Warning! Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #18
In a new preview for Marvel Comics' Star Wars: Bounty Hunters, it's revealed that Darth Vader has become the galactic version of DC's Amanda Waller. Looking to coerce compliance, Darth Vader is using dark methods that are reminiscent of those used by the director of the Suicide Squad. However, it seems as though the Dark Lord of the Sith has gone further than remote bombs implanted in the head.
In recent issues of Star Wars: Bounty Hunters, the cyborg Beilert Valance was attempting to save Han Solo during the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover event as he owed him for saving his life. Still trapped in carbonite, Han Solo had been taken aboard the Executor, Darth Vader's personal Star Destroyer. However, Valance was betrayed by Boba Fett, who was seeking to get Solo back for himself, intending to deliver him to Jabba the Hutt as he always planned. This left Valance trapped on the Executor and while he nearly escaped, the cyborg was ultimately captured by Vader himself.
Now, the preview for Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #18 confirms that Vader will be doing more than just holding the cyborg prisoner in the upcoming issue from Ethan Sacks and Ramon Bachs. While the end of the previous issue saw Vader having repaired and restored Valance so he no longer looks like a cyborg, he's apparently removed his heart as well, the implication being that it's been replaced with a device Vader can shut off and kill Valance should he not follow orders, forcing the former Imperial-turned-bounty hunter to become his new agent. As a result, this feels like a much darker form of Amanda Waller's explosive implants she uses to force the compliance of her Suicide Squad in DC Comics. Here are the preview pages and synopsis for the upcoming issue:
- STAR WARS: BOUNTY HUNTERS #18
- (W) Ethan Sacks
- (A) Ramon Bachs
- (CA) Giuseppe Camuncoli
- THE GALAXY'S GREATEST!
- In the wake of the shocking events of WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS, the underworld has become more dangerous than ever.
- T'ONGA has assembled the greatest team of bounty hunters in the galaxy- including BOSSK, ZUCKUS and TASU LEECH for a special mission!
- Can she keep them from killing each other long enough to become a real team while she grieves the loss of an old friend?
While the synopsis for the issue teases a new team of bounty hunters being formed, the new status quo Vader is forcing upon Valance is far more interesting. The only reason the cyborg hunter would be repaired by the Dark Lord is if Vader can get something out of him, and considering that Vader's new mission will be rooting out the reborn Crimson Dawn, Valance's new role will likely see him infiltrating their ranks on his new master's behalf. As such, it makes sense that Vader would want Valance to look as human as possible to blend in more.
Having surgically removed Valance's heart, it's likely that the cyborg bounty hunter will have no choice but to serve Darth Vader despite his hatred for the Empire. Not only is it comparable to Amanda Waller's methods of manipulating villains to work for her in the DC Universe, but it's arguably that much darker on a personal level considering all of the pain Valance went through when he served the Empire willingly before his accident got him discharged against his will. The full Star Wars Bounty Hunters #18 releases on December 1st.