Credit: LucasfilmAfter having his story nearly finished almost 50 years later, Darth Vader won’t be needed.
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Even after the Prequel Trilogy, fans have gotten to see Darth Vader appear in several stories. First, it was in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and then again in Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka, with fans also seeing him in Star Wars Rebels. These appearances helped solidify his role in the Galactic Empire and help tell a story that was needed in the Star Wars universe, but Vader’s role in Star Wars is nearly at a close.
In Star Wars comics, Darth Vader’s journey is nearing the events of Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983), which is the movie where Vader confronts his past and sacrifices himself for his son. With Darth Vader’s death coming up very soon, it’s unclear what Lucasfilm will do with the iconic comic book run.
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Vader’s story in the comics won’t continue past Episode VI, but it’s possible they could do another time jump. If so, it’s almost at a time when Vader’s story isn’t really necessary. Sure, Vader is roaming the galaxy for 19 years before the Rebellion starts to fight back against the Empire, but he is hunting Jedi and fans already got to see that with Charles Soule’s run.
In the comics recently, Darth Vader has been focused on squashing the rebellion and Crimson Dawn, which has led to several encounters with Qi’ra and, surprisingly enough, droids from the Prequel Trilogy trying to kill the Dark Lord of the Sith. Five years from now, this story will be long over and any story left to tell with Vader will likely be told because there isn’t much left to say about the villain.
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The real question is what Vader’s story will look like in five years. Anakin Skywalker and Vader already have amazing character development, with Ahsoka dealing with the character’s duality. Why would Star Wars need to tell another story with Vader? They don’t, but the iconic villain is bound to return in several more stories, but for those moments, it will be less about what Vader feels and more about the other characters facing him.
Wherever Star Wars takes Vader’s story, it’s clear that the Dark Lord of the Sith’s story is nearly complete, and anything else is just filling in the small gaps left in canon. Hayden Christensen could return to star as Vader. Still, it’s hard to imagine seeing Darth Vader or Anakin appear in more projects, and the trouble is, the actor isn’t getting younger, so Lucasfilm only has a small amount of time before Christensen won’t be available for the role or is simply too old.
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