Darth Vader Is Going After Crimson Dawn
SPOILER ALERT FOR WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS #3 AND STAR WARS #16
In the recent Marvel Star Wars comic series, we see Darth Vader acting independently of his own accord. Along with other colorful figures of the underworld, he is now joining in the hunt for the carbonite frozen Han Solo in the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover event happening across multiple Marvel comic titles set in the galaxy far, far away. He seems to be having a change of heart after he has dismissively handed the dashing smuggler over to the bounty hunter Boba Fett on Cloud City. Why the sudden renewed interest in Han Solo? When he learns that Vader is his father, Luke chooses death rather than join one of his greatest enemies. After being rescued by Leia, Chewbacca, and Lando, Luke then returns to the Rebel Alliance, once again out of reach of the Dark Lord. Now, Vader wishes to once again use Luke’s loyalty to his friend to lure him in.
A certain organization stands in the way of Darth Vader’s goal, however. As the action heats up in the War of the Bounty Hunters event, we see Darth Vader facing off against Crimson Dawn, a criminal organization first introduced in Solo: A Star Wars story, which has been lying dormant up until now.
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After storming into the Crimson Dawn flagship The Vermillion, Darth Vader chooses to take Han Solo in a show of impressive force, while intentionally ignoring Crimson Dawn the winning price of one million credits. The current leader of Crimson Dawn, and Han Solo’s former paramour, Qi’ra fearlessly steps up in front of him, using the arts of Teras Kasi against his lightsaber. In an exciting sequence depicting from different angles in War of the Bounty Hunters #3 and Star Wars #16, Qi’ra appears to be fighting toe-to-toe with the Dark Lord of Sith at first. In the words of Darth Vader, “...in [my world]...you barely exist.” Darth Vader easily wins the encounter after he decides to get serious and channels the full power of the Dark Side of the Force. It seems Qi’Ra and Crimson Dawn will now be making their exit while Darth Vader’s attention is on a certain X-wing fighter approaching The Vermillion and its pilot. As revealed by the variant cover of Darth Vader #15, it appears Qi’Ra and Crimson Dawn’s transgressions did not go unnoticed after all.
The new solicitation for the upcoming Darth Vader #18 further shows that the distraction was only temporary as Vader will now be going after Crimson Dawn.
“RED REVENGE! Fearful whispers echo in every corner of the Empire – Darth Vader is on the hunt, searching for anyone with any connection to the criminal organization known as Crimson Dawn.”
In canon, Darth Vader has yet to face off against his master’s former apprentice. It is unclear whether anyone outside of the organization, let alone the Dark Lord, is aware of Crimson Dawn’s connection to Maul. Vader does appear to recognize the fighting techniques used by Qi'Ra, however. Nevertheless, it is exciting to see the events of War of the Bounty Hunters build up to the upcoming Crimson Reign, which will put this mysterious organization in the spotlight.
This is not the first time we see Darth Vader uncharacteristically move against a criminal organization. His view of the underworld appears to be that of uneasy tolerance. The various crime lords like Jabba the Hutt are free to continue their shadowy business as long as they do not stand in the way of his goals and ambitions. In Legends, a certain Prince Xizor of the powerful criminal organization Black Sun competes with Vader for the Emperor’s favor. During the events of Shadows of the Empire, set between the Battle of Hoth and the Battle of Endor, Xizor subtly uses his wealth and influence to undermine the Dark Lord. However, when Xizor willfully disobeys Vader’s orders to stay away from Luke, Vader orders his Star Destroyer to destroy Xizor’s skyhook, killing everyone onboard.
As we have seen thus far, the creative minds of Star Wars are looking to Legends for inspiration. We are seeing many storylines making an appearance in the current canon. Perhaps the story of Qi’Ra and Crimson Dawn will parallel that of Prince Xizor and Black Sun.
The War of the Bounty Hunters story continues this week with Darth Vader #15 and Doctor Aphra #13. Find Darth Vader #18 on the shelves on November 17, 2021.
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Source(s): Screen Rant