Star Wars Reveals Palpatine's Secret Mission For Vader After Empire
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Darth Vader #9 from Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco
In the latest issue of Marvel Comics' Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of Sith has been punished by his master Emperor Palpatine. For his transgressions in past issues, Vader has been broken by his master and left to fend for himself on the same lava bank of Mustafar where Palpatine found and rebuilt Vader as his new apprentice at the end of Revenge of the Sith. However, Vader has just found a path leading to the discovery of the Emperor's best keep secrets. Seeking revenge, Vader is intent on discovering them, though it has to be asked: does Palpatine secretly want Vader to learn what he has hidden? Is this all a part of the Emperor's grand plan?
Prohibited from using the Force until he can reconnect with his inner darkness, Vader has no option but to use discarded droid parts to survive, all while the Emperor's Sith assassin Ochi of Bestoon hunts him with orders to kill the wayward apprentice. As the Dark Lord wards off Ochi's attacks, Vader comes into contact with the odd and mysterious Eye of Webbish Bog, who grants the Dark Lord a Sith Wayfinder, the very same used by Kylo Ren in The Rise of Skywalker to find the Emperor's hidden Sith world of Exegol in the Unknown Regions of uncharted space.
Darth Vader #9 from author Greg Pak and artist Raffaele Ienco confirms that Vader's Wayfinder points to the Sith world where the Emperor will one day become resurrected, rebuilding his Final Order as a new Empire to enslave the galaxy once more. After saving Ochi from the Droid Crush Pirates when their alliance goes sour, Vader forces the Sith assassin to decipher the Wayfinder, providing him with the coordinates to Exegol itself. However, while Vader may see this new quest as an act of revenge against his master, was this Palpatine's plan all along?
Star Wars fans already know that the Emperor always has plans within plans, as well as having contingencies should any of them fail. Exegol is a perfect example, as he has an entire facility prepared for the dark purpose of resurrecting himself should he be destroyed. Is it possible that Palpatine's entire intention behind sending Vader back to Mustafar is so he could eventually make his way to Exegol? It would make sense. The Emperor sends Ochi (someone to translate the Wayfinder), and he could have given the Wayfinder to Eye of Webbish Bog beforehand with the express purpose of making sure Vader would eventually find the relic. Palpatine could very well be the hand secretly guiding Vader on mission he doesn't even know he's on for his master.
While Vader might be enraged and seeking revenge against his master, Exegol might change that. Something has to shift for the Dark Lord to get him to the place where he's resigned to obey his master until Luke redeems him back to the light in Return of the Jedi. Witnessing the Emperor's contingencies and means for immortality through the Dark Side could lead Vader to see the perceived futility of resisting the will of his master. If the Emperor can never die, Vader can never be free. The secrets on Exegol could be what leads the Dark Lord to resume his obedience to his master, which might have been Palpatine's entire plan from the start. In any case, Star Wars fans will hopefully know more as Marvel's Darth Vader continues.