Line #79 ComicBook/StarWarsDarthVader2020


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/darth_vader_2020.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Ghosts of Vader's past.]]
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4	''Star Wars: Darth Vader'' (2020) is a ''Franchise/StarWars'' series from Creator/MarvelComics, their third ongoing series starring the titular Dark Lord of the Sith (following on from the 2015 ''[[ComicBook/StarWarsDarthVader Darth Vader]]'' series and 2017's ''ComicBook/DarthVaderDarkLordOfTheSith'').
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6	Set in the immediate aftermath of ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', Darth Vader goes on a rampage across the galaxy seeking to punish all those who have hidden and turned his son from him and determine the true cause of Padmé Amidala's death. His investigation soon brings him into contact with a familiar face from his past as he reckons with the dark deeds that have brought him to this point.
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8	The series is written by Creator/GregPak with art by Raffaele Ienco.
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10
11	!!Tropes in this series include:
12	* AgentProvocateur: In Issue #21, [[spoiler: Ochi]] stokes General Romodi's anger at Vader's BadBoss attitude towards [[AFatherToHisMen his men]] so that he'll send a squad of droid soldiers to ambush Vader's special ops team.
13	* AssholeVictim: A band of raiders spot a lone Imperial shuttle approaching Tatooine and believe it will be an easy prize to attack and capture intact after it lands. A fatal mistake for them all as it has Vader and a trio of Death Troopers abroad.
14	* BackFromTheDead: "Padmé" claims herself to be one to Vader. Not really though — she's Sabé and only did so because of Vader's reaction to seeing her.
15	* BadassBoast: Vader in Issue #10, when Ochi tells him that the Emperor will kill him for using the Force during his test (specifically to bend the Summa-Verminoth to his will).
16	-->'''Vader''': ''Many'' have made such promises. They hoped to fill me with ''fear''. But ''fear'' leads to ''anger'', ''anger'' leads to ''hate'', and ''hate'' leads to ''power''. So now, let the ''Emperor'' fear ''me''.
17	* BullyingADragon: In Issue #14, Sly Moore and her circle of supporters try to assassinate Vader. He slaughters the bulk of them in short order, and makes Moore herself an UnwittingPawn of his own plans.
18	* TheBusCameBack:
19	** Four of the former handmaidens who were with Padmé [[Film/ThePhantomMenace when Anakin originally met her]], along with one who was in her service [[Film/AttackOfTheClones just before she secretly married]], return and have banded back together to avenge her.
20	** The Amidalans also include Ric Olie, the Queen's pilot in ''The Phantom Menace'', and Gregar Typho, her former bodyguard in ''Attack of the Clones'' and ''Revenge of the Sith''.
21	** Sly Moore ''finally'' makes a reappearance in canon after the Disney buyout, her last canonical appearance being in ''Revenge of the Sith.'' She is sent to Mustafar to oversee Vader's torture and keep Ochi in line, showing she is deeply involved in Palpatine's Dark Side activities like in ''Legends.''
22	** Anakin's childhood friends Kitster and Wald show up in Issue #23, living on a colony of freed slaves.
23	* CallBack:
24	** The comic follows up on ''Literature/StarWarsQueensShadow'', with Sabé investigating Padmé's secrets.
25	** In Issue #6, while Palpatine is Force choking Vader, the page has insets showing the people Vader's pulled that move on over the years.
26	** In Issue #7, Vader visits the ruins of the Separatist base, where we see that the corpses of Nute Gunray and the other Separatist leaders have been left to rot since their deaths.
27	** During Vader's confrontation with the Eye of Webbish Bog in Issue #8, the conversation triggers flashbacks to [[Film/ANewHope his final duel with Obi-Wan]], [[Film/RevengeOfTheSith Palpatine killing Mace Windu]], [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack his first conversation with Palpatine about Luke, and his attempt to recruit Luke on Bespin]].
28	** In Issue #45, Vader visits the Martyrium of Frozen Tears, which he last visited in the final issue of the first run of ''ComicBook/StarWarsDoctorAphra''.
29	* CallForward:
30	** The ''Into the Fire'' arc has numerous nods towards ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'' -- Vader is hunted by the Sith cultist Ochi of Bestoon (who will eventually kill Rey's parents), encounters the Eye of Webbish Bog (which appears in the official novelization of the movie), and eventually heads to Exegol.
31	** The Schism Imperial arc features a young Enric Pryde, who will one day serve as TheDragon to the resurrected Palpatine in ''Rise of Skywalker'', and he's already displaying the blind devotion to the Empire that he'll still have decades later.
32	* CarnivalOfKillers: Following ''War of the Bounty Hunters'', Vader recruits the Assassins Guild to help him hunt [[spoiler: Crimson Dawn's moles]].
33	* ContinuityNod:
34	** Issue #19 features Vader employing [[ComicBook/StarWarsBountyHunters Valance]], who was at that point recently press-ganged back into Imperial service.
35	** Unlike all the heroes, the Imperials rarely interact with any droids, and even seem to barely notice their presence. [[spoiler:Rabé takes advantage of this to infiltrate the ''Executor'' by disguising as a protocol droid.]]
36	* CruelMercy: Vader finds what he needs without needing to damage Padmé's tomb, and leaves Ric Olié and the former Handmaidens alive (albeit nonfatally injuring the former, and after massacring all the other troops with them), if only [[LuredIntoATrap to finish them and the rest of their forces later]].
37	* CurbStompBattle:
38	** Any attack on Vader is [[DoomedByCanon inevitably doomed]]... Unless it's Palpatine, in which case it's the exact opposite.
39	** Palpatine delivers another one to the Summa-Verminoth, Vader’s skyscraper-sized pet, when he compels it to crush itself to death with the Force.
40	* DeadpanSnarker:
41	** Everything the ZED-6-7 droid says is full of snark.
42	** Vader has plenty of moments.
43	--->'''Vader''': You serve the Emperor. What does he want?\
44	'''Ochi''': [[CaptainObvious You dead!]]\
45	'''Vader''': Beyond that.
46	* DidntThinkThisThrough: Even after already suffering a massacre against Vader's group on Naboo, [[TooDumbToLive the Amidalans accept his blatant invitation]] on [[LuredIntoATrap where to find him next]].
47	* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu:
48	** When confronted by the Summa-Verminoth, Vader ultimately uses the Force to make it submit to his will.
49	** In Issue #11, when Vader uses the tamed Summa-Verminoth as an eldritch mount to threaten the Emperor… an unimpressed Palpatine casually uses the Force to make the creature crush itself to death with its own tentacles, despite Vader’s own efforts to stop him.
50	* DoubleAgent: In Issue #17, the readers learn that [[spoiler: Ochi is a Crimson Dawn operative]].
51	* DramaticIrony: [[spoiler:Sabé and her cohorts want to kill Vader to avenge Padmé ''and Anakin'', never realizing Anakin and Vader are the same person.]]
52	* EldritchAbomination:
53	** The Summa-Verminoth, a Star Destroyer-sized squid-like creature living in the Red Horror nebula which is capable of {{Mind Rap\|e}}ing its prey.
54	** The giant crustacean creatures native to Exegol, unleashed by Darth Sidious in Issue #11.
55	* EliteMooks: The Death Troopers that Vader brings with him on his search.
56	* EnemyCivilWar: An arc starting in the last panels of Issue #41 features the Schism Imperial, a splinter faction led by Sly Moore composed of officials who have grown disgusted by the Empire's corruption and Palpatine's petty cruelties, and plot to overthrow him, eventually recruiting Vader as well. [[spoiler: [[TheChessmaster Palpatine knows all about it, and is using it as another test for Vader.]]]]
57	* EnemyMine: Sabé reluctantly agrees to ally with Vader for his investigation into Padmé's death, as she still seeks answers herself to what happened. Subverted, as it turns out that she had deduced he was responsible for Padmé's death, and is luring him into a trap to kill him.
58	* EngineeredPublicConfession: In Issue #32, this is how Sabé deals with Jul Tambor -- she tricks him into believing that Vader has set up camp in a village full of Skakoan refugees, which he proceeds to bomb to try and earn his species' loyalty by killing Vader in a show of force. It's only after he's gloated about this in a transmission to Sabé that she reveals that the village was actually empty, and the refugees have been listening in on the whole thing. This ruins Jul's reputation, destroying his movement and turning him into a powerless fugitive.
59	* EvilMentor: Vader becomes one to Sabé after she comes back into his service, slowly convincing her that his TotalitarianUtilitarian way of doing things is the only way to bring peace and order to the galaxy. This eventually culminates in Issue #32, where she pointedly breaks from the other handmaidens when they try to take her away from him, choosing instead to stay.
60	* EvilVsEvil: Vader vs the Sith Assassin Ochi while stranded on Mustafar.
61	* FirstEpisodeTwist: Padmé appears in the flesh to Vader, somehow still alive. The subsequent issue then reveals that she's just Sabé impersonating Padmé.
62	* {{Flashback}}: The first arc has Vader briefly flashback to moments from the movies when he is reminded of them twenty or so years later.
63	* ForTheEvulz:
64	** In Issue #2, Sabé demands that [[PluckyComicRelief Vader's droid]] help her bury her men that Vader and his troopers just killed. Vader makes him do it not out of respect for Sabé, but only to peeve the droid for being annoying.
65	** In Issue #3, Vader obliterates a mural depicting the heroes of the [[Film/ThePhantomMenace Battle of Naboo]] (including child Anakin) to show he's losing patience with Sabé stringing him along (as well as [[ThatManIsDead other reasons]]).
66	* ForegoneConclusion:
67	** Though Vader learns the circumstances of Luke's birth, he never learns that Padmé also gave birth to a girl, Leia, as well, a fact he will not discover until his duel with Luke in ''Return of the Jedi''.
68	** Vader's rebellion against the Emperor will obviously fail, as he's still serving Palpatine in ROTJ.
69	** Ochi will survive everything thrown at him until he kills Rey's parents as revealed in ''The Rise of Skywalker''.
70	** Considering how the original trilogy turns out with no involvement from her whatsoever, it's clear that Sabé's tenure under Darth Vader won't last forever and that she'll either die or leave the services of Vader at some point.
71	* GoneHorriblyRight: Palpatine stranding a crippled Vader on Mustafar and forbidding him from using the Force to escape was an attempt to remind him of what a "true" Sith is supposed to be. It leads to Vader taking the first opportunity to try and find out Palpatine's secrets, as a true Sith apprentice would.
72	* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Vader ultimately cuts ZED-6-7 in half when he [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness doesn't need him anymore]]. Along with ZED hitting his BerserkButton by commenting that Padmé and Obi-Wan must have been close. Sabé later repairs and reprograms the droid.
73	* IFightForTheStrongestSide: Ochi cheerfully admits that he'll serve whomever he feels is the strongest.
74	* ImplacableMan: With Vader this is expected; the three Death Troopers with him are nearly his equal against any conventional army (and one gigantic sea monster).
75	* InkSuitActor: Sabé's depiction in this comic is based off an older Creator/KeiraKnightley, her original actor in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace''. ZED-6-7 even remarks on the physical differences between her and Padmé's original actor, Creator/NataliePortman.
76	* InternalReveal:
77	** Darth Vader learns what happened to Padmé after his duel with Obi-Wan on Mustafar, namely that Kenobi took her to Polis Massa where she gave birth and died, then took his newborn son into hiding on Tatooine.
78	** Issue 20 has Sabé learn for the first time that Padmé gave birth to a son sired by Anakin before she died, and her son is now the Rebel hero Luke Skywalker. Sabé remains unknowing that Padmé had twins.
79	** Like Obi-Wan had felt the annihilation of Alderaan through the Force, Vader had experienced the same. It is implied to have been internally haunting Vader since.
80	* IronicEcho: In Issue #19, Valance confronts Ochi about Vader using him and the Revengers as bait, with Ochi snarking "You're working for Darth Vader. What did you expect?". A little while later, Vader throws Ochi into the resulting firefight with the others to act as further bait, with Valance repeating the line to mock him.
81	* KickTheDog: Alongside Sabé, Vader saves the colony of freed slaves which include his childhood friends Kitster and Wald, only to return in Issue #43 to have them tyranized all over again.
82	* LuredIntoATrap:
83	** The Amidalans lure Darth Vader to an underwater base on Naboo, so they can sic a sand aqua monster on him. Unfortunately for them, he manages to kill the monster and escape the trap.
84	** Later, Vader lets the Amidalans know where he's going, so that they'll all gather for a mass attack and allow him to finish them off.
85	* MetaphoricallyTrue: The Amidalans believe that Vader killed Padmé and ''Anakin'' on Mustafar, which is true [[ThatManIsDead from a certain point of view]].
86	-->'''Vader''': ''Of course'' I did.
87	* MindRape: The Summa-Verminoth does this to Vader in Issue #10, showing him visions of when Obi-Wan left him to die and of Luke killing him to take his place as Palpatine's apprentice.
88	* MisplacedRetribution: Vader doesn't hold Luke responsible for rejecting his WeCanRuleTogether offer during their duel on Cloud City. Rather, he blames Obi-Wan and the Larses for raising him to be "weak".
89	* MuggingTheMonster: A gang of SpacePirates near Tatooine see an unescorted Imperial shuttle landing, and assume it'll be an easy target for a robbery. Unfortunately for them, the only occupants are a pissed-off Darth Vader and a squad of [[EliteMooks Death Troopers]].
90	* MySignificanceSenseIsTingling: When Vader becomes focused [[spoiler:on saving Sabé]], Palpatine senses exactly what's going on with Vader at that moment.
91	* MythologyGag: Before CGI's development, the protocol droids were portrayed in live-action by actors in suits. [[spoiler: Rabé infiltrates the ''Executor'' by masquerading as an RA-7 protocol droid.]]
92	* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: In Issue #38, Admiral Corleque ignores protocol and doesn't destroy the ''Executor'' when its droids are compromised by [[AIIsACrapshoot the Scourge]] and rebel, because Admiral Piett once saved his life in a previous battle. This buys the time Vader needs to destroy the droids and retake control of the ship, but also gives the Scourge the opportunity to spread to Corleque's ship, at which point Piett doesn't return the favor and follows protocol.
93	* PayEvilUntoEvil: In Issue #6, Palpatine punishes Vader for going against his orders by shocking him, Force crushing much of his armor and his prosthetics, and then dumping him on Mustafar to repair himself without the Force. While there may be some pity for Vader considering his wavering morality, that was a recent development for a mass murderer with decades of countless atrocities to his name.
94	* PetTheDog:
95	** In Issue #12, despite Vader's rebellion against him, Sidious still accepts him back as his apprentice [[EasilyForgiven rather easily]] (against the advice of Amedda) and he even completely restores Vader (once again). After Vader is restored and is asking for orders, the Emperor simply tells him to decide for himself as a Sith Lord should.
96	--->'''Darth Vader''': What is your will, my master ?\
97	'''Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine''': What is ''your'' will, my apprentice ? You have seen the secrets of the Dark Side. You know the way of the Sith. Decide for yourself.
98	** A zigzagged example. In the same issue, while discussing about Vader, Sidious reassures Mas Amedda and Sly Moore that he is beyond Vader's reach but at the same time, Palpatine mocks them to be unworthy of Vader's attention.
99	--->'''Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine''': So concerned! Do not worry yourselves. I am beyond his reach and ''you'' are beneath his notice.
100	* PragmaticVillainy: Palpatine's actions imply this is the case for him being generally nicer to Vader in the new canon than in Legends. When Vader steps out of line, he's perfectly happy to brutally torture him and leave him crippled on Mustafar and hunted by an assassin to force him to get back in line with being a proper Sith or die. In addition, as Luke had now been discovered, Vader is far more expendable than he once was.
101	* PsychicStrangle: Vader ends up on the receiving end for once, courtesy of Palpatine.
102	* RecycledPlot: One of the B-plots in the ''Legends'' novel series ''[[Literature/CoruscantNights Coruscant Nights]]'' also featured Captain Typho investigating the death of Padmé on Mustafar, though he mostly did so alone in the novel, instead of being part of a large group of Padmé's former associates. And like the Amidalans, Typho came to the conclusion that Padmé and Anakin were ambushed and murdered by Darth Vader, not realizing Anakin ''is'' Vader.
103	* ReplacementGoldfish:
104	** [[spoiler:Vader projects his failure to save his mother and Padmé into saving Sabé when she's in danger.]]
105	** Issue #32 reveals [[spoiler:that Anakin/Vader envisions Sabé freely remaining in his service as an acceptance of what he is, the way he wishes that [[Film/RevengeOfTheSith first Padmé]] and [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack then Luke]] could have.]] Though Sabé [[IChooseToStay does remain]], her reasons are more complicated.
106	* LaResistance: Issue #18 introduces the Revengers, a group of people whose worlds have been destroyed by [[spoiler: Crimson Dawn]], and who have banded together to fight them.
107	* {{Retcon}}: ''The Rise of Skywalker'' implied that Palpatine only started building the Final Order armada after being resurrected. Issue #11, however, shows that several hundred of the ships had already been built by the timeframe immediately following ''The Empire Strikes Back''. However, the fact that Palpatine's ships aren't ready is justified not only by the sheer quantity of them, but the fact that the miniaturized Death Star tech that the First Order perfected by the time of ''The Last Jedi'' wouldn't be ready for decades.
108	* RobotBuddy: ZED-6-7, the forensics droid that Vader brings along in his investigation.
109	* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: In Issue #21, G-90 sides with the Revengers in killing several [[spoiler: Crimson Dawn]] operatives they and Vader's hired assassins were supposed to take alive, because they were caught torturing people. [[spoiler: Vader kills G-90 for it.]]
110	* SecretTestOfCharacter: In Issue #15, Vader leaves Ochi to fight a bunch of [[spoiler: Crimson Dawn]] {{mooks}} by himself, to see if he'll fight loyally for Vader or sell out to save himself.
111	* SheFu: [[spoiler:When Vader brings Sabé before Palpatine but leaves her to face off against him by herself,]] she uses such moves to fight off a pair of Red Guards and maneuver Palpatine into having to Force-lightning his own Guards.
112	* TheSnarkKnight: Ochi is all snark at everyone and everything at all times.
113	* SpotlightStealingSquad: Starting from issue #33 and onward, Vader becomes a supporting character in his own series, with each following story arc having the supporting and guest characters as the leading focus.
114	* SpottingTheThread: Sabé noticed various, far-flung details that, when pieced together, had lead her to realize that Vader is Anakin.
115	* TookALevelInJerkass:
116	** Padmé, painting herself as a bitter ghost to haunt Vader for his sins. Subverted in that she's actually Sabé, who is somewhat more cynical than Padmé.
117	** Darth Sidious, believe it or not. He was never remotely a good person to begin with but in past ''Darth Vader'' works, he was much more lenient with Vader, only scolding him and demoting him at the worst, and on some occasions, even praising Vader for going behind his back as being the way of the Sith. And the one time he assaulted Vader, it was only in retaliation for Vader attacking him first in a fit of emotional rage over Padme's death. However, by this point, he needs very little provocation to torture and maim Vader for going against his orders, bringing Palpatine's characterization much closer to his original ''Legends'' incarnation. Justified as this is more due to the fact that this instance of going behind Sidious' back had nothing to do with being a Sith or helping the empire at all. It was because he could sense that Vader was beginning to waiver in his devotion to the dark side and Sith, as revisiting his past brought up the reasons why Vader even joined Palpatine in the first place and Sidious sensed Vader being "weakened" by sentiment. Not only that but now that Luke is revealed and is a potential SuperiorSuccessor, Vader's value as an apprentice has greatly diminished, a point he is more than happy to imply.
118	* UncertainDoom: It's left ambiguous as to whether or not the former Handmaidens, along with Olié, Tonra, and Typho, were among the Amidalan forces massacred by Vader and the Death Troopers at Polis Massa.
119	** Sabé eventually emerges and [[HazyFeelTurn becomes Vader's dubious ally/lieutenant]]. [[spoiler: The other four Handmaidens all turn up in Issue #28 to determine what she is up to.]]
120	* UndyingLoyalty:
121	** Sly Moore's loyalty to Palpatine is absolute, to the point of wanting to eliminate Vader as a potential threat to him.
122	** Ochi develops this to Vader after experiencing firsthand how powerful he is.
123	* TheUnintelligible: The Death Troopers, [[Film/RogueOne like before]]. ZED-6-7 can understand their speech, and Vader seems to.
124	* UnwittingPawn:
125	** At the end of Issue #14, Vader forces Sly Moore to attend the [[ComicBook/StarWarsWarOfTheBountyHunters auction for Han Solo]] on his behalf supposedly so she can bring Han to him as bait for Luke. In actuality, it's just an excuse to put her in the same room as all the other people he plans to kill (though she ultimately survives).
126	** In Issue #21, Vader reveals that [[spoiler: he's been aware of Ochi's service to Crimson Dawn all along, and was playing ignorant in order to use Ochi to lead him to higher-up members of the organization.]]
127	* VillainousRescue: In Issue #16, Sly Moore sends droid mercenaries to save Luke from Vader, in order to spite the latter.
128	* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Between not knowing anything about him, and the fact that he shares their opposition to [[spoiler: Crimson Dawn]], the Revengers see Vader as a hero.
129	* WeHaveReserves: In Issue #10, Sly Moore has no problem dispatching hundreds of TIE fighters to try and overwhelm Vader after he starts picking off the few already sent after him.
130	* WhamLine:
131	** Vader recognizing "Padmé" as Sabé in Issue #2.
132	-->'''Vader:''' You're the [[Literature/StarWarsQueensShadow queen's shadow]]; a handmaiden from Naboo. ''[accompanying visuals show a flashback of Sabé accompanying Queen Amidala]''
133	** In Issue #22 (appropriately), Sabé tells Vader that she's figured out who he is.
134	-->'''Sabé:''' Why should I be scared... of ''Anakin Skywalker''?
135	* WhamShot:
136	** In Issue #4, Sabé with Padmé's four other handmaidens, [[YouShallNotPass all intent on keeping Vader from desecrating their late queen's grave.]]
137	** Issue #11 reveals that Palpatine has Luke Skywalker's disembodied hand from Bespin, with subsequent panels implying that it may be used as material to help create Force-Sensitive monsters with it.
138	** The last scene of Issue #18 shows that Sabé has [[spoiler: joined Crimson Dawn]].
139	** The last scene in Issue #22 shows Sabé revealing to Darth Vader that she knows he is Anakin Skywalker.
140	* YouHaveFailedMe:
141	** Palpatine tortures Vader in Issue #6 for failing to convert Luke to the Dark Side and for defying his orders by investigating Padmé's death. Then he dumps Vader on Mustafar and leaves him to be hunted by a Sith Assassin.
142	** For failing in her part to torment Vader during the ''Into the Fire'' arc, Sly Moore is demoted from being part of Palpatine's inner circle to just another bureaucratic flunky.
143	** In Issue #21, Vader kills [[spoiler: the droid assassin G-90]] for killing several targets Vader wanted alive.

Context ComicBook / StarWarsDarthVader2020