Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #1
AlthoughStar Warssignificantly cutKylo Ren’scrusade to retrieve the Sith wayfinder, it seems elements of his mission are now returning to the official canon. Set in the aftermath ofThe Last Jedi,Marvel’s new and canonicalLegacy of Vaderseries sees Kylo visiting Mustafar nearly a year before he’d come to possess the artifact leading to Exegol (as seen at the beginning ofRise of Skywalker). Instead, the new Supreme Leader’s first priority was to reach his grandfather’s fortress, intending to destroy it once and for all.
InStar Wars: Legacy of Vader #1by Chares Soule and Luke Ross,Kylo Ren is determined to wholly and completely kill his past, just like he told Rey to do inThe Last Jedi. This includes destroying all elements of the one legacy he’d actually embraced since falling to the dark side: Darth Vader’s.However, Kylo Ren’s mission to reach the Sith fortress of Mustafar was met with some familiar-looking resistance in this first issue.
Kylo Ren’s Mustafar Mission Was Massively Cut From The Rise of Skywalker
Concept Art Shows What It Could Have Looked Like
As was confirmed viaconcept art forEpisode IXfrom artistJon McCoy,Kylo Ren’s crusade to find the wayfinder was meant to be a much longer affair than what was ultimately seen in the final cut ofRise of Skywalker. In the final Skywalker saga movie, Kylo Ren cuts through a handful of warriors before locating the Sith wayfinder on Mustafar. However, concept art and deleted footage revealed that Kylo Ren was originally meant to interact with the mysterious Force being known as the Eye of Webbish Bog who would have pointed Kylo in the right direction to the artifact.
Not only was this encounter canonized with the expanded edition ofRise of Skywalker’snovelization, but theEye of Webbish Bog was also featured more than once speaking with Darth Vaderin the canonical comics, offering pieces of wisdom and even glimpses into the future. Furthermore, McCoy’s concept art confirms that Kylo Ren’s extended crusade would have shown him visiting various locales and fighting multiple warriors.To that end, more than one piece of concept art sees Kylo Ren fighting said warriors up a long flight of steps.
Kylo Ren’s New Series Brings The Concept Art Back To The Canon
Fighting Warriors To Get To Darth Vader’s Castle
Interestingly enough,Legacy of Vaderjust so happens to feature Kylo Ren charging up a flight of steps upon his arrival to Mustafar. Wanting to destroy his grandfather’s castle at the top of those steps and its status as a dark symbol of the past he’s trying to erase, Kylo is indeed stopped by a group of warriors. As such,Vader’s heir wastes no time mowing down those standing in his way, effectively making key elements of the aforementioned concept art canon, albeit in the aftermath ofThe Last Jedirather than the beginning ofRise of Skywalker.
Star Wars Finally Showing Kylo Ren’s Birth Makes His Fall To The Dark Side Even More Heartbreaking
Star Wars' new Battle of Jakku series ends by finally showing the day of Ben Solo’s birth, making his dark side future as Kylo Ren so much worse.
Using the Force to stop the warriors' arrows,Kylo Ren cuts them to pieces with his iconic lightsaberand a rage-fueled determination.Seemingly trying to convince himself as much as his foes, Kylo Ren declares that his reign as Supreme Leader has just begun, so long as he can finally bury and kill the past he believes is holding him back. That said, Vader’s grandson is instead shown an alternate path once he makes it to the castle itself.
Kylo Ren’s Crusade Has Only Just Begun
Exploring Darth Vader’s Dark Past
Coming face-to-face with what little remains of Vader’s old servant Vaneé, the castle’s caretaker offers to show Kylo Ren how to turn his past into power, just as his grandfather did when he was still alive.Willing to hear what Vaneé has to share about his grandfather’s legacy, it’s now become clear that Kylo Ren is about to embark on a whole new kind of crusade before he starts looking for the Sith wayfinder. Nevertheless, this new series is a very creative and exciting way to bring back the original concepts behind the longer crusade that was cut fromRise of Skywalker.
Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #1is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
