Anakin Skywalker

• Core Identity: In a galaxy far, far away, Anakin Skywalker is the prophesied Chosen One, a peerless Jedi Knight whose catastrophic fall to the dark side as the Sith Lord Darth Vader brought about the destruction of the Jedi Order, and whose ultimate redemption saved his son and restored balance to the Force.
• Key Takeaways:
• Role in the Universe: Anakin Skywalker is the central tragic hero and villain of the nine-film “Skywalker Saga.” His life story—from slave boy to Jedi hero, to feared Sith Lord, to redeemed father—is the narrative engine that drives the core galactic conflict between the Jedi and the Sith, the Republic and the Empire. The Force.
• Primary Impact: As Darth Vader, he was the primary enforcer of Emperor Palpatine's tyrannical Galactic Empire for over two decades. His actions led to the Jedi Purge, the subjugation of countless worlds, and the personal tragedy of the Skywalker family, directly shaping the lives of his children, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa.
• Key Incarnations: While his story is primarily defined by the George Lucas films, his character has been massively expanded upon in other media. The Star Wars films present a broad-strokes view of his rise, fall, and redemption. In contrast, Marvel's modern canon comics provide a granular, psychological exploration of his dark side transformation, detailing his first brutal years as Darth Vader, his hunt for surviving Jedi, and his tormented inner world in a depth the films could not achieve.

Anakin Skywalker was conceived by creator george_lucas as the central figure for his epic space opera, Star Wars. Though the world first met him as the menacing, fully-formed villain Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), Lucas's grander vision always intended for the character to have a tragic backstory. The name “Anakin” was first mentioned in the novelization of Return of the Jedi (1983) and seen on-screen as a Force ghost in the same film, but his full origin story would not be told until the Prequel Trilogy (1999-2005). The connection between Anakin Skywalker and Marvel Comics is deep and historically significant. Marvel Comics began publishing Star Wars comic books in 1977, months before the first film's release. This original series, which ran for 107 issues, was the first major expansion of the Star Wars universe beyond the films. However, these stories were later designated as non-canon “Legends” material after Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012. In 2015, the Star Wars comic license returned to Marvel, which launched a new, canonical line of comics set within the continuity established by the films and Disney. It is within this modern Marvel era that Anakin Skywalker's character, particularly in his guise as Darth Vader, has received its most profound and detailed exploration. Series like Kieron Gillen's Darth Vader (2015) and Charles Soule's Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith (2017) are now considered essential reading, filling the crucial gaps left by the cinematic saga and providing the definitive “Marvel” version of the character's journey.

The origin of Anakin Skywalker is the quintessential story of a hero's fall. It is a tale of immense potential corrupted by fear, love, and manipulation. While the core story is told in the films, Marvel's comics have meticulously detailed the darkest chapters of this transformation.

The modern Marvel Comics continuity does not retcon Anakin's cinematic origin but rather builds upon it, focusing with surgical precision on the immediate, brutal aftermath of his transformation on Mustafar. The most significant origin work is Charles Soule's Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith, which begins moments after Episode III - Revenge of the Sith ends. Barely alive in his new, agonizing cybernetic suit, Vader awakens to the news of Padmé's death—a death he believes he caused. This moment of pure, undiluted rage solidifies his turn to the dark side. His first mission from his master, Darth Sidious, is to forge a Sith lightsaber. To do this, he must hunt a surviving Jedi, kill them, and “bleed” their kyber crystal, pouring all his pain and hate into it to turn it from its natural color to the crimson red of the Sith. Vader targets Kirak Infil'a, a powerful Jedi Master who had taken a vow of non-involvement. Their duel is a brutal showcase of Vader's raw, untamed power and desperation. He defeats Infil'a not with finesse, but with overwhelming aggression and a willingness to sacrifice his own cybernetic limbs to win. On Mustafar, the site of his “birth,” Vader performs the bleeding ritual. The crystal resists, showing him visions of an alternate path—one where he rejects Palpatine and returns to Obi-Wan