The Incredible Hulk (2020) #48
Son of Vader
Sly Moore’s Schism Imperial, a secret group of Imperials determined to overthrow the Emperor, has continued to grow. Darth Vader has now led the group on missions from the Outer Rim to Tython, all aimed at one final assault on the Emperor’s regime.
While Vader and his team captured a giant kyber crystal on Exegol, the Sith Lord had a vision about his son Luke Skywalker and his possible role in the future of the Empire.
Meanwhile, Luke received a message from the imposter Warba about something that would interest him. Upon meeting her, he was confronted by Sabé, who demanded that he prove his connection to the Force…
Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Raffaele Ienco
Secretary: Joe Caramagna
Colorist: Federico Blee
Cover artist: Leinil Francis Yu
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Release date: July 24, 2024
If the long waiting time between The Empire Strikes Back And Return of the Jedi was almost over, images of Luke Skywalker appeared via Lucasfilm, dressed in black and dark brown robes, with a hood over his head and a serious expression on his face. For us 12-year-olds, it was a real possibility that Luke Skywalker would turn to the dark side. The boy who blew up the Death Star, who bravely faced Darth Vader on Bespin before losing his hand – could he join his father and rule the galaxy at his side? History tells us he didn’t, but when we read the first pages of Darth Vader #48 It’s perfectly understandable why Sabé believes the son of Vader could turn and form a triumvirate that would benefit the Sith no matter which of the three is defeated. At the cold south pole of Caranthanax B, we see Sabé testing Luke, firing her blaster at him while Sabé’s droid kidnaps Warba, and we see him not only jump onto the hull of their H-type Nubian yacht, but also disable the ship enough to bring it back to the surface. Everyone is safe, but Sabé doesn’t back down and aims her blaster at Warba Calip, ready to fire and see if the dark side in Luke comes out. He jumps in front of the beams, his yellow-bladed lightsaber deflecting the bolts, and shouts angrily:enough“Sabé seems confident in his Sith identity as we cut to Vader on Tython, sensing his anger, and watch as Luke continues to parry blaster shots.
As we saw in the last issue, Vader uses pieces of the kyber he took from Exegol in his shield, causing a feedback loop, but he seems unconcerned when a ship carrying MAR Corps hovers overhead and threatens to attack. Vader tries to destroy it with his staff, but as his droid ZED explains, the kyber is unstable and cannot be controlled as we cut back to Luke and Sabé. Skywalker has had enough, slices her blaster in half with his blade and screams again: “enough!’, all happening as Vader destroys the MAR Corps ship. Luke senses this, pauses as he draws his blade away, and interrupts his conversation with Sabé to explain to her that anything less than perfect does not necessarily mean a turn to the dark side. Sabé seems defeated, unable to make the choice Vader has given her, which is to choose suffering over hatred. She saw the glint of the Sith in Luke’s eyes, and when he says he is not perfect, she tells him that like his father, he is more like his mother.
Then there’s a very satisfying twist when Warba comes clean and admits that Vader found her on Segura and ordered her to send him Luke’s location. Sabé is horrified, but Warba tells her she hasn’t done it yet, having seen Luke’s actions. Warba believes she’s lost now, so Luke tells her to send the location, since Vader would have sensed it anyway, and then head out. He makes the decision for her by using the Force to grab the controller and press send himself. On Tython, Vader’s droid receives the signal and informs Vader, who pauses as we see father and son sensing each other before saying no. Sly Moore is outraged. Palpatine wants Vader, so by their logic, killing Luke will end the Emperor’s plans, but Vader repeats himself, saying the boy isn’t ready. Moore gives a signal and Tauntaza in their mecha suit attacks Vader and injects him with a droid brain that takes control of his body, allowing them to take control of the kyber weapons and power them with Tauntaza’s energy pods. Pryde is stunned and cannot believe they would do this to Vader, and as Vader is led away, Moore makes her own statement, saying that with Vader and Skywalker out of the game, she will take her place as Palpatine’s “second Sith,” meaning the Schism Empire will become the Empire. Vader’s anger boils over and he grabs Moore, but Tauntaza fires the weapon, a move that weakens their armor but also knocks Vader unconscious. They take the Lambda-class shuttle and depart, leaving Vader, Pryde, and ZED behind, just in time as the MAR Corps appears, ready to finish the job.
Just like Bounty Hunter And Doctor Aphrait seems as if Darth Vader is racing towards an explosive end. Luke now feels close to the character we saw at the beginning of Return of the Jediand Vader has enough questions to be the thoughtful character of Episode VI. Darth Vader and the most important star Wars Title, the cards were laid out so that the last few issues of both previousJedi Runs should bring us to the right place for Jedi perfectly (which of course is the main function of both post-Rich Series).
Greg Pak continues to identify the key elements of the relationships between not just Vader and the Emperor, but all the characters, and his monthly insights will be missed. Raffaele Ienco is a master of his craft, breathing life into this motley crew of characters, but most importantly, in this quarter-century celebration of the prequel trilogy, this title has bridged the gap between the prequels and the characters of the two trilogies. Of all the characters, Vader is the one who most connects the trilogies. Padmé is no more, Palpatine is in power, Luke and Layman are children, Yoda and Obi-Wan are underground. Only Mon Mothma comes close, but she is not the chosen one who has a relationship with everyone. The 2020 volume of Darth Vader has relied on those connections (along with looking ahead to Exegol) and when it ends in a few months, the bar will have to be set high for everything that comes after.
