Star Wars Reveals How Leia Learned to Free Han in Return of the Jedi

The current run of Star Wars from Marvel Comics takes place between the events of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, allowing the narrative to fill in readers with previously unrevealed knowledge, as this month’s issue depicts how Leia knew how to thaw Han out of the carbonite in Jabba’s palace. Admittedly, of all the mysteries about the original trilogy a comic book could have explained, the most exciting thing might not have been Leia learning the controls to the block of carbonite, though this reveal does serve as a compelling callback to Han and Leia’s fateful reunion in the film.

WARNING: Spoilers below for Star Wars #3

In the book, Leia, Luke, and Lando all return to Cloud City in hopes of resolving unfinished business, with Leia embarking on a journey to the carbonite freezing chamber to learn more about the process. While there, she learns the necessary controls to thaw the process, which she later uses on rescue Han.

With the book taking place so shortly after the events of Empire Strikes Back, Cloud City is still under the control of the Empire, which means Leia’s reconnaissance is quickly interrupted by stormtroopers.

When Disney purchased Lucasfilm back in 2012, it wasn’t long before comic book series began to take shape that allowed audiences to learn the backstory of the various famous narrative reveals of the series. In addition to this latest run of Star Wars shedding new light on this moment in the original trilogy, it has also teased that audiences will learn what happened to Luke’s lightsaber after he lost in his duel with Darth Vader.

While audiences might be well aware of carbonite and its impact on the series, don’t expect Han Solo actor Harrison Ford to have as good of memory on the subject.

During a recent interview to promote his new film The Call of the Wild, Ford accidentally referred to his character as being frozen in “kryptonite,” only for the interviewer to correct him to clarify he was frozen in carbonite. After letting out a big sigh, Ford joked, “Kryptonite, carbonite. I just work here.”

Star Wars #3 is on sale now.

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