Warning! This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: Darth Vader – Black, White, & Red #1 In his prime, Darth Vader was the deadliest force of nature in the Star Wars galaxy, which means he had no shortage of brutal attacks he used to slaughter his enemies, some of which would be way too intense to show in the movies–including this new one.
The second Anakin Skywalker allowed himself to be molded by the Dark Side into Darth Vader, he immediately started committing atrocities. Anakin betrayed the Jedi, murdered his true love, and slaughtered a room full of children. Anakin was Darth Vader before he ever wore the iconic suit, but it was only during his time within the life-sustaining mechanical armor that Anakin truly embodied the monster he let himself become. Pain, hatred, and anger sustained Vader, and his only justification was the constant false reminder that the Jedi are evil, and the order he and the Emperor have established in the galaxy is how things should be. In order to maintain that order, Vader traveled the cosmos, seeking out enemies of the Empire, and ending their lives on the spot. On one of these missions, Darth Vader tried to do just that in an incredibly mean-spirited (albeit creative) way.
Darth Vader Uses an Injured Storm Trooper as a Human Missile
In the Star Wars: Darth Vader – Black, White, & Red #1 story “Hard Shutdown Part 1” by Jason Aaron, Leonard Kirk, and Romulo Fajardo Jr., Darth Vader is tracking down a man he once knew named Doctor Sendvall. Vader was given an anonymous tip about Sendvall’s location, and he promptly goes there to meet with the informant for further information. However, as Vader quickly surmised, the whole thing was a setup. Sendvall is already dead, and the man who contacted Vader was the doctor’s own son. As the ambush commenced, a number of the Storm Troopers Vader took with him were injured by enemy fire, though that didn’t stop them from being of use to Darth Vader. One of the Storm Troopers who was seemingly too injured to continue fighting was lifted into the air by Darth Vader’s Force-grip, and then launched as a human missile at the enemy, with the still-conscious Storm Trooper screaming in fear until his gruesome death.
Darth Vader using Storm Troopers as human missiles while they scream for their lives is definitely on-brand for his level of villainy, but it’s just too mean for the more mainstream Star Wars movies. Those pieces of media are advertised for people of all ages, after all, which means every horrific thing Darth Vader does has to be conveyed through implied atrocities, not this traumatic callousness and blatant disregard for human life. That being said, this scene was absolutely awesome in every way. Darth Vader’s mastery of the Force is unparalleled, and the way he uses it in combat in the most creative and deadly ways is almost admirable, and definitely cool to witness.
While Star Wars fans may never see this particular Force-move on the big screen, it is still a must-see within this brand-new comic book issue (which is geared towards a more mature readership), as it is perhaps one of the most brutal attacks Darth Vader has ever used on-panel.
Star Wars: Darth Vader – Black, White, & Red #1 by Marvel Comics is available now.
