Marvel's 'Darth Vader' Comic Could Have Major Implications For The Future Of 'Star Wars'
Ever since Marvel took over the Star Wars comics, the galaxy far, far away has featured some outstanding story arcs that have helped to expand Star Wars canon in the wake of the erasure of all the Star Wars Legends that came before. When it comes to Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith's own comic book series has done a much better job of fleshing out the villain than any of the episodes in the prequel trilogy. In fact, the current arc in Marvel's Darth Vader could have major ramifications on the future of Star Wars, especially when it comes to the power of the dark side and The Force in general.
For those who haven't been keeping up with the Darth Vader comic series, the current arc for the Star Wars villain is exploring the origins of the castle that he built on Mustafar. Aside from being the planet where Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, the planet is also rich with dark side energy, making it an ideal location for the Dark Lord of the Sith to set up his lair. But this isn't simply about power for Darth Vader. He's been after something else.
While on Mustafar, Darth Vader has been spending time with a dark side artifact given to him by Darth Sidious. The artifact is the mask of an ancient Sith Lord named Momin, who once tried to build a super weapon that could destroy an entire city. He was thwarted by the Jedi, and in the ensuing fight, Momin lost control of the energy he wielded and his physical body was destroyed, leaving only his mask with his consciousness inside. Sounds like Darth Vader's kind of guy.
Possessed by Momin's consciousness, the mask killed Vader's Chief Imperial Architect, Colonel Alva Brenne, and possessed her aide, Lieutenant Roggo. Then Vader decided to let Momin possess a resident of Mustafar in order to give him a body to control. Since then, the two have been working together on creating the castle that we saw in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. However, it's been a challenge as they've been trying to create a design that can effectively harness the dark side energy on the planet.
The reason Darth Vader is so keen to harness this energy is so he can resurrect Padme Amidala, just as Darth Plagueis the Wise supposedly did, as recalled by then-Chancellor Palpatine in a conversation from Revenge of the Sith. However, the latest issue of the Vader comic – spoilers ahead for issue #23 – shows that Momin has other plans for the dark side energy: to bring himself back to life.
When Darth Vader is called away to deal with clans of Mustafarian residents who believe attempts to harness the dark energy in the planet is actually destroying their world, Momin uses the opportunity to open a door between life and death, and he takes on his old form. It would appear that Momin is resurrected and intent on picking up where he left off.
What Could This Mean for the Future of Star Wars
There are still many questions left unanswered at the end of this issue with regards to the resurrection of Momin. We don't know if Momin actually brought himself back from the dead or if there's something else at work here that will ultimately fall apart. After all, we know that whatever this is, it's not enough for Darth Vader to ever bring Padme Amidala back from the dead (because he hasn't done it by the time the original trilogy rolls around). So maybe Momin didn't actually resurrect himself. But that doesn't mean this isn't something dangerous that could be harnessed by other Force users who have tapped into the dark side.
If artifacts can hold the consciousness or energy of someone from the dark side, then who's to say that someone like Darth Vader or Emperor Palpatine couldn't somehow be brought back in some form in the upcoming movies? After all, there has been a wild rumor going around that Matt Smith's role in Star Wars Episode 9 would be playing a young Emperor Palpatine. And let's not forget that Kylo Ren has the helmet of Darth Vader in his possession. Harnessing the power of either of those villains in a similar capacity to Momin could be quite the compelling plot device.
Of course, it's a bit of a stretch to think that an element like this is being created with the intent of justifying that kind of information from inside the shroud of secrecy surrounding Star Wars Episode 9. First of all, it's unlikely that the comic writers have any knowledge of something like that happening in Episode 9, and the idea of bringing back villains from the dead like that sounds like a pretty bad idea.
But even so, the Darth Vader comic still holds some secrets of the dark side that could prove to be important in future installments of Star Wars, whether it's in comics, movies, TV shows or any other media. With Momin's mask acting in a similar fashion as the Force ghosts of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, perhaps the dark side still has some tricks up its sleeve that will create trouble down the road.