Warning: Spoilers for Star Wars: Darth Vader #38
The latest issue of Marvel’s Star Wars: Darth Vader ongoing has given readers an entirely new perspective on Darth Plagueis the Wise’s tragic tale, a parable of Sith power dynamics that has defined the relationship between Darth Vader and his master Darth Sidious since its
first telling in The Revenge of the Sith.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #38 – by writer Greg Pak, artist Raffaele Ienco, colorist Frederico Blee and letterer Joe Caramagna – finds Vader once more encountering the mysterious alien seer, the Eye of Webbish Bogg.
The Eye of Webbish Bogg informs the Sith Lord that he doesn’t possess the power that Vader seeks, before proceeding to tell him the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis.
Palpatine’s Own Story Is Now Working Against Him
In Darth Vader #38, when confronted with the tale once more, Vader recalls when Palpatine first told him the Sith Legend. The Eye of Webbish Bog then asks Vader, “Who was the apprentice then? Who is the apprentice now?” The Eye is implying that Vader could seize power from his master, just like the apprentice did with Darth Plagueis the Wise, who had taught him everything he knew. This is not lost on Vader, who quickly disembarks for Emperor Palpatine’s Palace. What is so powerful about this development is how it diverges from what Palpatine intended when he first told the tale to then-Anakin Skywalker in The Revenge of the Sith.
Darth Vader Has Many Reasons To Kill Palpatine
In Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine mentioned to Anakin that Darth Plagueis had become so knowledgeable in the Dark Side that he could prevent others from dying. This was the reason why he shared the tale with Anakin, as a means to entice the young Skywalker to the Dark Side, since Anakin was plagued by visions of Padme’s death. Now, in Darth Vader #38, the retelling of Darth Plagueis’ tragic tale is creating a very different effect than the one that Palpatine planned on. The Eye of Webbish Bog evokes Darth Plagueis to plant a much different idea in Darth Vader’s mind: killing Palpatine.
That the story of Plagueis could mean different things to Vader at different times is an effective use of the tale. Given the future events of Return of the Jedi, Vader will fail in seizing control from Palpatine, but it is clear at the end of Darth Vader #38 what Vader’s intentions are, and noteworthy that he does eventually kill Palpatine. Marvel’s Star Wars: Darth Vader run has already given Darth Vader ample reasons to want to murder Palpatine. Now, the Eye of Webbish Bog has used the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise to once more influence Darth Vader, setting him on a course for another brutal confrontation with his own Sith master.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #38 is available now from Marvel Comics.
