Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: A New Legacy #1Celebrating 10 years of canonical Star Wars comics since 2015, Marvel's new special issue brings a Sith lord back from the dead with an all-new story. Unlike Jedi who can learn to retain their consciousness within the Living and Cosmic Force and become Force ghosts, dark side s must resort to darker methods to continue existing after death. Such is the case for Darth Momin, a Sith lord just as heretical as Palpatine who's been brought back to the land of the living for a dark new tale.

In Star Wars: A New Legacy #1, which features a collection of stories from past Star Wars comic writers and artists, "The Grand Imperial Jubilee" by Charles Soule and Ramon Rosanas features the return of Darth Momin, an ancient Sith lord and sadistic artist created by Soule who's best known for deg Darth Vader's fortress on Mustafar, his spirit contained within his mask which allows him to possess those who wear it. With the mask being a prized piece in Palpatine's private collection for years, this new story reveals an all-new moment in the Star Wars timeline when Darth Momin rose again.

Star Wars Reveals A New Darth Momin Story

Possessing A New Host During The Empire's Rule

Taking place in 2BBY on the planet Alderaan, this new story sees the Empire celebrating 30 years since Palpatine first became Supreme Chancellor before reforming the Republic into his own Galactic Empire. To commemorate the special event, several art pieces are on display at the event, including many from Palpatine's personal collection, like Darth Momin's mask. Unfortunately, the mask proved too tempting for a nearby stormtrooper who was compelled to put it on, granting Darth Momin a brand-new host body.

An artist first and a Sith lord second, Momin examines several of the featured pieces with an air of superiority, finding nothing worthy of his time. However, he then recognizes one of the largest pieces at the exhibition as his own, only to be enraged when the sculpture is credited as "Artist Unknown". Meanwhile, while the cyborg bounty hunter Beilert Valance tries to capture Aphra and claim the bounty on her head.

Darth Momin Was A Heretical Sith Lord (Rivaling Palpatine)

The Emperor Kept His Mask In His Collection

Before tethering his spirit to his helmet, Darth Momin was a Sith lord who lived between the years of 1,100-1,000 BBY. As a child, Momin was imprisoned for his dark side experiments and horrific pieces of "art" using organic materials. Trained as a Sith lord, Momin eventually killed his master but refused to take on an apprentice, believing he was far too busy to teach when there was so much to still be learned from the dark side which he saw as his true master. Momin rejected the idea that the Sith should be known as "masters" of the dark side, but instead should always be its servant.

Over time, Momin created horrible superweapons including the Fermata Cage, his masterpiece which could suspend a being in time, including a moment of abject terror (Momin's ultimate desire for the device). However, Momin's heresy eventually meant that his very existence was expunged from Sith records, and most of his knowledge destroyed. That said, it's not all that surprising that Palpatine would come to own Momin's mask, and apparently more of his work as revealed in this new Star Wars issue. After all, Palpatine himself was a fairly heretical Sith himself considering his own dark side experiments and how often he bent the Sith's Rule of Two.

Commander Zahra Defeated Darth Momin

Denied The Recognition He Was Demanding

Enraged by the blatant lack of recognition for his art, Darth Momin begins attacking all the guests at the Imperial Jubilee, claiming that none of them are worthy of his work while demanding that they say his name. This motivates a sizable response from Imperial security, including Grand Moff Tarkin's vicious protégé Ellian Zahra (another character created by Soule) who delivers the killing blow as Momin comments that she herself is a work of art, foreshadowing her dark future where Zahra becomes Princess Leia's brutal nemesis post-Empire Strikes Back.

As the dark mask rolls off its deceased host, the glowing red eyes of the Sith heretic's spirit can be seen fading away. While his appearance might have been brief, it's very exciting to see a brand-new story starring Dark Momin, one of the most fascinating Star Wars villains of all time who's never made it on-screen. That said, Darth Momin is a far more timeless villain thanks to his cursed mask, meaning it would certainly be pretty easy for the Sith lord to debut in live-action at some point (fingers crossed).

Star Wars: A New Legacy #1 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.