In the Star Wars galaxy, no location is more fearsome or intimidating than Darth Vader's castle on the planet Mustafar. First appearing in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Fortress Vader is a location devoted to the power of the dark side while also being a rare sanctuary for the Dark Lord of the Sith himself. Featured across several movies, films, comics, and games, the history and secrets of Darth Vader's home add to the fallen Jedi's evolution as transformed into the sinister Sith Lord following the prequel trilogy.
While featured on screen–most recently in Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 3–the origins of Fortress Vader can be discovered in the canonical Darth Vader comic series by Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli, published in 2017. Featuring its own inherent dark power, the black castle constructed near the very same lava flows where Obi-Wan defeated Anakin in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is far more than just a lair for Lord Vader. Its deeply personal connections and the Dark Lord's initial intentions for the fortress is a saga all its own.
Over time, more and more secrets and details have gradually been unveiled about Darth Vader's castle, including its proximity to the Empire's other dark fortress for its Inquisitors on the moon of Nur. While Fortress Vader would eventually fall to ruin by the time of the sequel trilogy, its legacy is still felt years later. Here's everything to know (so far) about Darth Vader's fortress on the lava world of Mustafar.
Why Darth Vader Built His Castle On Mustafar
Shortly after the events of Revenge of the Sith, Darth Vader was tasked by his new Emperor to fulfill critical training now that he was officially a Sith Lord. This included finding and killing a Jedi master and claiming his lightsaber as his own. As was tradition for the Sith, Vader poured all of his pain, suffering, and rage into the lightsaber's living kyber crystal, making it bleed to create a true Sith lightsaber, giving it its deadly crimson color. However, Vader was instructed to do this on Mustafar, a world carrying deep sources of power in the dark of the Force, such as a locus of dark side energy primed for the Dark Lord's ritual.
It was also not lost on either Sith Lord that this world was the site of Vader's greatest defeat, harnessing the resulting pain and rage of that loss to make the new Dark Lord even stronger on the dark side. Following subsequent missions for Darth Sidious, where Vader and his new Inquisitors tracked down and killed Jedi masters such as Jocasta Nu and Eeth Koth, the Emperor wished to reward his apprentice. As such, Vader requested a world of his own. While Sidious offered planets of personal significance such as Naboo or Tatooine, Darth Vader demanded (and was given) Mustafar, where he would begin construction on his new fortress.
Fortress Vader’s Origin, Design & Ancient Sith Powers Explained
Using the trapped spirit of the Sith architect Momin, Darth Vader had his fortress built with an extremely dark and tragic purpose. Constructed atop the very same locus of dark side power, Vader and Momin intended to build his castle to serve as a conduit that would amplify his power tenfold, allowing him to do things that could not be done anywhere else: like resurrecting his deceased wife Padmé whom he killed in Revenge of the Sith. While it took nine different attempts at designing the perfect Sith fortress that would allow Vader to attempt this dark task, his castle was eventually completed following an inevitable betrayal by Momin, who attempted to use the fortress for his own ends. Defeating Momin, Darth Vader did try to bring his Padmé back (but was ultimately unsuccessful).
However, Fortress Vader was still where Darth Vader was at his most powerful. Granted, it was also where he could be his most vulnerable. Featuring medical facilities and a large tank full of healing bacta, the Dark Lord was able to remove his helmet, armor, and life-support systems to briefly alleviate his damaged body and tissue during the rare times his master didn't have a current use for him. When Vader was away serving his master, the fortress was looked after by his attendant Vaneé and guarded by a personal garrison of black-armored Lava Troopers, with breathing apparatuses mirroring the Dark Lord himself,
Where Else Darth Vader’s Castle Has Appeared In Star Wars Movies & Shows
Although Fortress Vader made its first debut in Rogue One, the castle has been featured in other Star Wars projects as well. Beyond the comics and novels, Fortress Vader has most recently been seen in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Initially suspended within his bacta tank, Vader donned his cybernetics and armor before receiving a report from the Inquisitor Third Sister, providing a look at the throne room. Fortress Vader was also included among several different vistas in 2021's Star Wars Biomes released on Disney+, a short feature that showed the castle and the surrounding lava-covered region.
The canonical VR experience Vader Immortal was also set within Fortress Vader, revealing even more secrets like the fact that Vader's castle was not only built atop a locus of dark side energy but also an ancient fortress belonging to Lady Corvax, a Force-sensitive who's actions turned Mustafar into its present hellscape, rather than the world lush with life it was centuries before. Mustafar and the ruins of Fortress Vader were also briefly visited by Kylo Ren and the First Order at the beginning of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Debuts The Empire’s OTHER Fortress
The Fortress Inquisitorius was also featured in Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 3, making its live-action debut as the stronghold for Vader's Inquisitors. First featured in the Jedi: Fallen Order video game, the Empire's other fortress was located on Nur, an oceanic moon that was also in the Mustafar system as well. As such, the Inquisitors' master was never too far away (and neither are his punishments should they fail him). Case in point, Lord Vader had already promised Third Sister that she wouldn't live to regret her failure if Kenobi escaped.
Kylo Ren & The Legacy Of Vader’s Castle
Even after Darth Vader's death in Return of the Jedi, his legacy and the legacy of his fortress were still felt. Although it was revealed that Fortress Vader fell to ruin in the years that followed during the age of the New Republic, the world was visited by Kylo Ren shortly after he became Supreme Leader of the First Order. Idolizing his grandfather's darkness like Darth Vader (and ignoring his redemption as Anakin Skywalker), Kylo battled several Mustafarians to claim the Sith Wayfinder that led him to the secret Sith world of Exegol and Darth Sidious. This was the very same Wayfinder Vader found on Mustafar decades earlier, as seen in the comics.
Mustafar's Fortress Vader has a long and dark history that spans many years across the Star Wars timeline. As much more secrets about the castle continue to be revealed with new stories, such as the currently ongoing comic where the Knights of Ren broke into the castle and battled with Vader in between episodes of the original trilogy. Without a doubt, it's a structure that's as dark and intimidating as the Dark Lord of the Sith himself.