up a subscription to the Marvel Unlimited app and read tons of Marvel comics with only a three-month delay from print to the app. CinemaBlend will continue to report on the happenings in Star Wars in the meantime, such as how Samuel L. Jackson decided to celebrate Star Wars Day.
