It's a time of great change for Marvel's Star Wars line. Until recently, the publisher's focus had mainly been on exploring the one-year period between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi through books like Star Wars, Darth Vader, and Doctor Aphra. Now that those titles have ended, Marvel is branching out into other areas of the Star Wars timeline. Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku chronicles the final major battle between the Rebel Alliance and the dying Empire. The upcoming Star Wars: Jedi Knights sheds light on the Jedi Order in the time before The Phantom Menace. And perhaps most intriguing of all, there's Star Wars: Legacy of Vader, a series that aims to flesh out Adam Driver's Kylo Ren in a major way.
IGN recently had a chance to speak with Legacy of Vader writer Charles Soule to learn more about the new series and how it adds new layers to the enigmatic Ben Solo. First, check out an exclusive new preview of the series in the slideshow gallery below, then read on for more.
Returning to the Story of Kylo Ren
Soule was instrumental to Marvel's exploration of the post-Empire Strikes Back era, as he wrote the flagship Star Wars series and spearheaded major crossovers like War of the Bounty Hunters and Dark Droids. After spending so long in that particular era of the timeline, we were curious what made Soule want to jump ahead several decades. As he explains, he wanted the chance to revisit Kylo Ren, a character whose origin he had previously chronicled back in 2020.
"I’ve wanted to get back to Kylo Ren for ages," Soule tells IGN. "It’s amazing to me that it’s been over four years since The Rise of Kylo Ren, the miniseries I created with Will Sliney that chronicled Ben Solo’s transformation into Kylo Ren. That one was set before Episode VII, and I’ve always thought there was so much more story to tell with Kylo. Just like Darth Vader, the films only give us so much – a great deal of Kylo’s story is either implied or just not really addressed at all."
Soule continues, "I think setting this book directly after Episode VIII gives me a chance to deal with a character who’s gone through an extreme amount of change in a very short amount of time – his life has changed in drastic ways. I do think it’s a huge opportunity. You want to write characters with emotion to them – and at this point, Kylo’s about as emotional as a character can get."
For Soule, part of the appeal with Legacy of Vader was also in getting to reunite with Luke Ross, a prolific Star Wars artist with whom he previously collaborated on several projects.
"I’ll work with Luke any chance I get!" Soule says. "He and I have done three big pieces of work in the Star Wars universe at this point – War of the Bounty Hunters, Dark Droids and now this story. I think his work has leveled up with each project, and this one… wow. He’s captured the turmoil and unpredictable cold rage of Kylo Ren perfectly. You’ll see – Luke, and our colorist Nolan Woodard, are doing top-notch work here."
Ben Solo After The Last Jedi
Legacy of Vader is set during a very pivotal period in Ben Solo's life – the immediate aftermath of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. At this point, Ben has just failed to turn Rey to the Dark Side. He's faced his uncle in battle one last time, and nearly succeeded in killing his mother like he did his father. He's also just gained control of the most powerful military force in the galaxy. It's been a tumultuous period for Ben, to put it mildly, and the series is all about exploring the profound turmoil plaguing Kylo Ren as he attempts to move forward and kill his past for good.
"Poor Ben. We know he’s still in there somewhere because of the things we see in both Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker, but at this particular moment he’s been shoved down into some dark corner of Kylo Ren’s psyche," Soule says. "In a very short amount of time, Kylo’s faced down one of his great mentors in Luke Skywalker, killed another in Snoke, killed his father, almost killed his mother, met someone with whom he’s felt a unique, powerful connection in Rey, and assumed total control of one of, if not the most powerful military organization in the galaxy. All that in what seems to be just a matter of weeks! Kylo wants to move forward, but all of that trauma and intensity is very fresh – not easy to get past."
The series opens with Ben travelling to Mustafar to visit the fortress once occupied by his grandfather, Darth Vader. Ben is trying his best to kill the past, but to do so, he has to commune with the ghost of the man who so deeply inspired him (figuratively, if not literally). Soule teases that Ben is as conflicted about his connection to Anakin Skywalker as he is anything else in his life right now.
"One of the key things to understand about Kylo is that he’s not particularly honest with himself," Soule says. "As I see his character, he’s big on grand pronouncements, big on posturing, big on trying to convince himself he feels a certain way, e.g. untouchable and all-powerful. In reality, though, he’s pretty lost. So while he’s telling himself he wants to kill his own past, part of him is also looking for any sort of guidance he can get. That sums up his feelings about his grandfather at this point – he’s conflicted."
Readers can also expect plenty of focus on the inner workings of the First Order. As the Sequel Trilogy made clear, Domhnall Gleason's General Hux is no fan of Kylo Ren. And based on The Rise of Skywalker, we know there are officers like Richard E. Grant's Allegiant General Pryde who are quietly plotting underneath their Supreme Leader's nose, ushering about the rise of Palpatine's Final Order. As you might expect, the politics of the First Order will be a major element of Legacy of Vader, as we see what happens when Kylo Ren works to tighten his grip on his new military.
"I would be bummed if I were writing a series set at this time period and not get to play with the First Order and its internal political shenanigans," Soule says. "Hux is certainly in the book, and Pryde was around as well during this time period. Kylo’s journey is the book’s focus, but the way he uses and develops the First Order is certainly part of the story too.
Ultimately, the goal with Star Wars: Legacy of Vader is to enhance our understanding of Kylo Ren/Ben Solo and add new layers to the villain who was at the forefront of the Sequel Trilogy. We may know how this story ends, but the book will give us a better understanding of who Ben Solo is and why he makes the choices he does in The Rise of Skywalker.
"I’ve been doing this job (telling Star Wars stories) for a while now – a decade," Soule says. "I try to make sure every one can be appreciated as a tale on its own, while also having elements that can be appreciated by readers who know exactly where the story fits into the overarching mega-story that is all of the Star Wars canon."
Soule continues, "This book is about Kylo Ren’s struggle to define himself, and it is not easy for him. It feels like every moment of his life is accompanied by turmoil and pain. Some fans would say that’s because he is not himself as Kylo – part of him knows he’s truly Ben – and the story can be viewed through that perspective. But I think it also works if you know nothing about Kylo Ren other than what you see in these beautifully-drawn pages – that he’s searching for himself, like many younger people do. Of course, he’s also a dark space wizard with a laser sword he loves to use to deadly effect whenever he feels like it. There’s plenty of angst and drama, but we don’t stint on the action, either. I think fans will love it."
Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #1 will be released on February 5, 2025.
For more on what's coming up in the Star Wars franchise, check out our breakdown of every Star Wars movie and series in development.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
