Only Time Vader Visit Padmé’s Grave That You Don’t Know

So, I gotta admit – I didn’t expect much when Greg Pak started his Darth Vader (2020) comic. We’d already seen so many stories about Vader, and I wasn’t sure what else there was to explore. But by issue #4, it completely surprised me. This series didn’t just go deeper – it took Vader to a place I never thought he’d return to: Naboo, and eventually, Padmé’s grave.

It All Starts with Luke Saying No

Right after The Empire Strikes Back, Vader’s not just angry – he’s furious. Luke turned him down. That whole “join me and rule the galaxy” moment failed, and Vader didn’t take it well.

Vader blamed everyone who might have hidden his son and raised him “wrong.” So he starts this personal investigation, chasing leads, trying to punish anyone left alive who could’ve been part of it.

That leads him back to Naboo. And from there, things get personal fast.

Running Into People From Anakin’s Past

Once he’s on Naboo, he runs into Sabé – Padmé’s former decoy – and a bunch of other familiar faces: Captain Typho, Rick Ollie, and the handmaidens. These aren’t random characters. These are people who knew Anakin Skywalker. What caught me off guard is how Vader interacts with them. He doesn’t just kill them like he does with most people who get in his way.

You can tell he’s holding back. They still believe Anakin was a hero. They don’t know he became Vader. And instead of correcting them, he just listens. For a moment, it’s like he lets himself feel again.

Vader Makes It to Padmé’s Tomb

Eventually, Vader fights his way to Padmé’s resting place. And this is where things hit hard. He stands at the tomb… and he doesn’t open it. He just stops. That moment says everything. Here’s the most feared man in the galaxy, and he can’t bring himself to see what’s inside.

A scan of the tomb leads him to Polis Massa – the place Padmé died after childbirth. So he follows the trail there, hoping for answers.

At Polis Massa, he gets attacked by some of Padmé’s old loyalists. They want revenge. Vader kills them. Brutally. But what matters is what he finds after: a broken midwife droid.

The droid has one last memory still intact – Padmé’s final words. She says she still believes there’s good in him.

That absolutely breaks him.

Sidious Isn’t Happy

When Vader goes back to the Emperor, Sidious senses something’s changed. He’s not just angry anymore – he’s grieving. And to the Sith, that’s dangerous. So Palpatine starts talking about “retraining” him, making sure his apprentice doesn’t go soft.

This is the turning point. Vader isn’t just following orders anymore. He’s thinking, feeling, remembering.

What This Means Between Empire and Jedi

This whole story happens between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. And knowing what he goes through here makes those later moments hit so much harder. Like when Luke tells Vader he still feels the good in him? That line hits different once you’ve seen this.

This arc shows how close he was to turning back. It sets up that moment in Return of the Jedi when he finally does. Padmé believed in him. Luke believed in him. And this story shows that part of him believed in himself, too.