In Return of the Jedi, we saw one of the most powerful moments in Star Wars — Darth Vader turning on Emperor Palpatine to save his son.
But here’s the big question: How did Palpatine, a master at sensing fear, anger, and betrayal, completely miss it?
It turns out there’s an answer — and it’s found in the canon Darth Vader comic series.
I dug into the details, and the evidence is all there.
Here’s what really happened.
Table of Contents
Palpatine Did Sense Vader’s Betrayal After All
After defeating Luke on Cloud City, Vader eventually returned to Palpatine.
But before he made his return, there was more to his journey than what we saw in Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back.
Upon learning that Luke survived the fall and was saved by Leia and Han Solo, Vader embarked on a mission to find him.
You can follow Vader’s journey to find Luke in the canon comic series Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020), starting with issue #1.
In summary, Vader did not manage to locate Luke after the battle on Cloud City. However, the journey reminded Vader of his role as the chosen one.
As we know, Sith power comes from hatred, but this journey caused Vader to lose some of his hatred.
When Vader returned to Palpatine, the Sith Master sensed that something was wrong.
Palpatine felt that Vader had lost his hatred and was now filled with a complex mix of emotions.
Palpatine Breaks Vader to Rebuild His Rage
Continuing from Darth Vader (2020) canon comics issue #6, instead of successfully bringing Luke back to Palpatine, Darth Vader couldn’t complete his mission.
Palpatine knew of Vader’s failure because he had sent the Grand Vizier to follow Vader’s actions. This was revealed to Palpatine while he was punishing Darth Vader with Force lightning.
The Grand Vizier said, “You were sent to bring Skywalker to the dark side. Instead, you let him escape. Then you were summoned to report to your Emperor…”
Palpatine then asked, “What do we do with traitors?” The Grand Vizier replied, “We kill them, my Lord.”
Palpatine punished Darth Vader with Force lightning and then sent him into exile. During this exile, Darth Vader rebuilt his source of Sith power and came to understand Palpatine’s plan on Exegol.
He then returned to Emperor Palpatine once again.
The Emperor Failed to Sense Vader’s Betrayal
So, after returning to Palpatine—as we saw in Return of the Jedi—Vader brings Luke before the Emperor. Once Luke defeats Vader, Palpatine tries to seduce him to the dark side. But Luke refuses, even as Palpatine unleashes Force lightning on him.
That’s when it happens. Vader, unable to watch his son suffer, turns on his master and throws Palpatine down the reactor shaft.
What’s important here is that Palpatine didn’t see it coming. He couldn’t sense the light rising again in Anakin—because Palpatine, at his core, doesn’t understand love. That was the very thing Anakin rediscovered through Luke, and it became the spark that reignited the Jedi within him.
Now, we know from later comic stories that Palpatine did eventually sense Vader’s moment of betrayal. In Darth Vader (2020), Palpatine punishes him brutally—stripping away his weapons, leaving him on Mustafar, and forcing him to rebuild both his strength and his hatred. Palpatine wanted to reignite Vader’s fury and mold him back into a true Sith.
By the end of that arc, Vader regains his power through anger, not compassion. And just like that, Palpatine believes his apprentice has returned—strong, loyal, and consumed once again by the dark side. For Palpatine, the betrayal was erased… because he believed the fear and rage had fully taken hold again.