As the Scourge continues its attempts to possess all life in Star Wars‘ galaxy, Darth Vader is about to fall to the viral AI, becoming its first human host. However, a will like Vader’s can’t be snuffed out easily, and the battle for control is seemingly about to unite the Scourge and the Sith in a fascinating new way.
Coming from Grek Pak and Raffaele Ienco, Star Wars: Darth Vader #41 will see the Sith lord taken over by the Scourge. Often touted as “more machine than man,” Vader’s cybernetic parts offer a potential bridge between synthetic and robotic life for the Scourge, which is also looking for a way to access the Force. The issue’s summary declares “Darth Vader has been taken over by the Scourge,” but also asks “or has the Scourge been taken over by Darth Vader?” Recently, Vader has shown the ability to take over droids which hack into his armor controls – if he’s capable of doing the same to the Scourge, he’ll be instantly granted an army large enough to bring Palpatine’s Empire to its knees. However, it’s also possible the Scourge will instead pick up elements of Vader’s personality, given a prior look at the Scourge’s final form shows it with black armor in a Sith-like design.
Darth Vader Joins the Scourge
- STAR WARS: DARTH VADER #41
- GREG PAK (W)
- RAFFAELE IENCO (A)
- Cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
- VARIANT COVER BY BJÖRN BARENDS
- VARIANT COVER BY MARC LAMING
- MORE MACHINE THAN MAN! – A DARK DROIDS TIE-IN!
- DARTH VADER has been taken over by THE SCOURGE!
- Or has THE SCOURGE been taken over by DARTH VADER?
- The Dark Lord’s journey in the DARK DROIDS saga reaches its climax with a shocking twist that digs deep into Vader’s very identity and future!
The Scourge is a combination of two ancient technologies, recently fused together into a new form. First, a viral consciousness locked in the time prison known as the Fermata Cage by the ancient Sith, and second an AI known as the Spark Eternal, which was developed by the Ascendant cult. This group of non-Force-sensitives sought to mimic the Sith, developing technology that could be used to replicate Force powers, all run through the Spark AI. Sadly, the Sith found out about their plans and destroyed the technology, but the Spark went dormant and was later able to escape. Fusing the two together has unlocked the deadliest version of each, creating an unbearable ‘hunger’ that must constantly be fed by spreading its influence. What’s more, the Scourge is constantly frustrated by the loss of its ability to inhabit biological life, which it could do as the Spark.
Darth Vader Is the Scourge’s Path to Victory
Now, the Scourge’s hunger is targeting Darth Vader, who could well be the Scourge’s ultimate weapon. With a gigantic army of droids already enmeshed in every corner of the galaxy, the only thing stopping the Scourge from slaughtering all biological life is its desire to spread to as many people as possible. If Darth Vader offers the route to do so, the war is over, and the Scourge has won. If not, then the Scourge is still about to recruit the galaxy’s most fearsome warrior to its side, and finally get a direct line to the Force itself, which remains in flux from the opening of the Fermata Cage.
Dark Droids promised to bring horror to the Star Wars universe, and the event has paid off several times over – now, Darth Vader faces his own personal reckoning, as he becomes a thrall of the Scourge.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #41 is available now from Marvel Comics.
