Darth Vader's Secret Weakness That No One Ever Knew About
Have you ever stopped and wondered what Darth Vader’s weakness is? He was this dark menacing figure that could crush your windpipes at the slightest provocation, and mercilessly strike you down with his scarlet lightsaber. While his grandson Kylo Ren’s angry tantrums were more amusing than fearsome, it was his quiet seething anger that sent chills down your spine. Most would guess that one could defeat him only by overwhelming him with brute strength. Perhaps a quick tap into the Dark Side of the Force could accomplish that (as Luke almost did in Return of the Jedi). However, Marvel’s latest issue of Darth Vader, which came out recently on June 23, revealed a more subtle weakness.
Spoilers ahead for Darth Vader #13, which you can get at https://amzn.to/3y3xhi8
In hopes of picking up on Luke’s trail, Darth Vader joined the search for Han Solo in the Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters crossover event. He had finally recovered (and been repaired) from the injuries he incurred on Exegol (more on the Into the Fire storyline at a later date). Bokku the Hutt, a member of the Grand Hutt Council, reluctantly told Vader of a possible lead on a planet deep in Hutt Space. In the midst of a firefight against the droids stationed here, a unique droid entered the fray. IG-88 promptly informed everyone that he was armed with “pulse cannons, concussion disc, vibroblades, and a DAS-430 neural inhibitor.”
This statement would have struck fear in other opponents, and sent them running in the opposite direction. However, Vader was no other opponent. He had the upper hand as he effortlessly countered the assassin droid’s barrage. As he moved in for the fatal blow, IG-88 held up a simple device, and stopped him in his tracks. It appeared that Darth Vader was more machine than we thought. His armor could be hacked and controlled by a device. In a turn of events, Darth Vader’s right limb holding his dangerous scarlet lightsaber was moving of its own accord toward his neck. This was a dangerous weakness indeed. We have seen the abilities of top slicers like Tech in The Bad Batch and DJ in The Last Jedi. It would not take much for someone of their caliber to take advantage of this vulnerability. Fortunately for Vader, Tech had no reason to encounter him as of yet. (Or will Clone Force 99 meet Darth Vader at some point in the show?) And DJ was probably still a child when Vader died in Return of the Jedi. In the current scenario, however, it appeared someone had given IG-88 a code to breach his armor.
The current run of Marvel’s Darth Vader has done an amazing job of showing a part of Darth Vader that no one has seen before. We thought we had seen him at his lowest when he was left for dead on Mustafar, burnt, and barely hanging on to life. Many had praised the series for its depiction of emotional turmoil within Vader, adding depth and dimension to a complex character. While we were able to see his helmetless figure in his meditation chamber in The Empire Strikes Back, the previous issue, Darth Vader #12, showed the work that went into treating his injuries. An astromech droid joined the process in addition to the medical droid. Much of the scene resembled a droid being repaired as much as a person being treated. This combined with the revelation in Darth Vader #13 that his life support armor could be hacked demonstrated that he was probably more machine than we previously thought.
“The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.”
As his lightsaber zinged close to his neck, Darth Vader proved that everything paled in the immense power of the Force. In a climatic moment, he reached through the Force and pulled the device from IG-88.
Darth Vader #13 ended with another layer of political intrigue, reminding us that there was more than just the obvious battle between the Sith and the Jedi. However, this vulnerability changed the game for the future. No doubt Darth Vader, with his technological savviness (as demonstrated in his creation of C-3PO), would be able to eliminate this weakness. This series may introduce even more setbacks for Vader that we had not seen before. We could only look forward to the next issue.
The War of the Bounty Hunters crossover event continues with Doctor Aphra #11, which is set for release on June 30. Darth Vader #14 will go on sale on July 21.
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Source(s): Screen Rant