There’s no shortage of villains in the Star Wars universe. From Darth Vader to Watto, bad guys big and small are littered throughout the galaxy. However, a new villain named Ronen Tagge might take the top spot as the biggest jerk among them all.
Tagge made his first appearance in Star: Wars Doctor Aphra #1 by Alyssa Wong, Marika Cresta, Rachelle Rosenberg, and VC’s Joe Caramagna. In the story, Aphra and her team are hunting there next big score, and learn about the Rings of Vaale, a cursed artifact that’s said to give whoever wears it eternal life and boundless fortune. Aphra is immediately intrigued, but she’s not the only one on the hunt. Enter Tagge, who tries (and fails) to get his crew to capture Doctor Eustacia Ohka, who’s written about the Rings of Vaale before getting expelled from Shadow University for “insufficient credible academic research.”
At Tagge’s private penthouse on Canto Bight, the villain’s true side comes out. In his first scene, the extraordinarily wealthy artifact-hunter plays a twisted game with two artists. He grabs a priceless sculpture in his possession called ‘An Empire’s grace’ and also discusses a pricesless painting in front of them. After bragging about how much he paid for each piece(enough for the previous owners to buy their own moons) he says he brought the two masters to decide which is superior. Both terrified artists vouch for the other’s work. It turns out they didn’t want him to select their work, because he was going to destroy the winner. Instead of picking a sole winner, he brings both artists to see there work get destroyed. “… the only thing that makes my blood sing more than owning something precious… is being the latest person to touch it.”
Tagge than calls on his fleet to find Okka so that he can obtain the rings. Just Lucky from Aphra’s team describes Tagge perfectly, “the Tagge’s are one of the Empire’s wealthiest families. They own planets. Ronen’s a spoiled little rich boy who always gotten what he wanted, thanks to Auntie Domina. He thinks he can own you if he throws enough money at you.” That seems to be a bang-on assessment, as Tagge destroyed precious, irreplaceable pieces of art just because he wanted to feel something. He’s a certified bad dude, who will be a major pain for Aphra and her crew – as his unlimited resources make him a serious threat. Tagge likely wants the Rings of Vaale for eternal life, because money clearly isn’t an obstacle – unless he plans on destroying them, like the art before it. Regardless, Tagge’s introduction has cemented him as the Star Wars universe’s biggest jerk.
