Warning! This issue contains SPOILERS for Darth Vader #50Star Warshad redefinedAnakin Skywalker’sTusken Raider massacre inAttack of the Clones, turning it into a mere prelude for a much darker slaughter he would carry out years later as Darth Vader. In the final issue of Marvel’s canonicalDarth Vaderseries, the titular Dark Lord has amassed all kinds of new power in a final bid to overthrow his master ahead ofReturn of the Jedi. As such, Vader’s murder of so many Imperial troops directly echoes his actions on Tatooine following the death of his mother.
InDarth Vader #50by Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco, the Dark Lord has increased his powers in the dark side using new weapons and power sources. However,all this amplification in the Force takes a greater toll on Vader’s darkest emotions, particularly his volumes of hate. While Vader had been channeling much of his hate toward his master, the Emperor himself exposes the stark truth about his apprentice’s most powerful dark side emotion. Simultaneously,Vader’s massacre of the Emperor’s Imperial forces and Sith Eternal cultists evokes his Tusken Raider slaughter back when he was still Anakin Skywalker:
Featuring the same lines and memories of Anakin’s confession to Padmé inAttack of the Clonesabout what he did to the Sand People,the true turmoil of Darth Vader is on full display as he completely decimates stormtroopers and cultists alike, vaporizing those standing in his way and leaving nothing but charred skeletons in his wake.
Darth Vader’s New Slaughter Evokes Anakin Skywalker’s Tusken Raider Massacre
Fueled By A Pure And Powerful Hate
InAttack of the Clones, Anakin gives into his pain and rage after his mother dies. Seeing how Shmi Skywalker had been kidnapped and harmed by the Sand People,Anakin fully gives into his hatred even as a Jedi apprentice, secretly murdering every single man, woman, and child in the village where he found his mother. In the aftermath, the only people he ever told in the canon were Padmé Amidala and Palpatine.
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To that end,seeing Anakin’s verbatim confession being used during this new Vader slaughter decades later is quite poignant.It truly highlights just how much furtherVader has fallen into the dark side since Tatooine. Likewise, it’s also indicative of how much his own self-hatred has grown in the years that have followed.
How Anakin’s Hate Has Evolved As Darth Vader
Hating Himself More Than Anyone Else
Whether it’s the Sand People, stormtroopers, or Palpatine, Vader’s claims to hate them are only half true. As proven by the Emperor in this final issue (and in past issues),Vader’s strongest and most pure form of hatred is the hatred he holds for himself. As such, it’s a core reason why Darth Vader was never going to be able to defeat the Emperor using the dark side of the Force. It was only ever going to happen from a place sourced in the light, such as saving his son from the Emperor’s wrath inReturn of the Jedi.
Darth Vader #50is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
Conceived by the will of the Force itself, Anakin Skywalker was the prophesied Chosen One, destined to bring the Force into balance. Anakin struggled to balance competing attachments to the Jedi Order and his wife Padmé Amidala, and ultimately fell to the dark side, becoming Darth Vader. For years he served as Palpatine’s right hand man, but he was ultimately redeemed by the faith of his son, Luke Skywalker. Now a Force Ghost, Anakin continues to act as an agent of balance.
