A new Star Wars comic has finally explained why Darth Vader decided to spare Chewbacca when Boba Fett raised his gun to kill him in The Empire Strikes Back.
While Anakin retained kindness in his heart as a Jedi Knight, his downfall dismantled all the good left in him. By the time he became a robotic man serving under Emperor Palpatine, Vader was the most sinister Sith Lord the galaxy had ever seen, with an aptitude for cruelty that even his master couldn’t quite imitate. Indeed, the fallen Skywalker brought death and destruction wherever he went, which is why many fans find it strange that he decided to spare Chewie’s life when Han Solo was being put in carbonite.
As you may remember, after the Wookie roars in protest, Boba raises his gun to eliminate him once and for all, only for Vader to stop him in motion and lower his weapon with his hand. Now, the latest issue of Marvel’s Star Wars: Darth Vader has finally reimagined the scene from the big bad’s POV and explained the ordeal in one of the panels.
“Good… Keep on believing it… Believe that your friends have survived this long through strength or fortune… instead of my design,” Vader thinks to himself as he stops Boba from killing Chewie.
For a menacing Sith Lord who almost never shows weakness, this scene from the original Star Wars movies always stood out. But now, we realize that Vader wasn’t actually being kind, he was just trying to sway the Rebels into underestimating him.
Ever the thinking machine, the character has managed to survive a hell of his own making in the ongoing comic series, not to mention that the storyline has also set up the redemption arc which comes into fruition in Return of the Jedi. As such, it’ll be interesting to see where writer Greg Pak heads from here since there are at least five more issues to go until the narrative comes to a close.
