Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Legacy of Vader #12
While Kylo Ren is easily one of the most dynamic and popular Star Wars sequel characters, one of his best lines has been proven to be an absolute lie. As seen in the final issue of Marvel’s new and canonical Legacy of Vader series, Kylo Ren was faced with some hard truths before the events of Rise of Skywalker.
In prior issues of Legacy of Vader from Charles Soule and Luke Ross set between The Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker, the Supreme Leader has been seeking to gain the same power once held by his grandfather, while also uncovering more about Darth Vader’s past.
However, the culminating Legacy of Vader #12 ironically sees Kylo Ren facing his own past and obsession with erasing it, tying back to Kylo telling Rey in The Last Jedi to “Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.“
Legacy of Vader’s Finale Confirms Kylo Ren Can’t Ever Kill His Past
Caught in a powerful Force vision within Darth Vader’s secret vault on Mustafar, Kylo Ren confronts something truly surprising and unexpected. Rather than facing the spirit of his grandfather, Kylo comes face to face with the remaining light still within himself, manifested as the Jedi Ben Solo once was before his corruption to the dark side by Snoke/Palpatine.
The resulting confrontation confirms that Kylo Ren will never be able to truly kill his past, no matter how much he might want to. By challenging Kylo Ren directly, this manifestation of Ben Solo defies Kylo’s obsession, further confirming that our past decisions can’t ever be fully forgotten or erased.
Kylo Ren’s Redemption Started By Embracing His Past
As we see in Rise of Skywalker, Kylo Ren’s redemption ultimately began not by rejecting his history, but by accepting it. It was feeling his mother’s death and facing the memory of his father that led Ben Solo to finally stop resisting the light.
This new confrontation in Legacy of Vader #12 adds new context to Kylo Ren’s inner turmoil, confirming that the path toward Ben’s redemption got rolling well before Rise of Skywalker’s opening credits.
Kylo Ren hated his past, believing that his ties and emotional connections from his past were preventing him from embracing his full potential in the dark side and becoming like Darth Vader. Legacy of Vader #12 confirms it came down to Kylo Ren’s own fear, having believed that if he hadn’t been who he was, Rey might have actually taken Ben’s hand in The Last Jedi.
Of course, this new reframing and additional context makes Kylo’s arc even more tragic and compelling, highlighting just how much one of his best Star Wars quotes was ultimately a massive denial with a goal that was never going to be achieved.
Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #12 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
- Died
-
Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise Of Skywalker
- Alliance
-
Jedi, First Order
- Race
-
Human
