Warning: SPOILERS for Darth Vader #22
The true purpose of Darth Vader's castle has finally been revealed, with the villain's own comic confirming it was built to resurrect Padmé Amidala. And to build it, Vader called on a Dark Side architect newly added to the Star Wars canon.
If the idea that Darth Vader would act out of love for his lost wife seems at odds with his evil, Sith exterior, then the comic book series exploring his origins is going to be mind-blowing. Not the origins of Anakin Skywalker - the Star Wars prequels covered that. We're referring to the origins of Darth Vader, in the first days, months, and years serving at the right hand of Emperor Palpatine. And the Sith Master didn't just know about Vader's longing to revive Padmé... but gave his apprentice the tools to do so.
- This Page: Vader Built His Castle to Bring Padme Back To Life
- Page 2: Padme's Story Isn't Over Just Yet
Palpatine Knows Vader Wants a Castle To Revive Padme
Since the first issues of Charles Soule and Guiseppe Camuncoli's Darth Vader comic, there's been no mistaking just how much more complicated a figure Anakin Skywalker was in his first years beneath the cloak and cowl of "Darth Vader." That previously untold story, explaining how Darth Vader got his red lightsaber, and how many Jedi survivors he slayed after Episode 3, has proven to be worthy of its very own film. But the biggest twist came with his choice of a new home planet.
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Throughout the first dozen issues, it seemed that even more of Anakin Skywalker was alive in Darth Vader than Palpatine realized. The Light Side of The Force constantly pulled to him, even showing him a possible future in which he turned against his Master, and slew the Emperor before he could give rise to his Empire. But as it turns out, Palpatine is completely aware of Vader's intentions with his castle - even before the reader.
It's easy to forget that it was the promise of mastering life and death, and protecting his beloved Padmé that convinced Anakin to become the Sith Lord's Apprentice. And Palpatine isn't one who easily forgets so clear a pressure point. So when Vader requests that the planet Mustafar be given to him as his own homeworld to rule, Palpatine knows there's more than Anakin's defeat at Obi-Wan Kenobi's hands, or the true "birthplace" of Vader at work. And to help him bring back his dear Padmé, Palpatine gives Vader a more powerful ally than he realizes.
Darth Vader's Castle is 'The Key' To Unlock Death
To help him in his travels and to construct his castle on Mustafar, the Emperor assigns Colonel Alva Brenne as architect. But to help Vader in designing his ideal home - or, now that the castle's true purpose has been revealed, to help him 'save' Padmé from death - the Emperor gifts Vader a relic. The helmet of Lord Momin may seem like a standard artifact, but when its eyes glow red and compel Brenne's assistant to create the plans for Vader's eventual castle, then kill her, its true power is also understood.
Conversing with the helmet-- well, with Lord Momin directly, the architect also knows exactly what Vader is after. And according to him, the fortress that will become known as Darth Vader's castle is to be his masterpiece. It is no coincidence that Vader sought out an ancient cave on Mustafar, a 'Force locus' where the Dark Side was stronger than anywhere else Vader had encountered. No coincidence he used that power to "bleed" his Sith lightsaber red. No coincidence that he intends to build his castle over the same spot.
Lord Momin confirms that the Force locus is a doorway to the Dark Side... and he will build the castle to "unlock" its power over life and death.
Page 2 of 2: Padmé's Star Wars Story Isn't Over Yet
Padme's Story Didn't End With Her Death
The Darth Vader series has made Anakin's inability to simply erase his past, or forget what drove him to the Dark Side one of the core themes. That includes making the trip to the planet Mon Cala, and acting as the Emperor's attack dog against a figure he once called an ally and comrade. During the days of the Clone Wars, the Mon Cala King Lee-Char became a great hero... but with Vader now a faceless, rankless enforcer of the Empire, he was a potential enemy.
Still, that couldn't stop Vader from recalling the king to his own Inquisitors as more than a backworld governor. And as Vader's mind conjured up images of his mission at Lee-Char's side, it wasn't the Mon Calamari who stole his attention - it was Padmé fighting for peace at his. No sooner had that mission been concluded with the slaughter of yet more Jedi survivors than Palpatine gave permission to Vader to return to Mustafar. But the helmet of Lord Momin wasn't the only "gift" Vader got.
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The reveal of Palpatine not just finding, but beginning the repairs to Padmé Amidala's unforgettable, mirror-finish, Naboo starship took Vader completely by surprise. within seconds he turned the repair droid to scrap metal, wishing nobody else to touch the relic of Anakin and Padmé's life together. Either that, or passionately denying anyone the chance to return it to its former glory. In fact, the strong feelings evoked by the ship were dealt with by Vader upon his arrival to Mustafar.
Dropping the heat shielding upon entry into Mustafar's atmosphere, Vader subjected the exterior to intense heat, turning it into a dark, twisted, half-melted monstrosity. We'll let the fans connect the dots on the symbolism there, but one thing is clear from the canonical Vader series: the influence still wielded by Padmé Amidala didn't end with her death. And may still have some of its most important chapters to tell.
The True Meaning of Mustafar is Changing Everything
With this new story twist delivered in "Fortress Vader," Soule and Camuncoli have shown that the planet Mustafar is a far more pivotal place in the Star Wars universe than it seemed. And since it was both the place where Obi-Wan defeated Anakin, where Vader was born, and where he meditated for the decades to come, that really is saying something. But as difficult as it may be to believe, the films may have only scratched the surface.
Previous lore made slight mention to the fact that Darth Vader's castle was built over an ancient Sith site, but its power or purpose was never before revealed. That work is now being done by the comics, teasing a Force locus point that was formed... somehow, and if Vader is to be believed, is a place where the Dark Side can make the impossible within reach. assuming Lord Momin has the designs to back it up, and Vader's castle truly can be the key to the Dark Side powers "locked" to him.
When the door opens, what will happen next? Does the chance to see Padmé returned to him mean resurrection, or contact beyond the grave? And if Padmé can truly see what Anakin has become, will his heartbreak further change his character? Or will Padmé's response be what finally forges Vader, and kills what's left of Anakin Skywalker for good?
Darth Vader #22 is available now from Marvel Comics.
MORE: The TRUE Origin of Darth Vader's Helmet Revealed?
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