When Exactly Did Darth Vader Learn Luke Skywalker Was His Son?
The revelation of Darth Vader to Luke Skywalker that he is his father is one of cinema’s greatest plot twists, but when did the Sith Lord learn that the Rebel pilot is his son in the Star Wars saga? As is often the case, there is a different answer in each of the two Star Wars timelines, with Legends telling the story in two properties and canon showing it in a single one. In both cases, Vader’s discovery takes place shortly after the events of A New Hope.
Darth Vader’s obsession with Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back is seemingly due to the latter’s destruction of the Death Star battle station, but his revelation to Luke and brief dialogue with Emperor Palpatine recontextualizes his pursuit. Darth Vader seeks to overthrow Palpatine in classic Sith fashion with his son at his side, having fallen to the dark side of the Force. Canon and Legends comics reveal precisely when Darth Vader found this sinister new purpose following the Empire’s defeat at the Battle of Yavin.
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In the post-2014 canon universe, the story that reveals Darth Vader discovering Luke Skywalker’s identity (and thus the fact that the Death Star’s destroyer is his son) is issue 6 of 2015’s Star Wars comics by Marvel, which takes place sometime shortly after A New Hope. In this comic issue, Darth Vader is informed by Boba Fett that the Rebel pilot who destroyed the battle station (and briefly battled Vader on Cymoon 1 in issue 2) is named Luke Skywalker, who Vader immediately recognizes as his son. The scene is repeated in issue 6 of 2015’s Darth Vader comics, with Vader vowing: “He will be mine. It will all be mine.” While Legends also revealed Darth Vader’s
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