Star Wars fans will likely never forget the moment Kylo Ren killed his father, Han Solo, but one story from the comics revealed that he originally couldn’t go through with the act. This occurred in the one-shot Age of Resistance – Supreme Leader Snoke #1, and it provides a whole new context for that infamous scene from The Force Awakens.
Although he was revealed to be the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa in his debut appearance, Kylo’s life as Ben Solo was largely unexplored in the Sequel Trilogy. This has been rectified in the comics, which have helped filled in the blanks of Ben Solo’s transformation into Kylo Ren. The Rise of Kylo Ren tells of how young Ben Solo was turned to the Dark Side of the Force and trained by Snoke, eventually becoming the leader of the Knights of Ren and rising through the ranks of the First Order.
Age of Resistance – Supreme Leader Snoke #1 fills in another piece of Kylo’s backstory, showing a key piece of his training under Snoke. Written by Tom Taylor and with art by Leonard Kirk, the story depicts Snoke taking Kylo to the swamps and instructing him to enter the very same Dadobah cave Luke Skywalker faced in The Empire Strikes Back. Within, Kylo faces off against a vision of his uncle, easily defeating him. Thinking that his task is over, Snoke tells him there’s more to do. That’s when Han and Leia emerge from the shadows of the cave, and Snoke tells him to truly master the Dark Side, he must kill them both. Kylo ultimately can’t go through with it, and lies to Snoke that he struck down their apparitions just like he did with Luke’s.
Kylo Ren’s Vision Reveals He Didn’t Want to Kill Han Solo
As the Dagobah cave scene was pivotal for Luke in The Empire Strikes Back, so too is it true for his nephew over a decade later. While Luke’s trial acted as a dark premonition of the ultimate reveal that Darth Vader was his father, Kylo Ren’s shows that the young Sith apprentice still had some good in him. It also reveals that the later murder of his father was the result of multiple attempts, making it very clear that this wasn’t some hidden desire on his part, but purely Snoke’s pressure winning out in the end. This helps Kylo Ren’s eventual turn back to the light in Rise of Skywalker make more sense, as it reveals the inner conflict of Ben Solo and his complicated feelings toward his parents.
By revealing that he chose not to kill the vision of his parents in this early scene, the story hammers home how Han Solo’s son Kylo Ren is one of the most complicated, fascinating characters in the entire Star Wars franchise.
