We’ve seen Vader break Jedi, choke admirals, and terrify half the galaxy, but Legacy of Vader hands us something rarer: the man behind the mask actually teaching. When his grandson steps into the picture, Vader swaps brute force for brutal honesty, passing on the harsh wisdom only a fallen Skywalker could deliver. The moment is brief, uncomfortable, and unforgettable—proof that even the Sith’s iron fist can open just long enough to shape the next generation.
The 2025 comic series Star Wars: Legacy of Darth Vader kicks off with Kylo Ren doing what every Skywalker devotee (for better or worse) has imagined: reaching through the Force to ask Grandpa Vader for tips on ruling through fear.
The First Time Kylo Ren Entered Darth Vader’s Castle
Issues #1–3 cover that twisted “mentorship.” We pick up right after the Battle of Crait—Snoke is dead, Kylo has just crowned himself Supreme Leader, and the weight of his past is already gnawing at him.
Yet underneath this harsh exterior, he’s tormented by visions of Luke Skywalker and Rey, and memories of killing his father, Han Solo. Seeking answers and driven by frustration, Kylo confronts Vader’s scorched helmet, desperate for guidance.
“How did you do this for so long?” Kylo demands. “You ruled weaklings for decades—how could that satisfy you? I thought I was your legacy, but I’m not Vader, Luke, my mother, or Han Solo. I told Rey to kill the past. I’ve done that, yet I’m still not free.”
In an effort to break free, Kylo travels to Vader’s fortress on Mustafar. Upon arrival, he’s challenged by Vader-worshipping cultists guarding the castle. Kylo swiftly defeats them, declaring, “I am Kylo Ren. My ascent has just begun.”
Inside the fortress, Kylo meets Vaneé, Vader’s cyborg servant. Though initially dismissive, Kylo learns from Vaneé that Vader’s true power was rooted not in forgetting his painful past but embracing it as strength. “Vader never let go of his past,” Vaneé explains. “His pain became his fuel.”
Realizing the truth in these words, Kylo reluctantly accepts the harsh lesson Vader has left behind. “Show me,” he finally demands, fully prepared to embrace the brutal wisdom of his grandfather.
Convinced he isn’t strong enough, he meditates over Vader’s scorched helmet and, sure enough, the relic points him to the Dark Lord’s old castle on Mustafar.
Kylo Ren Faces Darth Vader in a Vision
Driven to understand Vader not as a symbol, but as a man, Kylo traveled to Tatooine with Vaneé, searching for the roots of Anakin Skywalker. Instead of clarity, he found a trap laid by Gardulla the Hutt, who captured and tortured him. Bound and humiliated, Kylo endured both physical torment and psychological collapse.
Torture only drags Kylo deeper into the vision stream. In his mind he watches Darth Vader—tall, solitary—slice through a squad of Rebel troopers without breaking stride. Awestruck, Kylo blurts, “You are magnificent. Please, I need your guidance. Speak to me, grandfather.” Vader’s response is cold enough to freeze lava: “Everything that made me magnificent… I did alone.”
Those words snap something inside him. Kylo unleashes a brutal wave of dark side power, shattering his cell and shaking the entire dungeon. Free again, he contacts the First Order. Minutes later, a Star Destroyer’s turbolasers turn Jabba’s palace to molten rubble.
Lesson received: true strength isn’t inherited, even from the Chosen One, it’s seized, alone, no matter the cost.
Avis
Thursday 17th of July 2025
I suspect it was really Palpatine who made that vision.