If anyone knows how to be intimidating, it's Darth Vader, one of Star Wars' most feared and dangerous Sith Lords. However, intimidation doesn't always come solely from violence. Threats work wonders, as seen across multiple films in the Skywalker Saga and as Lord Vader knows very well. However, one of his most frightening threats actually came from the pages of Marvel Comics.
In Darth Vader Annual #1 from Kieron Gillen and Leinil Yu, the new ruler of the planet Shu-Torun receives a visit from Darth Vader, and the Sith Lord makes a threat that even readers won't soon forget.
Darth Vader is on a mission on his master's behalf to speak with the King of Shu-Torun, who's fallen behind on their planet's quotas of ore production for the Empire. Vader comes bearing a gift, though before he can meet with the king, he's kept waiting with the princess of Shu-Torun, Trios. Together, they attend a ball, but when a duke demands that his daughter dance with the Dark Lord, Vader refuses. The duke is insistent to his own detriment, as Vader then lifts the duke with a Force choke, killing him in the center of the room for all to see. He then asks if anyone else would like to be his dancing partner. While this is a strong and menacing threat in itself, the best is still to come. In that moment, rebels attack Vader (although they are secretly in the service of the king, who wants Vader dead.) Vader kills all of the rebels and demands that the princess take him to see her father immediately.
Unfortunately, the king chooses to sacrifice his own daughter, trapping her along with Vader in an enclosed tunnel and activating a mechanism to fill it with molten metal. However, Darth Vader cannot be stopped, cutting his way out of the tunnel with his lightsaber, with Trios in tow. When they arrive at the throne room, it's revealed that Bee-Tee and Triple Zero (murderous droids in service to Vader) have already completed their mission and killed the king along with his aides. Vader then gives Trios the gift he brought, while also crowning her as the new Queen of Shu-Torun.
The box contained a piece of Alderaan, famously destroyed by the Death Star in Star Wars IV: A New Hope. Not only does the gift show Trios how much power the Empire has at its disposal, but also what should happen if she attempts to resist their dominance over the galaxy. This annual issue shows that there truly is no limit to how far Darth Vader will go in service to his master and the Empire at large. He will achieve victory and success, using the darkest means for coercion when necessary. Queen Trios would go on to become an important asset to Lord Vader and the Empire, and even formed a rivalry with Princess Leia as a result, which shows that Vader's threat was quite effective. It's safe to say that along with his other dark talents, Darth Vader has mastered the art of threatening his enemies in order to get what he wants.