Star Wars Writer Reveals Disney’s Parameters for Darth Vader in Marvel Comic

“When Anakin Skywalker turned to the dark side, he became Darth Vader, one of the most powerful Sith of all time. In his service to the evil Galactic Empire, he has left a trail of destruction and terror, striking fear into the hearts of millions across the galaxy.” That’s how Marvel’s Star Wars: Darth Vader – Black, White & Red describes the Dark Lord of the Sith, starring in the four-issue anthology series presented in black, white, and red. For writer Marc Bernardin, who made his Star Wars comics debut in the pages of June’s Darth Vader – Black, White & Red #3, Disney’s Lucasfilm and Marvel Comics had specific parameters about just how powerful Bernardin could portray the Sith Lord. 

“It was odd, the things that they did have parameters about. ‘Darth Vader isn’t that powerful. Darth Vader can’t quite do that. Darth Vader’s use of the Force manifests this way, not that way,’” Bernardin said on Fatman Beyond, the podcast he hosts with Kevin Smith, calling the parameters “sort of small, in-world canon things.” 

Among them: a note about Vader’s meditation chamber, the life support pod seen in The Empire Strikes Back. “‘He wouldn’t have that on his own private shuttle, that’s only on [his flagship] Executor,’” Bernardin recalled. “By and large, Lucasfilm was really easy to work with. They did not f— with the core parts of the story I was interested in telling. They only made it better.”

In “Diplomatic Impunity,” written by Bernardin with art by Stefano Raffaele, Vader recruits Imperial Lieutenant Sulaco to accompany him on a “diplomatic mission” to her homeworld on Sarjenn 3. Vader repels a blaster bolt with the Force before using his lightsaber to deflect another shot back at a Rebel sniper. As Vader and Sulaco advance on the Rebel stronghold, he raises his hand into the air, clenches his fist — and turns a well-defended wall into rubble. The story then shows Vader halting a Rebel rocket mid-air with a flick of his wrist and wielding the Force to demolish a tower.

Featuring an all-star lineup that includes writer Jason Aaron (Marvel’s Star Wars), artist Leonard Kirk (Star Wars: Darth Vader), writer/artist Peach Momoko (Demon Wars), and writers Daniel Warren Johnson (Deadpool: Black, White & Blood) and Torunn Grønbekk (Thor), Star Wars: Darth Vader: Black, White & Red is on stands now.