Summary
Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Darth Vader #47!Darth Vaderhas long-been confirmed as one of the most powerful Force-wielders inStar Warshistory, both as the Dark Lord of the Sith and back when he was the Jedi Knight, Anakin Skywalker. But what fans likely don’t know - since it was just revealed inStar Warscanon - is that Vader is so powerful, he has the ability to increase the strength of those who survive his wrath.
InStar Wars: Darth Vader#47 by Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco,Darth Vader and his Schism Imperial- bureaucrats within the Empire determined to overthrow Emperor Palpatine - have successfully stolen a massive chunk of red kyberite from Exegol. However, before they can simply fly away from this dark world, they first must defeat agiant, psychic, squid-like creature called the Summa-Verminoth. And among the Schism Imperial, there are some seemingly far more susceptible to the terrifying power of this cosmic horror: the MAR Corps.
The MAR Corps is a team of Rebel cyborgs that Darth Vader uses Imperial Droid Processing Implants to control, making them his own personal foot-soldiers. After the Schism Imperial’s conflict with the Sith Eternal on Exegol, their implants were fried, and the MAR Corps regained control of their minds and bodies. Rather than trying to fix the implants, Vader opts to leave the MAR Corps on Exegol to be killed by the psychic attacks of the Summa-Verminoth. However, the MAR Corps were unaffected by the beast.
When asked how this was possible, one MAR Corps member explains, “Vader trapped us in our own bodies. Kept us conscious while his Imperial droid units controlled our actions. We’ve seen Vader. So I guess we’ve seen worse”.
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Darth Vader Made the MAR Corps Immune to Psychic Attacks Through the Force
As explained by the MAR Corps member, Darth Vader didn’t just control the team with droid implants, he also used the Force to psychically keep their individual consciousnesses awake to witness all the horrific things the droid implants were making them do. It was a true practice in cruelty, which also exhibited the strength of Vader’s psychic power through the Force. But most importantly, the intensity of the dark side energy Vader flooded their minds with made the MAR Corps immune to psychic attacks even from something as cosmically powerful as the Summa-Verminoth.
This is a major testament to Darth Vader’s immense power. Fans have known that he is strong in the Force, capable of killing practically any Jedi who challenges him while also even overcoming the suffocating influence of Darth Sidious, but this is something else entirely. Darth Vader’s power in the dark side is so intense, that it not only leaves its mark upon those who survive it, it actually makes them stronger. Like a mortal encountering a cosmic god, the MAR Corps was ‘blessed’ by the incomprehensible power of Darth Vader.
Darth Vader Granting the MAR Corps Psychic Immunity Adds to His Horrifying Legacy
Darth Vader has always been more than just a Sith Lord or a high-ranking Imperial, he’s a borderline supernatural myth. Darth Vader has a number of accomplishments that contributed to his horrifying legacy, from the story of howDarth Vader ‘killed 50 Jedi’at the start of the Empire’s reign, to single-handedly killing a leviathan on a backwater planet. And now, this is the latest example of Darth Vader’s god-tier power, and perhaps the most impressive of them all, as Darth Vader’s mere presence within the minds of others makes them stronger as a result.
Not only is this feat of power impressive, it also gave life to a new, technologically enhanced crew of Rebel soldiers who are immune to psychic attacks from Force-wielders. Only time will tell if the MAR Corps end up using the power Darth Vader granted them against their former master, or if their existence is purely to add to the legacy of Darth Vader’s power. Either way, the MAR Corps prove one startling thing aboutDarth Vader: surviving him actually gives one powers inStar Warslore.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #47by Marvel Comics is available now.
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
Conceived by the will of the Force itself, Anakin Skywalker was the prophesied Chosen One, destined to bring the Force into balance. Anakin struggled to balance competing attachments to the Jedi Order and his wife Padmé Amidala, and ultimately fell to the dark side, becoming Darth Vader. For years he served as Palpatine’s right hand man, but he was ultimately redeemed by the faith of his son, Luke Skywalker. Now a Force Ghost, Anakin continues to act as an agent of balance.
