Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary Special #1

Star Wars reveals an intriguing glimpse of the Sith Lord Anakin Skywalker could have been had he not been injured by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Having been corrupted to the dark side in Revenge of the Sith, the newly christened Darth Vader was defeated on Mustafar by his old master Obi-Wan. Having lost limbs and been burned alive by lava, Vader required a full life-support suit of armor and helmet to stay alive. However, the new Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary Special #1 shows the ideal Sith Anakin could have been.

As seen in Marvel’s Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary Special #1 by Greg Pak and Wil Silney, the loss of Qui-Gon Jinn was deeply traumatic for Anakin. Having his entire life turned upside down and having given up everything he knew, Qui-Gon had been the only one who believed he could be trained to become a Jedi Knight. As such, the untrained boy’s emotions initially clouded his mind with the inherent darkness within him, corrupting Anakin’s original dream of becoming a Jedi seen earlier in the issue:

Thankfully, Obi-Wan’s promise to honor Qui-Gon’s dying wish and train Anakin would help the young Skywalker control his emotions and begin his Jedi path, at least until his corruption to the dark side years later in Revenge of the Sith.

Anakin’s Darkness Corrupted His Jedi Dream

“I Had A Dream I Was A Jedi…”

At the beginning of this special issue, Anakin’s dream of becoming a Jedi to free his mother and others from slavery on Tatooine is revealed. As such, it’s rather interesting to see such an idealized version of the Jedi young Anakin wanted to be, especially when contrasted with reality. It also speaks to his original heart and intention where he truly wants to use his abilities to help people, just as he did by entering the podrace to help fix the Queen of Naboo’s ship.

However, losing Qui-Gon created conflict within Anakin, and thus briefly corrupted his dream of becoming a Jedi. Tinged red with slavers cut down by his lightsaber, Anakin’s dream self looks far more Sith-like than that of a Jedi. However, Obi-Wan could sense Anakin’s clouded thoughts and helped redirect him back to the light, confirming that both he and Qui-Gon believed in Anakin’s ability to become a Jedi. Regardless, the dream does offer a glimpse at the Sith Lord Anakin could have become in a different Star Wars timeline, one unburdened by the need for a full-body suit of life support armor after he became Darth Vader.

The Jedi Anakin Actually Was Has More Balance

Resisting The Dark While In The Light

The issue ends with a look at the Jedi Padawan Anakin actually became, as seen in Attack of the Clones under the training of Obi-Wan. In the Star Wars timeline, Anakin frequently struggled to resist his darker impulses, though he remained on his Jedi path in the light for years up until he was seduced to the dark side by Palpatine. Nevertheless, this look at the dark side wielder Anakin Skywalker briefly envisioned could have become is quite fascinating all the same in the Star Wars canon.

The Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary Special #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.