Darth Vader is one of the most iconic villains in pop culture. He is the symbol of evil for some fans, and he is of course the cautionary tale of George Lucas’ story. Darth Vader has been explored sparingly in the films and television series produced by Lucasfilm and Disney, yet there is so much material to adapt. We’ve seen him in the prequel trilogy in what was more an origin story. He’s been displayed in Rogue One in one of his most recognizable scenes to date.
Finally, of course, we’ve seen him in the original trilogy. But did you know he only had 12 minutes of screen time in A New Hope? Darth Vader is somewhat of a recluse in terms of adaptation as people often want to see more of him, yet we get bits and pieces of the pie. We’ve also seen him in animation, appearing in Star Wars Rebels. With Darth Vader, more is less, but today we’re going to rank storylines for a potential Disney Plus series following Obi-Wan Kenobi.
There are numerous Star Wars comics that are seamlessly on par with the blockbusters. Excluding a few instances when the franchise lost its identity, there have always been great stories in Star Wars comics and graphic novels.
5. Star Wars: Vader Down
Written by Jason Aaron, Kieron Gillen, Mike Deodato Jr., and Salvador Larroca. Vader Down is a staple among the Star Wars audience. After colliding with the Rebel Alliance’s vessels, Vader crash lands on the planet Vrogas Vas, and the Rebellion organizes nearly all of its factions to catch him. However, the Dark Lord of the Sith isn’t about to roll over and die. This story has many sequences similar to Rogue One, and could very well take place after Obi-Wan Kenobi in a live-action mini-series.
4. Star Wars: Purge
With John Ostrander writing this original comic, it’s no question a classic Star Wars piece. Following the events of Revenge of the Sith, Darth Vader and the Empire had already fully committed themselves entirely to the annihilation of all surviving Jedi. Many people live in secrecy, but plenty find their fresh start on the run unbearable. A community of Jedi gathers to plan their upcoming course of action. The Jedi Shadday betrays the others by inviting Darth Vader to the conference in the hopes that everyone will be pressured to attack and kill Vader. And if you’ve read the comic or merely the title, you see the results of this betrayal. This is another interesting and terrifying story that could be brought to screen after Obi-Wan Kenobi.
3. Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith
Curated by Giuseppe Camuncoli providing illustration and Charles Soule writing in 2017. Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith is a story that fits snuggly between Revenge of the Sith, and A New Hope. This time period is perfect given what we’ve seen in Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the installment, Vader cements the Empire’s rule over the galaxy by destroying any and all compartments of the resistance movement. This series was in command of expanding on the Inquisitors and demonstrating how Vader established his tower on Mustafar. It’s something I’m sure fans would love to see in live-action as well.
2. Darth Vader
During Marvel’s 2015 run of Star Wars comics, they established two comics. Darth Vader by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca, and Star Wars by Jason Aaron and John Cassaday. Following the fall of the Death Star, Vader attempted to re-establish himself as Emperor Palpatine’s most faithful trustee, while also struggling with the discovery that Luke Skywalker is his son. Throughout their time with the company, Gillen and Larroca created a slew of original characters, including “renegade adventurer” Dr. Chelli Aphra and Wookiee gunslinger Black Krrsantan. Aphra quickly became a cult favorite, even launching her own excellent comic run, and Krrsantan was recently shown in the Disney Plus Series The Book of Boba Fett. Seeing this story come to life could make true fans praise the direction of the franchise.
1. Star Wars: Empire
Finally, we explore the events that took place merely weeks before A New Hope. Created in 2008, Scott Allie and Ryan Benjamin dive into a gripping story about betrayal within the empire in a four-part series. We have an appearance from none other than Boba Fett himself and a power-hungry shadow government of Grand Mofs and Imperial Officers devise a perilous plan to assassinate Emperor Palpatine as well as Darth Vader and commandeer control of the Empire! The cabal enables its advance when word spreads that a “Jedi” has appeared on a backwater world, luring Vader away from his mentor. But perhaps the galaxy would not be enough to satisfy some of the main characters’ desires, and before a while, the would-be assailants are threatening to turn on each other. Underestimating Emperor Palpatine as expected and exploring the rule of two in this series is what makes it so captivating. It shows the beginning of the rebellion and displays more of the Empire’s striking control of the galaxy. What more could we want from Star Wars!
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