When Darth Vader Tried to Flex on Palpatine (Canon)

After The Empire Strikes Back, things weren’t going well inside Darth Vader’s mind. The moment he learned about Luke Skywalker being his son, that little spark of Anakin Skywalker started to burn again. For the first time in years, the Dark Lord went behind his master’s back to search for the truth — what really happened to Padmé, and how his son survived if she was supposed to have died before giving birth.

That personal mission made Emperor Palpatine realize something far worse — Vader’s loyalty was slipping. This entire story is told in Darth Vader (2020) #11, one of the boldest canon comics that dives deep into the twisted relationship between master and apprentice.

The Mustafar Trial

Palpatine wasn’t one to ignore weakness. To remind his apprentice of where his true power came from, he sent Vader back to the fiery world of Mustafar. The same planet where Anakin Skywalker had been burned and broken years before. And it was a punishment.

Palpatine stripped Vader of his right to use the Force. Every challenge, every enemy, he had to face alone. The Emperor’s words still echoed through that smoky sky:

“I left you weak and broken on the burning shores of Mustafar. What did that teach you, Lord Vader?”

The pain was unbearable, but it did what Palpatine wanted — it reignited Vader’s hate. What the Emperor didn’t expect was that the hate was growing for him too.

Through the hallucinations and the torment, Vader saw glimpses of his old life — Padmé, Luke, and everything he’d lost. Each vision reminded him of the same truth: he wanted to protect those he loved, not destroy them. But to do that, he had to free himself from Palpatine’s control.

The Monster, the Defiance, and the Emperor’s Lesson

Vader’s journey took him to the planet Exegol — yes, that Exegol. Waiting for him there was one of the most terrifying beings in the galaxy, the Summa-Verminoth — a creature so powerful it could drive minds to madness through the Force. Palpatine had forbidden Vader from using the Force, but the Dark Lord had made his choice. The moment he unleashed his power to tame the creature, the rule was broken, and the old Anakin Skywalker was gone again.

Vader bent the monster to his will and rode it through the stormy skies toward the Emperor’s dark temple. Lightning flashed across the jagged cliffs as he shouted for his master to show himself. The whole scene looked like a rebellion wrapped in rage.

When Palpatine appeared, calm and composed, he looked up at the sight of Vader towering on the beast and smiled. He was amused.

“There is no threat I have not prepared for!”

But Vader wasn’t bluffing anymore, he stood tall and said with conviction,

“I am no longer your apprentice.”

Palpatine only needed one move to remind Vader who really ruled the dark side. With a single gesture, he took control of the Summa-Verminoth through the Force and crushed it into itself, killing the creature instantly. Vader fell to the ground, humiliated and beaten, while the Emperor leaned in with his sharp grin and asked,

“You were saying?”

Then came the next part of his “lesson.” Palpatine led Vader inside the ancient temple on Exegol, showing him everything he had built in secret — cloning experiments, early versions of Snoke, Luke’s severed hand from Cloud City, and a fleet of Star Destroyers unlike anything the Empire had seen before. It was power on a scale even Vader hadn’t imagined.

The Screaming Kyber and True Power

At the heart of it all was a massive Kyber crystal — a mountain of raw energy. Palpatine called it “the living mineral that powers every lightsaber”. Its screams filled the room as dark energy tore through it. Vader watched as the crystal pulsed and wailed, the sound almost unbearable.

When Ochi asked why it screamed, his Vader told him coldly,

“The Kyber must suffer. And to serve a Sith… the Kyber must suffer.”

Vader stood before it, feeling the agony of the Force tearing through his armor and mind. Palpatine’s voice echoed again:

“You feel it burning your flesh and mind… ready to incinerate you in an instant. You know you cannot fight it. So how… how can you claim it?”

Each word hit like lightning. Vader screamed in defiance, his pain turning into fury.

“Pain. Fear. Anger. Power.”

Those were his weapons. But even as he endured, Palpatine reminded him,

“But only in this way… can you share my power.”

That was the Emperor’s truth — Vader could never surpass him, only serve under his shadow. Every spark of rebellion was crushed beneath the weight of the dark side’s purest force.

The Aftermath

When it was over, Vader had seen everything — Palpatine’s secret experiments, the Sith Eternal cult, the Empire’s hidden fleet, and the reality of his own limits. The Emperor had proven that sheer power alone would never be enough to bring him down.

But deep inside, something had changed. Vader understood now that strength wasn’t about defeating Palpatine in the moment. It was about waiting for the right one. His hate remained, but his focus shifted. Luke was still out there, and Vader’s resolve to save his son was stronger than ever — even if it meant sacrificing himself when that time came.