In Revenge of the Sith, right before Padmé dies giving birth, she tells Obi-Wan the words every Star Wars fan remembers: “Obi-Wan… there… is good in him. I know there is… still…” She’s talking about Anakin — her husband, the man she’s just watched fall to the dark side.
For years, we’ve wondered what it would be like if Vader — or at least the Anakin still buried deep inside — actually heard those final words. It never happened on screen… but don’t worry. The Star Wars comics finally gave us that moment, and it’s just as powerful as you’d hope.
In case you just want to see the moment for yourself, you can find it in this Reddit post sharing the comic panel. But if you want the full story, you can read it in Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020) #5, or stick around here, because I’m about to walk you through exactly how it plays out.
This issue takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, right after Vader learns the truth on Cloud City, that Luke Skywalker is his son. Now, with that knowledge burning in his mind, Vader begins a personal mission to uncover where Luke is hiding… and, more importantly, who dared to hide him from the Dark Lord of the Sith in the first place.
The first lead Vader thinks could bring him to Luke starts with Padmé’s tomb. Vader believes her resting place might somehow connect to finding Luke’s location. He opens the grave with visible hesitation — there’s a flicker of emotion — but he forces it down, not allowing sentiment to interfere.
Inside the tomb, Vader orders his Imperial forensics droid, ZED-6-7, to scan everything. The droid discovers a medical implant, a clue that could point them toward another place tied to Luke’s birth.
The trail leads to Polis Massa — the remote asteroid facility where Obi-Wan and Yoda watched Padmé give birth to Luke and Leia. But when Vader arrives, the base is long abandoned, just another forgotten place in the galaxy.
While ZED-6-7 searches the databanks, it uncovers records showing that a Naboo J-type star skiff landed here in the past — the very one that transported Padmé, with Obi-Wan accompanying her. Before Vader can investigate further, a squad of Amidalans ambushes him outside the base. But between Vader’s skill and the support of his Death Troopers, the attackers are quickly eliminated.
After the skirmish, Vader and ZED-6-7 resume their search and eventually find the very room where Padmé gave birth to the twins — and where she drew her final breath. Vader orders the droid to recover and play back the records from that day.
ZED-6-7 accesses data from a Chroon-Tan B medical droid, one of the same droids present at Padmé’s death. As the recording plays, a hologram of Padmé flickers to life in the center of the room.
Vader whispers her name — “Padmé” — and then hears her final words, spoken in those last moments: “Obi-Wan… There’s good in him… I know… I know… There’s… still…”
For anyone disappointed because Kenobi did not bring up padme's dying words, do not worry the comics has already done it
byu/Ani_sand_hater inStarWars
However, after hearing Padmé’s final words, something inside Vader begins to shift. It’s subtle, but the good she believed in — the part of Anakin that isn’t completely gone — starts to stir again. Even so, Vader still can’t uncover his son’s exact location, and he’s forced to return to Coruscant to face his master empty-handed.
When Vader stands before Sidious, the Emperor immediately senses a change. Vader’s power feels diminished, his hatred no longer burning as fiercely as before. Sensing weakness, Palpatine strikes at him, accusing Vader of betraying the Empire by going on a personal mission without his master’s permission.
That’s also where this issue ends. If you want to see what happens next, we’ve covered it in another article — the moment when Palpatine fully senses Vader’s betrayal. You can follow this link here to continue the story.