Marvel’s ‘Darth Vader’ to Reveal the Origin of Mustafar Castle

Films like Rogue One and Solo: A Star Wars Story are helping shed more light on a variety of characters and events from the Star Wars saga, while iconic villain Darth Vader‘s history is being explored in his very own book from Marvel Comics. The series’ writer, Charles Soule, took to Twitter to tease that an upcoming arc will focus on how Darth Vader got his castle on Mustafar.

The writer shared a piece of concept art depicting the location while teasing, “The next big arc in the Darth Vader series is called FORTRESS VADER. It’s about how he got this.”

Many fans will recognize the planet from being the location of Obi-Wan and Anakin’s fateful showdown in Revenge of the Sith, with Lord Vader then spending large amounts of time on the planet before the events of the original Star Wars. The planet was also teased in Rogue One, though this upcoming storyline is set to feature the lava-covered planet more prominently.

Devout Darth Vader fans might be disappointed that the villain hasn’t taken a major presence in any spin-off films, yet the recent run of Soule’s Darth Vader has helped fill in a variety of gaps in the Sith Lord’s history.

Early issues in the title detailed the process of how a Sith comes to possess a lightsaber, confirming that it must be stolen from a Jedi and its Kyber crystal must be subjected to all the rage a Sith can muster until the crystal becomes crimson. Prior to this method, Sith were described as creating synthetic crystals, though the comic’s description is the official method of Lucasfilm’s current canon.

The most recent chapter in the live-action Star Wars saga, The Last Jedi, featured multiple references to the location, both in inspiration and through the subtle use of props. Snoke’s Throne Room, for example, was directly inspired by a piece of concept art depicting the planet.

“The idea of the floor is that it’s kind of a black hole in a way; it swallows up light and humanity,” Rick Heinrichs shared with Yahoo!. “It’s got a cold, harsh contrast and reflective look that defines their ethos and aesthetic. It’s striking to see black and red together like that, and it makes Rey stand out in this kind of decadently extravagant throne room. It’s a way of having this amazing look with very simple means.”

Additionally, Snoke’s ring featured a piece of obsidian that was collected from the planet, as revealed in the film’s Visual Dictionary.

Stay tuned for details about Darth Vader.

Are you excited to delve into the backstory of the famed location? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

[H/T Twitter, charlessoule]