Darth Vader from the original Star Wars trilogies is competent and menacing. He strides through his ship with purpose and fights with skills few can counter. However, there was a point in time when Vader could barely function in his suit and struggled to defeat some of his toughest enemies.

Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncolis’ 2017-2018 Star Wars: Darth Vader series is a masterclass in storytelling. The comic takes the reader from the moment Vader rises on the operating table at the end of Revenge of the Sith and learns of Pe’s death, through his early days of leaving Anakin Skywalker behind and struggling to find his place as the Emperor’s right-hand man.

Of the many earth-shattering changes Anakin discovers upon reawakening as Vader is the first version of his infamous mechanical suit. However, the process of Vader creating the final version is heartbreaking.

Darth Vader's First Body Was Only Palpatine's First Draft

The Journey Begins in Star Wars: Darth Vader #1 by Charles Soule, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cam Smith, David Curiel, and Joe Caramagna

In Star Wars: Darth Vader #1, a freshly “reborn” Vader finds himself in a cybernetic suit that was made by a scientist named Cylo to save and sustain his life after the grievous injuries he suffered on Mustafar during the duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Though Vader informs the Emperor that the suit is “adequate,” Vader’s discomfort and decreased mobility are evident. The Darth Vader that fans know is fluid with his movements to the point where one forgets his limbs are all man-made and there is very little of Anakin’s human body left inside the suit.

If you're looking for more of Darth Vader's impact on the future generations who make up the galaxy, check out the recent Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #1 by Charles Soule and Luke Ross, which is available now from Marvel Comics.

Cylo’s design was made under Palpatine’s orders and close supervision, meaning that it was most likely created with the best technology available. However, just because the technology was highly evolved does not mean the suit itself was fit for its owner. Soule addressed this exact issue in an interview with StarWars.com:

I wanted to create a Vader that didn’t feel like a Vader that we’ve seen in all the other Vader appearances [where he is an] extremely confident and menacing figure who seems to know exactly what he’s doing at all times, and can’t be stopped, can’t be defeated, can’t even screw up really in some ways. But in this series [Darth Vader] he’s not that yet. He is somebody who’s just put on the suit. The first couple arcs are concerned quite a bit with him learning to use it, learning to physically exist as a person in this robotic suit of armor and understanding that the way he uses the Force has to change. He can’t be this agile, flippy-jumpy lightsaber guy.

When Vader sets out on his first mission, he stands alone adjusting the lenses in his helmet, seemingly unsatisfied with all the options for the optics. Eventually, he chooses the best out of what is available to him, but overall, Cylo’s suit is more of a hindrance to Vader than anything.

Darth Vader Rebuilt His Body to Better Suit Him After a Jedi Destroyed Him

The Battle with Kirak Infil'a Nearly Led to Vader's Death

Palpatine sends Vader out only days after Anakin was fused to the suit, tasking him with finding a remaining Jedi who survived Order 66 and winning their lightsaber, so Vader can rightfully have a Sith blade of his own. Vader eventually finds a lone Jedi, Kirak Infil’a, who was unaffected by the Jedi purge due to taking a vow that required him to abstain from interfering in Jedi business as a sort of penance. When Vader approaches Kirak, Kirak informs him that the vow is no longer binding, as Vader eliminated the Jedi Order, thus allowing Kirak to fight Vader as a Jedi once more.

As Darth Vader takes place in the very early days following Revenge of the Sith, there is still a lot of Anakin inside of Vader, despite Vader’s claim that Anakin is dead. Specifically, Anakin’s tendency to jump into a fight headfirst without properly sizing up his opponent is very much part of Vader's personality at this point. Vader makes the same mistake with Kirak, who easily destroys pieces of Vader’s suit and even severs the cybernetic leg before tossing Vader off a cliff to his (presumed) death. Darth Vader struggles to put his suit back together with discarded droid pieces, allowing him to continue the fight and eventually defeat Kirak.

Though Kirak was an extremely strong Jedi, even known for his fighting skills, he automatically had the edge on Vader simply due to the inadequacy of Vader’s suit for his body. Vader, still with the reflexes and skills of the extremely physically talented Anakin Skywalker, could not use his fighting skills effectively, giving Kirak an easy target. However, Vader’s rage and unwillingness to accept defeat superseded anything else, allowing Vader to win the fight. When Vader arrives back on Coruscant in front of Palpatine to present his new lightsaber, his suit is essentially destroyed even though his mission was a success.

Vader's Body Is a Tragic Tribute to Young Anakin's Love for Droids

Young Anakin Created Many Droids and Built Speeders

Darth Vader #6 showcases the charred remains of the body that was once Anakin Skywalker suspended in a healing tank (Bacta tank) after the fight with Kirak. Palpatine senses Anakin’s anger regarding the suit and realizes that he neglected Anakin’s skill as an engineer who could create the perfect armor. Once Palpatine gives his permission, Vader begins to rebuild his own suit to his own liking by using the Force. Tools zip around and wiring sparks as Vader works, but he saves the helmet for last so he can construct it by hand once the suit is ready to sustain his body.

The parallel of young Anakin Skywalker constructing a Podracer that would earn him his freedom to become a Jedi with the image of Darth Vader constructing the suit that would become his prison as a Sith lord is haunting.

From the moment Qui-Gon Jinn met a young Anakin on Tatooine, the boy showed not only an interest in but an extraordinary talent for building and working with technology. At only nine-years-old, he had already built a fully functional C3PO, as well as his own Podracer that he used to win his freedom in the Boonta Eve Classic race. Though some of Anakin’s talent could be attributed to his unparalleled connection to the Force, it was truly Anakin’s skills as a mechanic and engineer that brought the creations in his mind to life.

The Tragic Origins of Darth Vader's Suit Completely Recontextualize His Character

The Past Impacts the Present in Star Wars Lore

The parallel of young Anakin Skywalker constructing a Podracer that would earn him his freedom to become a Jedi with the image of Darth Vader constructing the suit that would become his prison as a Sith lord is haunting. Anakin’s love for creating was such an integral part of what made him special, and it gave him an edge over other Jedi, especially during the Clone Wars. The part of his brain built to understand mechanics so easily also made him an expert pilot, and he was often referred to as the best pilot that the galaxy had ever seen.

Darth Vader drawing on the skills that changed Anakin’s life to create something inherently associated with fear and death is just as tragic as Anakin’s fall to the dark side. Though he lost everything due to his poor choices, Vader’s will to live never wavered. If anything, he survived time and time again through pure rage alone. However, without the perfect life-sustaining suit and his talent to make such a thing a reality, he could never have gone on to become the Darth Vader who was feared by the whole galaxy.

Star Wars: Darth Vader is available now from Marvel Comics.

Source: StarWars.com