This post contains a preview for Star Wars: Darth Vader #43
Darth Vader has seemingly begun his next act of treason against Emperor Palpatine before the events of Return of the Jedi. Having recently been offered a place among the new faction known as the Schism Imperial, it was unknown if Vader would destroy the group or join their ranks in the Star Wars canon. However, a new preview suggests that the Dark Lord will indeed attempt to use these disgruntled Imperials to his advantage in the galaxy far, far away.
As seen in the new preview for Star Wars: Darth Vader #43 by Greg Pak and Adam Gorham, the fate of Tauntaza has been revealed, a corrupt Imperial with ties to Crimson Dawn whom Vader faced in previous issues. However, it seems as though Vader and Tauntaza will join forces thanks to Administrator Sly Moore and the Schism Imperial, a secret group dedicated to removing Emperor Palpatine from power. Preview pages for the upcoming issues can be viewed below:
While it seems as though Tauntaza was demoted following her prior clash with Vader, it seems the Dark Lord wants to test her strength and resolve with his newly recruited squad of Rebel cyborgs known as the M.A.R. Corps whom he reprogrammed and effectively forced into his service.
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Darth Vader Has Seemingly Joined The Schism Imperial
A Faction Seeking To Overthrow Palpatine
Darth Vader #42 left the Dark Lord at a pivotal moment in which it was unclear if he would join the Schism Imperial or destroy it. However, it does appear as though Vader is willing to at least first test the resolve of this new faction which seeks to stage a coup against his Sith master. Beginning with Tauntaza and her impressive battle armor, she’s likely only the beginning of his tests.
It’s worth noting that Moore did make a compelling pitch with the awareness that it is the Way of the Sith where the apprentice is meant to either become stronger than their master and kill them, or fails and is ultimately destroyed in the effort. As such, Moore is offering the Schism to help make Vader ready to finally overthrow Palpatine once and for all. According to Moore, the Schism is made up of “a handful of the millions of forgettable tools of the Empire”, claiming that the right bureaucrat in the right place can offer immense power.
This Isn’t The First Time Vader Has Tried To Take Down Palpatine
He’s Tried And Failed Many Times Before Return of the Jedi
Assuming Darth Vader does indeed move forward with this new act of treason as indicated by this new preview, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time. Vader has tried to overthrow his master a handful of times during the events of the original trilogy between movies. This includes the secret construction of a droid army before it was exposed, the taming of a massive summa-verminoth that was ultimately defeated by Palpatine on Exegol, and even more direct confrontations between the apprentice and master in which Palpatine has continually proven his greater power.
While it’s known that Palpatine’s defeat will only come through Vader’s redemption back to the light as seen in Return of the Jedi, all of these attempts are darkly entertaining nonetheless (if only to see just how far he gets with every new issue).
Star Wars: Darth Vader #43 is available February 14th from Marvel Comics.
STAR WARS: DARTH VADER #43 (2020) | |
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