Darth Vader’s Most Brutal Star Wars Moment Wasn’t In Rogue One

In the pantheon of great villains, Darth Vader is right near the top of the list. While he is generally known as a movie villain thanks to “Star Wars” getting its start on the silver screen, it’s probably fair to say that few baddies in any medium have ever towered quite as high as Vader. It’s also worth pointing out that Vader has, over the years, proven he can be just as menacing — if not more so — on the page, as opposed to on the screen. Case in point, arguably the character’s most brutal moment came in the pages of a comic book and not on a movie screen.

For many “Star Wars” fans, Vader’s most brutal on-screen moment came at the end of “Rogue One” in 2016. Director Gareth Edwards, at the last minute, added a now infamous scene that sees the Sith lord ripping through a bunch of unfortunate Rebels as they try to stop him from retrieving the Death Star plans. It’s a real crowd-pleasing moment and one of the best demonstrations of Vader’s brute strength. That said, there’s another moment from the character’s history that rivals this one in terms of sheer brutality, as hard as that may be to believe.

The moment in question came in the pages of “Star Wars: Vader Down.” Published by Marvel Comics beginning in November 2015, the crossover series tied together the then-ongoing “Star Wars” and “Darth Vader” series, with thrilling results. Very basically, the story centers on Darth Vader who is hunting down Luke Skywalker after the events of “A New Hope” but before “The Empire Strikes Back.” This leads him to face off against the rebel fleet on his own before crashing onto a nearby planet called Vrogas Vas.

The Rebellion sees this as an opportunity to take out one of their biggest enemies, and they risk it all to do just that. Or they try to anyway. It does not go well for them.

Vader’s ship is ultimately brought down over Vrogas Vas by Luke Skywalker, who recognizes the opportunity before them. Mind you, this was before Luke knew that Vader was actually his father, who was actually Anakin Skywalker. The Rebel command then proceeds to throw every resource at their disposal to capture Vader. At the very end of “Vader Down” #1, the Sith lord and force for evil in the galaxy shows the Rebellion why this effort is futile.

Vader Down #1 – Marvel Comics

Vader’s ship is ultimately brought down over Vrogas Vas by Luke Skywalker, who recognizes the opportunity before them. Mind you, this was before Luke knew that Vader was actually his father, who was actually Anakin Skywalker. The Rebel command then proceeds to throw every resource at their disposal to capture Vader. At the very end of “Vader Down” #1, the Sith lord and force for evil in the galaxy shows the Rebellion why this effort is futile.

As we can see, Vader is totally surrounded by dozens of Rebel troops. Without an ounce of worry, after being warned that he is surrounded, Vader quips back with “All I am surrounded by is fear. And dead men.” If I may? Yes. Absolutely hell yes.

The first issue of the crossover was written by Jason Aaron, who was writing Marvel’s flagship “Star Wars” comic at the time after they took over the license from Dark Horse. He collaborated closely with Kieron Gillen, who was writing “Darth Vader.” In a 2023 interview with StarWars.com, Aaron reflected on this particular moment from the book, naming it as one of his favorite things he’s written for Marvel.

“That moment from ‘Vader Down’ is still one of my favorite things I’ve written during my time at Marvel. I loved getting to let Darth Vader cut loose with all his power in such an epic way. I couldn’t pass up the chance to revel in the dark side again and put Vader in an even more perilous situation … and then see how he carves his way out.”

“Vader Down” #1 ends on that cliffhanger and, not to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read the book, it does not go well for the Rebels. The rest of the miniseries is just as satisfying and it’s truly an excellent “Star Wars” story, regardless of the medium. Even for those who may be fans of the franchise who don’t typically read comics, this is worth one’s time, in my humble opinion.

Don’t get me wrong, that Darth Vader moment in “Rogue One” is one of the best “Star Wars” movie moments ever. There’s no question about that. But this moment, and what unfolds in the rest of “Vader Down,” is equally brutal, if not moreso. It certainly isn’t a lesser moment just because it’s in a comic book as opposed to in a movie. To that end, it’s a reminder that so much great “Star Wars” over the years has unfolded outside of the movies.

Oftentimes, some of the classic “Star Wars” books, such as James Luceno’s “Plagueis,” get a lot of the credit. The same can be said of the “Heir to the Empire” trilogy, which birthed Grand Admiral Thrawn. But the comics have gifted us with some truly great storytelling over the years as well. I would feel very comfortable recommending Gillen’s 2015 run on “Darth Vader” to just about any fan. It adds a lot of depth to the character and is, itself, very entertaining.

It’s also where we get to meet Doctor Aphra for the first time, who has since become a very important character. It all leads to this epic crossover event, one that plays out like an action movie in space, with Vader sort of serving as John Wick figure, for lack of a better comparison, taking down an army by his lonesome. It is, in a word, badass.

You can grab the collected edition of “Star Wars: Vader Down” from Amazon.