In his prime, Darth Vader was the deadliest force of nature in the Star Wars galaxy, with an array of brutal attacks used to slaughter his enemies. Some of these attacks were deemed too intense to be depicted in the movies, including his latest one.
From the moment Anakin Skywalker was converted to the Dark Side, he began committing heinous acts. He betrayed the Jedi, killed his beloved and massacred a group of children. Anakin had become Darth Vader even before donning the iconic suit, but it was only after being encased in the life-sustaining armor that he truly embodied the monstrous persona he had become. Pain, hatred, and anger fueled Vader, with his justification being the false belief that the Jedi were evil and the order he and the Emperor had established in the galaxy was the right one. To maintain that order, Vader traversed the cosmos, seeking out enemies of the Empire and killing them on sight. During one of these missions, Vader used an incredibly cruel (though creative) approach to eliminate his target.
Darth Vader Utilizes an Injured Stormtrooper as a Human Projectile
In the comic story “Hard Shutdown Part 1” from Star Wars: Darth Vader – Black, White, & Red #1, authored by Jason Aaron, illustrated by Leonard Kirk, and colored by Romulo Fajardo Jr., Darth Vader embarks on a mission to locate a man named Doctor Sendvall, whom he once knew. Acting on an anonymous tip regarding Sendvall’s whereabouts, Vader arrives at the designated meeting place to gather further information from the informant. However, Vader quickly realizes that it was a trap. Sendvall is already deceased, and the one who contacted Vader turns out to be the doctor’s own son. Amidst the ensuing ambush, some of the Stormtroopers accompanying Vader sustain injuries from enemy fire. Nevertheless, this doesn’t render them useless to Darth Vader. One of the seemingly incapacitated Stormtroopers is lifted into the air by Vader’s Force-grip and then launched as a human projectile toward the enemy. Throughout this macabre spectacle, the injured Stormtrooper remains conscious, screaming in terror until his gruesome demise.
The portrayal of Darth Vader using Stormtroopers as human missiles while they scream for their lives aligns with his villainous nature, but such a depiction exceeds the acceptable boundaries for the more mainstream Star Wars films. After all, those films cater to audiences of all ages, necessitating the conveying of Darth Vader’s atrocities through implied acts rather than the display of callousness and blatant disregard for human life depicted here. Nonetheless, this scene is undeniably awe-inspiring in every aspect. Darth Vader’s unrivaled mastery of the Force and his utilization of it in combat, employing creativity and lethality, is almost admirable and undoubtedly enthralling to witness.
Although this particular Force maneuver may never be showcased on the grand scale of the silver screen for Star Wars enthusiasts, it remains an essential spectacle within the pages of this recently released comic book issue, intended for a more mature audience. Within these panels, it emerges as one of the most ruthlessly savage assaults ever deployed by Darth Vader.