Star Wars Prequel Flashbacks Torment Darth Vader in Crucible of Hate Preview

“Fear is the path to the dark side…fear leads to anger…anger leads to hate…hate leads to suffering.” The words that Jedi Master Yoda once told a young Anakin Skywalker come back to haunt Darth Vader in Dark Droids. The crossover event spanning Marvel’s Star Wars, Darth Vader, Doctor Aphra, and Bounty Hunters continues in October’s Darth Vader #39, which pits the Sith Lord against the giant Octuptarra. After Grand Vizier Mas Amedda sent Vader to investigate the malfunctioning droids aboard the Executor and ordered the ship destroyed, the rogue A.I. droid called Scourge overtook Mustafar’s deadly tri-droid — and ZED-6-7.

Marvel Comics has released preview pages from “Crucible of Hate,” which you can read below. The official synopsis: “The Droid Scourge takes over one of Darth Vader’s closest allies — and seizes one of Mustafar’s greatest weapons! To survive, Vader must finally reclaim his control over the Force by exploring his deepest hatred. Featuring the answer to the terrifying question: Who does Vader hate more than anyone else in the galaxy?”

“Who do you really hate?” is the question that triggers a flood of memories. The Phantom Menace. A young Ani, a slave on the sand-covered planet Tatooine, meets the Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and teenage queen Padm? Amidala. Attack of the Clones. Anakin, now a Jedi Padawan, returns to Tatooine too late to save his mother, Shmi Skywalker, from dying at the hands of Tusken Raiders. Revenge of the Sith. Anakin, a fallen Jedi defeated and left to die on Mustafar, is reborn and rebuilt as Darth Vader. He learns that his pregnant wife, Padm?, is dead — Force-choked by Vader’s hand. “It seems in your anger… you killed her. YOU killed her. YOU.”

“Lord Vader…who…who do you really hate?” Who does Vader hate the most? Presumably: himself.

Star Wars: Darth Vader #39 is on sale October 4th from Marvel Comics.