Marvel's Darth Vader Features a 'First Time' Meeting We Never Expected to See

As Darth Vader wraps up, the Marvel Comics series is revealing fallen Jedi Anakin Skywalker's worst nightmares. After entering the afterlife through a Sith Portal, Vader searches for something he's longed to possess since his fall to the Dark Side. However, to get there, Darth Vader #25 sees the character literally facing his old demons as he fights off the Jedi phantoms that have haunted him since his betrayal. Eventually he cuts a path through to the object of his desire: his dead wife, Padme Amidala

Finding Padme has been Vader's main ambition ever since her death giving birth to Luke and Leia in Revenge of the Sith. While becoming Emperor Palpatine's apprentice scrubbed away most of his humanity, his love for Padme has lingered, and it's part of what has driven him to restore order to the galaxy, albeit via an iron fist. This desire led to the creation of his obsidian castle at Mustafar, where he was able to create this portal with the help of Sith architect Momin, who later betrayed him.

Vader wants to restore Padme to life, a power that Emperor Palpatine (aka Darth Sidious) told him a true Sith could unlock once fully devoting himself to the Dark Side. This was a secret Palpatine's master, Darth Plagueis, apparently learned and Vader looks to have perfected the skill, as he kills off his past and makes his way to Padme. Sadly, Padme's ghost -- brought by the Force to the location at which they last interacted -- wants nothing to do with the traitorous Jedi.

Vader takes the form of Anakin once more, but Padme throws herself over a balcony, choking herself while red-lightning, indicative of the Sith, destroys her. This act is tremendously symbolic as, before she commits this spiritual suicide, she compares Ani to a beautiful angel, just like he did her in The Phantom Menace. The choke is itself a nod to Anakin Force choking Padme at the end of Revenge of the Sith, when he thought she had sided with Obi-Wan Kenobi against him. That abusive act sent Padme into labor and resulted in her death during childbirth. It seems her spirit hasn't forgotten that betrayal.