Summary

• Darth Vader's current comic series with Marvel is coming to an end, culminating in an epic battle with Emperor Palpatine.
• Vader has amassed incredible power by leading the Schism Imperial, controlling battle droids, and wielding kyber weapons.
• Despite Vader's strength, his deep hatred for Palpatine may be his downfall, setting the stage for the iconic showdown in Return of the Jedi.

The current era of Emperor Palpatine. And now, after 41 years, Star Wars fans are finally getting the Darth Vader vs Palpatine war that ‘80s fans dreamed of, which will assuredly pay off the original conclusion to Vader and Palpatine’s story as seen in Return of the Jedi.

Marvel confirmed that Star Wars: Darth Vader #50 by Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco will mark the end of the Dark Lord’s current comic book run, which has taken place between the events of Episode V and Episode VI of the original trilogy. Along with this information, Marvel also released the cover art for Star Wars: Darth Vader #50, as well as the official synopsis (both of which can be viewed below).

While this era of Star Wars canon may be coming to an end in the near future, it’s certainly not over yet. In fact, Darth Vader still has some time to grow his strength even greater before finally challenging Palpatine in this climactic battle. And, honestly, at the rate Darth Vader is growing in power, it is astounding Palpatine even makes it to Return of the Jedi, which only builds more anticipation for this epic Star Wars event.

Darth Vader is Bringing More than Just His Lightsaber to His Fight with Emperor Palpatine

The Star Wars conflict between Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine will be so much more than just a simple lightsaber duel, as it’s going to be a full-on war between not just two people, but two armies.

Palpatine obviously has the full extent of the Empire at his disposal, but that shouldn’t imply that Darth Vader’s forces will automatically be crushed. In his comic story arc building up to issue #50, Darth Vader has become the leader of the Schism Imperial, he’s taken control of a droid factory manufacturing the strongest battle droids in the galaxy, he’s stolen a large chunk of the red kyber kept on Exegol, and he’s wielding a shield of kyberite along with his electrostaff (not to mention his classic red lightsaber).

Darth Vader has an army of droids and bureaucrats, he has planet-destroying capabilities with the kyber, and his personal weapons make him the deadliest he’s ever been. Not only that, but Vader has recently mastered the art of deception, and has a grip on the Force the likes of which he’s never felt before, making him all the more powerful. In other words, Darth Vader is at the height of his power, leaving only one question: how is Palpatine going to survive this?

No Matter How Strong Darth Vader Gets, He’ll Never Beat Palpatine Pre-RotJ (for 1 Reason)

While Darth Vader’s personal strength, as well as the fact that he has his own army equipped with potentially planet-destroying weapons, is impressive, he’ll still never beat Palpatine before Return of the Jedi, and the reason why is simple: Palpatine feeds on Vader’s hatred of him. The synopsis for issue #50 itself gives away how Palpatine will win this fight, as it notes that Darth Vader hates Palpatine more than anyone. Thanks to that, Vader has effectively handed Palpatine the victory, as Sidious’ strength in the Force will become insurmountable the moment Vader stands against him.

This also explains why Darth Vader was finally able to beat Palpatine in Return of the Jedi. Darth Vader killed the Emperor out of love for his son, Luke, not out of hatred for the man himself. That’s also the only reason Palpatine didn’t see his attack coming, and didn’t become more powerful as a result. However, even though fans know how this battle will end (and why), this war between Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine will still be one for the ages, as it's a fight Star Wars fans have been waiting 41 years for.

Star Wars: Darth Vader #50 by Marvel Comics is available September 18, 2024.

Source: Marvel