10 Years Later, Darth Vader Finally Returns For New Rogue One Series In 4 Months
Star Wars is bringing back Darth Vader for a new story set during his prime years, connected directly to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Without a doubt, Anakin Skywalker is Star Wars' main protagonist and antagonist. Nearly every era of the Skywalker Saga either builds toward Anakin's transformation into Darth Vader or explores the consequences of his turn to the dark side. Darth Vader's legacy affects the story of every major character, from Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Sidious to Ahsoka Tano, Luke Skywalker, and Ben Solo, intertwining every generation of the franchise.
Modern Star Wars Canon has expanded Darth Vader's history more extensively than almost any other character. The Clone Wars and Tales of the Jedi deepened Anakin's final years as a Jedi, and Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi depicted the aftermath of Mustafar and his first encounters with his former master. Marvel's ongoing Darth Vader comic series has filled the periods between movies, exploring his hunt for surviving Jedi, his discovery that Luke Skywalker is his son, and his rivalry with Imperial officers. Other releases like Shadow of the Sith, Inquisitors, The Bad Batch, Jedi: Fallen Order, Jedi: Survivor, and numerous novels and comics have also expanded Vader's story.
Even after the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga, Darth Vader continues to be the main focus of the Star Wars' franchise, with a handful of significant gaps in his thoroughly developed journey getting projects of their own.
Rogue One's 2026 Sequel Brings Prime Darth Vader Back
Rogue One - Darth Vader; Written By Chris Condon; Art By Luke Ross
Marvel Comics is expanding the legacy of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story with Rogue One – Darth Vader, a special anniversary one-shot comic that shines a spotlight on the Sith Lord during the Empire's race to complete the Death Star. Written by Chris Condon with artwork by Luke Ross, the issue arrives on October 28, 2026, as part of a series of commemorative one-shots celebrating the 2016 movie's tenth anniversary. Rogue One – Darth Vader's plot explores a previously unseen chapter of the Death Star's construction, placing Vader at the center of an increasingly desperate Imperial effort to secure the vast quantities of kyber crystal required to transform the battle station.
Rogue One – Darth Vader centers on a rapidly escalating diplomatic crisis. Director Orson Krennic reaches an impasse after negotiations with the mineral-rich world of Harreld collapse, as its ruler, Harqque, refuses to surrender the planet's valuable kyber deposits for the Empire's superweapon program. Once Emperor Palpatine learns that persuasion has failed, he dispatches Darth Vader to resolve the situation. Rogue One – Darth Vader promises to dive deeper at Vader's role as the Emperor's ultimate enforcer during the years leading up to Rogue One, with a closer look at how the Sith Lord intervenes when Imperial officials exhaust every conventional option.
Rogue One's Darth Vader Is A Goldmine For Memorable Moments
Vader's Brief Unseen Moments Open The Door To Iconic Scenes
Rogue One transformed one of the smallest unexplored gaps in Darth Vader's timeline into one of his most celebrated cinematic moments. Before the 2016 movie, it was known that Vader pursued the stolen Death Star plans shortly before A New Hope. However, Rogue One's now-iconic hallway sequence expanded this brief piece of continuity into a terrifying demonstration of why the Sith Lord had become a legend across the galaxy. In a matter of minutes, Darth Vader reinforced the fear surrounding his figure during the Imperial era and put the opening moments of A New Hope into perspective.
Rogue One – Darth Vader's premise places Vader in the middle of the Empire's desperate search for kyber crystals, which creates an opportunity to explore how he enforced Palpatine's will beyond the battlefield. The upcoming comic can explore the psychological effect Vader had on planetary leaders and Imperial officials who suddenly find themselves facing the Emperor's personal enforcer. The conflict also lends itself naturally to memorable sequences involving kyber crystals and the Death Star's construction, all of which connect directly to Vader's own relationship with the dark side. Like Rogue One's hallway scene before it, the comic could elevate a seemingly minor historical episode into a pivotal moment.
What would you like to see in Rogue One - Darth Vader?
Rogue One - Darth Vader is available October 28 from Marvel Comics