Princess Leia Becomes Darth Vader's New Apprentice in Official Art for Marvel's Finale Issue

Summary Princess Leia takes a dark turn in a shocking new "What if?" story revealing her transformation to the dark side.

Marvel teases a new dynamic between Leia and her father, Darth Vader, in this final issue of Vader's comic series.

Speculation arises on why Leia would betray the Rebel Alliance, setting the stage for a dramatic conclusion.

The conclusion of Marvel's Darth Vader series poses the ultimate "What if?" situation with a story showing Princess Leia turning to the dark side and joining her father. After revealing that Darth Vader was Luke's father in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, much of Return of the Jedi concerned itself with Vader and Palpatine's efforts to tempt Luke to the dark side. Interestingly enough, his sister and Vader's daughter, Leia, never had a similar storyline.

Marvel announced that a backup story in Darth Vader #50 by Greg Pak and Luke Ross will feature Princess Leia's shocking turn to the dark side. To reflect the upcoming backup story, a variant cover by Derrick Chew (which can be viewed directly below) depicts Princess Leia front and center, sporting a new armor and veil to reflect her villainous turn as her father stands behind her. The issue officially goes on sale starting September 18.

Now is the time to speculate about what could be the final straw to convince Leia to go dark.

New Armored Art Cover Symbolizes Princess Leia's Turn to the Dark Side

Darth Vader #50 by Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco

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Princess Leia first meets her father in Star Wars: A New Hope when Darth Vader captures the princess of Alderaan and holds her hostage. The Rebel Alliance leader finds herself in a similar predicament in the next movie when Lando Calrissian hands her and Han Solo over to Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back. However, the father-daughter duo don't share any scenes in Return of the Jedi. As such, Leia never confronts Vader with the knowledge that he's her father, but this comic could put a new spin on their dynamic. Marvel's solicitation reads as follows:

The final issue of the longest-running Darth Vader comic series ever, STAR WARS: DARTH VADER #50 will deliver the stunning conclusion to Vader’s tormented battle against the Emperor’s schemes and the Schism Imperial’s secret plot to topple the Empire. Together with STAR WARS #50, it’ll be the finale to the current era of Marvel’s STAR WARS line that takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco's run on Star Wars: Darth Vader first began in 2020, and four years later, the duo is finally ready to bring the series to a thrilling conclusion. The main story will likely offer closure to Vader's attempted corruption of Luke Skywalker leading into Return of the Jedi, while Luke tries to make sense of learning about his secret heritage (including information he's learned about his mother). The promise of the backup story in which Leia joins the dark side raises many questions, namely, how and why?

Why Would Leia Turn Her Back on the Rebel Alliance?

For the Greater Good or Darker Intentions?

Leia has always been utterly passionate about her role with the Rebels, so to imagine why she'd turn her back on them is difficult. It's also worth noting that Darth Vader didn't know he had a daughter until the climax of Return. Assuming that the backup story doesn't dramatically shift away from the canon, this could mean this is a "What If?" where Vader actually defeats Luke, or convinces him to join him, before trying to convince Leia to join him next. That's one theory, but all will be revealed in Darth Vader #50.

Star Wars: Darth Vader #50 will be available September 18 from Marvel Comics.

Source: Marvel