Darth Vader (2015) 25

Everything culminates here! Vader's battles against Cylo's creations! His plots against the Emperor! His secret missions with Doctor Aphra and her lethal droids! It all comes together in a massive 40-page issue crafted by the incredible team of Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca! This is an ending you absolutely cannot miss!

The concluding issue commences with Darth Vader piloting his personal TIE Advanced, as he rushes to intercept Cylo-VI before Cylo and his whale-ship fleet can initiate their jump to hyperspace, thus escaping the judgment of both Vader and the Emperor. Vader successfully breaches Cylo's flagship by maneuvering his TIE through an unguarded port into the forward docking bay, where he faces minimal opposition from Cylo's security forces. Vader advances towards the bridge, traversing Cylo's cloning facility. Several tanks, which contain replacement bodies, have been opened, and Cylo-VI, VII, VIII, IX, and X confront Vader, each wielding various armaments. With relative ease, Vader eliminates Cylo's remaining clones, setting the cloning facility ablaze as he continues onward.

Vader gains entry to the bridge, where Cylo defiantly mocks Vader, confident in his belief that he has surpassed the Force through scientific advancements and achieved true immortality. Vader employs a mind trick on the whale-ship, compelling it to crash into the nearest star. In a state of panic, Cylo struggles to regain control of his whale-ship, which is now resisting his commands due to Vader's Force manipulation. Vader swiftly departs, observing as Cylo and his research base are consumed in a fiery explosion.

Aboard the Super Star Destroyer Executor, Vader, filled with triumph, informs the Emperor of his victory and Cylo's death. The Emperor, anticipating a comprehensive report, reveals that Doctor Aphra is present and has disclosed Vader's numerous acts of treachery. Rather than expressing anger at Vader's deception, the Emperor expresses satisfaction with his apprentice's schemes, viewing Vader's conspiracies as an appropriate manifestation of the dark side. He praises Vader and then leaves him alone with Aphra, excusing himself to speak with Grand General Cassio Tagge.

Vader instructs Aphra to accompany him, leading her to an airlock. Vader maintains silence as Aphra attempts to justify her actions, assuring him that she did not reveal the secret of Vader's son to the Emperor. He activates the airlock, signaling Aphra to enter. Recognizing her impending doom, she begs the Dark Lord for a swift demise, but Vader refuses, instead pushing her into the void, sealing the doors, and ejecting her into the vacuum of space.

Vader rejoins the Emperor on the bridge, accompanied by Tagge and Admiral Ozzel. The Emperor reduces Tagge in rank and bestows upon Vader command of the Executor, his new flagship, along with the entire Imperial fleet, which includes the Death Squadron fleet, Vader's personal armada. He then departs once more, tasking Vader with "educating" his new subordinates as he deems necessary. Tagge pleads with Vader, emphasizing that his leadership has resulted in "increased stability" despite his errors, particularly granting Tulon Voidgazer unrestricted access to the Executor's systems. The Dark Lord remains unmoved and uses the Force to choke Tagge until he dies, subsequently appointing Admiral Ozzel to oversee the Executor's repairs and final preparations for its inaugural voyage.

Vader, having regained the Emperor's favor and resolved all apparent loose ends, stands triumphant, gazing out at the star-filled expanse from his new bridge. In his thoughts, he reaches out to his son, who responds in kind, and he whispers, "Soon."

Following the issue's credits, we discover Aphra's ultimate survival, revealing her victory over the Dark Lord of the Sith through a daring maneuver. After being cast into space, Aphra appears lifeless, drifting in orbit around the Executor. Suddenly, a ship emerges from its hiding place within an asteroid and retrieves her body. Her rescuers, Krrsantan, 0-0-0, and BT-1, awaken Aphra, who has sustained serious but non-fatal injuries. They discuss the success of their plan—Aphra betting that Vader would kill her in an airlock rather than with a lightsaber, as she had initially requested, and Aphra hiring Krrsantan to rescue her using equipment repurposed from the Son-tuul Pride robbery. With her survival concealed from Vader and the Emperor, the Tarkin Initiative [droids](/article/droid] under her control, and a significant debt owed to the Wookiee bounty hunter, they jump to hyperspace to embark on new adventures.

In the first issue of Darth Vader, Vader massacres an entire settlement of Tusken Raiders while awaiting the arrival of bounty hunters Boba Fett and Black Krrsantan. The epilogue to the final issue reveals that one Tusken Raider survived, witnessing the slaughter of his people from a concealed location atop a sand dune overlooking the village. After Vader departs Tatooine in his ship, the Tusken Raider flees into the desert.

As darkness descends upon the Jundland Wastes, he ignites a small fire to ward off the cold. A neighboring tribe, traveling on [Bantha](/article/bantha] mounts, discovers him. He guides the tribe's shaman back to the desolate village and recounts the massacre. Later, as dawn nears, the shaman shares the story of the village's destruction with his tribe around a campfire. He then instructs the tribesmen to gather the corpses for burning.

They construct a massive wicker man resembling Darth Vader, securing the lone survivor of the village massacre to a stake above the piles of bodies, and setting the entire structure ablaze. As the deceased villagers and the lone survivor burn, the tribe prostrates themselves in reverence before the funeral pyre.