Review: Vader Faces Off Against the Scourge’s Minions in Issue #39 of ‘Darth Vader’, Crucible of Hate
Issue #39 of Darth Vader continues on with the Dark Droids crossover event and takes a more introspective turn, using the Scourge as a plot device to tease out more of Vader’s character development and elegantly setting up the emotional tension of Return of the Jedi.
Wonderfully balancing intensity and humor, this issue is definitely worth a read, and I would recommend doing so before we progress into spoilers.
Spoilers ahead…
We hit the ground running on Mustafar, where Zed immediately admits to, well…not being Zed. The Scourge (as Zed) in a departure from its usual ominous and sinister characterization, evolves into a mildly irritating exposition machine, villainously declaring the ineffectiveness of Darth Vader’s electrostaff and shield against its formidable Octuptarra droid.
Here we learn that the Scourge has used too much of its resources on absorbing the Octuptarra droid and cannot bring Arex into its consciousness until more of itself arrives, which is an important weakness to note.
As Darth Vader is still struggling to use his Force abilities, the Scourge taunts him, and alarmingly threatens to consume Vader himself as he is part machine, and even claims to be able to use his Force abilities once it does so.
Downloading information on the Jedi from Arex, the Scourge learns of the fateful phrase, “hate…leads to suffering”; A very chilling callback, especially as Darth Vader corrects him, stating that “hate leads to power”.
He then proceeds to get burned almost as badly as when he went to Mustafar the very first time.
Sheesh, the Scourge knows how to hit you where it hurts. Mind you, I found this whole section to be hilarious, inserted into the context of a potentially disastrous and galaxy-ending ‘scourge’. The non-Scourgified droids proceed to take their master’s words literally and, yep, fire upon Lord Vader himself to boost his hatred and give him an edge in the battle.
These droids quite literally have nerves of steel.
In an attempt to draw out his power, Arex prompts Darth Vader to consider who he truly hates. The mood sobers up as we get several flashbacks to Anakin Skywalker’s painful past.
Most readers would have probably predicted the answer to this question: Darth Vader’s hatred for himself has guided all of his decisions, even as 9-year-old Anakin Skywalker, who hated that he could not free the slaves of Tatooine. Always terrified he would never be strong enough, it festered, sending him down the well trodden path of fear to anger and then to hate.
The realization of this led to the spectacular destruction of the Octuptarra droid, (some incredible artwork here!) followed by some vague threats of doom from the Scourge, before Darth Vader cuts the infected Zed down.
However the ending of this issue implies a deeper subtext to the understanding of Darth Vader’s hatred. Through the Force, the Emperor praises him for his realization, only for Vader to claim he discovered something even deeper. A disconcerting understanding passes between them.
From my reading, this implies that the object of Darth Vader’s hatred is the Emperor, the man who allowed his fear to breed and fester, who stoked the fires of his uncertainty and desperation for power. The earlier flashback of Darth Vader’s discovery that he had killed Padmé hints at this.
At this stage, Darth Vader knows the Emperor lied to him, otherwise Luke Skywalker would never have been born. This is one of the most intense and spine-tingling moments for me throughout this arc. Setting up Darth Vader’s redemption and the Emperor’s downfall is such an important part of this series overall, and is a highlight for me so far.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this issue, as I often find Vader’s inner turmoil during this time period incredibly interesting as it rapidly heats up. The series is doing justice to this insanely complicated and beloved character, whilst maintaining the Star Wars charm, and simultaneously progressing the Dark Droids arc in a way that feels united and engaging.
I look forward to the next issue!
Rating: 9/10
Rosalie Lambert is a law student from Australia with a deep love for Star Wars, fantasy, and epic stylistic storytelling. Growing up in the country, Rosalie has always loved nature and outdoor activities, and has a passion for human rights and social justice that she wants to work towards in her field of study.
