Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #3
REIGN OF KYLO REN PART 3
Even after killing Snoke and taking the mantle of Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren
still struggles with forging his own path in the shadow of his family’s legacy.Kylo’s quest to kill the past led him to Darth Vader’s former home, where the young tyrant met the erstwhile aide of the Dark Lord, a man by the name of Vaneé.
Kylo accompanied Vaneé to Tatooine to further explore his grandfather’s origins. But once there, Kylo’s anger quickly drove him into the clutches of the ruthless Gardulla the Hutt, who now holds him captive….
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Luke Ross
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Colorist: Nolan Woodward
Cover artist: Derrick Chew
Editor: Mark Pannicia
Publication date: April 16 2025
What are the consequences of capturing and torturing Kylo Ren, after he has ended Supreme leader Snoke and become the ruler of the First Order? That might not be the question posed in issue 3 of Legacy of Vader, but that’s the prevailing thought after reading an issue that shows the drive, determination and devastating power of the former Ben Solo.
Captured by Gardulla the Hutt (yes, the Hutt who sold Kylo’s grandfather Anakin decades before) we see Kylo strung up and electrocutred repeatedly when he refuses to submit, his anger growing as he rages against his capture, and despite his repeated warnings to release him or else, Gardulla refuses. Her knobbled, huge-eyed aide warns her the consequences of destroying him rather than breaking him, but she herself is enraged at his attempt to kill her. As she eases on her torture, she instead sends him to sleep, to dream of visions past and future, and there he sees his grandfather Vader mowing down Rebel fleet troopers. It’s terrifying, but Kylo can only see it as magnificence, a magnificence that vader tells him he can only achieve alone.
Awake, his power surges to incredible levels, feeding back the shackles that hold him until they explode, leaving Kylo alone in the rubble of the shattered building. He walks, taking on huge scaled creatures and besting them, taking their hide and attacking the natives, stealing thier radio equipment to contact his Star Destroyer the Finaliser and General Hux. By sunset he finally reaches the stronghold of Gardulla on the back of a dewback, contacting Hux and ordering him to bombard his exact coordinates, an order one of his underlings questions (to Hux, not Ren) but Hux knows from personal experience hiw unwise it is to question the Supreme Leaders orders and we see Ren approach the incoming guards of Gardulla, and see a panel later their dead, scattered bodies as the salvo from the Finaliser hits and destroys the stronghold.
Later, Ren is once again talking with Vader’s aid Vanee, the disembodied head asking of he was satisfied with what Kylo learned on Tatooine, to which Ren responds that he could see the power in the purity of solitude, and we end with Vanee explaining that next we shall journey to Naboo.
Light in plot but heavy in meaning, we not only see the raw power of Ren but also the advancement of his understanding, and as he learns more about Vader via Vanee we’re also heading towards The Rise of Skywalker and a more enlightened Ren. What Naboo will teach him shall be very interesting; despite all of the evil Vader carried out, the love he had for Padmé was never fully extinguished, even if it was mostly converted into anger. Good ness that the sequel trilogy era is being explored, a period of galactic history that – as we look ahead to Starfighter and New Jedi Order – could do with more historical depth.
