Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Darth Vader #49
Summary
Star Warshas confirmed that Palpatine could have madeDarth Vader’ssuffering so much worse in his dark armor. Following his defeat on Mustafar dueling his old master Obi-Wan Kenobi as seen inRevenge of the Sith, Darth Vader was placed inside a suit of life-support armor as well as prosthetics to replace his lost limbs. Although this effectively encased Vader in his pain and suffering, his Sith master could have made things so much worse with a dark “upgrade”.
In the newDarth Vader #49by Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco, Vader finds himself incapacitated by theRebellion’s cyborg soldiers known as the MAR Corps. Having had their bodies and systems hijacked by Vader via droid brain implants,the newly freed MAR Corps is seen attempting to do the very same thing to Vader himself, wanting him to experience what it’s like to be a prisoner in his own body:
Despite Vader knowing all too well how it feels to be a prisoner in his own body,this new issue does highlight the fact that Palpatine could have done something similar to his new apprentice at the end ofRevenge of the Sith.
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Palpatine Could Have Put Vader Completely Under His Control
Trapping Both His Mind and Body In Dark Armor
Having already turned Vader into a prisoner in his own body, one could argue that Palpatine could have also trapped his mind. Back when Vader was broken and completely vulnerable before receiving his dark armor, the Emperor could have given his apprentice some sort of behavioral chip or droid brain implant as a means to gain even greater compliance and servitude from Vader. It would certainly have cut down on all the times Vader tried to overthrow and kill his master (including his most recent plot in this series with theSchism Imperial).
That said, Palpatine turning Vader into even more of a machine than he already was would likely have dampened his power from the dark side of the Force. Likewise, the apprentice seeking to destroy the master and claim their power is a core tenet of the Sith Lords.As such, it makes sense that Palpatine wouldn’t have wanted to take over Vader’s mind, even though it would have more than likely given him full control over his new Sith apprentice by completely removing his free will and autonomy as Vader did with the MAR Corps.
The MAR Corps Wouldn’t Have Been Able To Contain Vader For Long
His Power Would Have Broken Their Implants
As it stands, the MAR Corps wouldn’t have kept Vader’s mind contained for long, as it was confirmed that the Dark Lord would have eventually broken free. That said, the MAR Corps does remove the droid brain implant after Vader proposes a temporary truce to save his son Luke Skywalker from the Schism Imperial (who wants to destroy Luke so that he can’t be used by Palpatine). Nevertheless,perhaps Palpatine and his resources could have created a stronger means of corrupting Darth Vader’s mind back when his armor was first built, an interesting prospect to think about forStar Wars’greatest villains.
Darth Vader #49is 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.
