In Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Darth Vader slaughtered Younglings to cement his position as Palpatine's apprentice - but he was still haunted by this after The Empire Strikes Back. George Lucas considered the Star Wars movies to be the story of Anakin Skywalker - of his fall to the dark side, and his ultimate redemption thanks to the influence of his son Luke.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith lies at the heart of this story. Palpatine had long been manipulating Anakin Skywalker, encouraging the Jedi Knight to embrace the dark side, and his plans came to a head at the end of the Clone Wars. Anakin was persuaded to side with Palpatine in order to save his beloved Padmé from death, and his commitment to the dark side was sealed in Palpatine's eyes when he participated in Order 66. Anakin led Clone Troopers into the Jedi Temple to kill the Jedi there, and in one harrowing scene he was personally responsible for slaughtering the Younglings.

Related: Darth Vader Comic Reveals He Lost His Connection To The Force After Empire

Lucasfilm has released a new preview for the upcoming Marvel comic Darth Vader #7, by Greg Pak and Raffaele Iencowhich, which reveals the Dark Lord of the Sith never truly got over the slaughter of the Younglings. The comic is set shortly after the events of The Empire Strikes Back, and Darth Vader has been tortured by his Master for his failure to seduce Luke Skywalker to the dark side. Stripped of the cybernetic parts that sustain his body, exhausted and embittered, Darth Vader has been abandoned on the surface of Mustafar to see if he can survive. Fortunately, he knows just where to go.

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It's a stunning preview, shining a light on the greatest secret of Darth Vader's heart; that he still felt the tug of the light side of the Force upon him. It's clear the events of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, and the deeds he has done in the Emperor's name, have haunted him all these years; he remembers them perfectly. No doubt he had previously been able to tell himself he had no choice, he did what was necessary, but in the previous issue, Palpatine revealed he had been the orchestrator of Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side. "I turned your weakness into unimaginable strength," the Emperor taunted him. In doing so, he unwittingly forced Darth Vader to acknowledge he had never freely chosen the dark side, but instead had been manipulated every step of the way. Now, the ghosts of the past return to haunt Vader once again - as the things he regrets.

Greg Pak's Darth Vader run is essentially exploring the Sith Lord's character arc between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It is explaining how someone so evil, who has gone so far as to slaughter children, could still be redeemed. And, ironically, it is revealing the real reason; because Palpatine failed. His apprentice had not truly chosen the dark side, but rather had been manipulated into doing so. And so Darth Vader was nowhere near so irredeemable as the galaxy - and the Emperor himself - believed.

More: Darth Vader’s Signature Force Move Is Used Against Him

Source: Lucasfilm