Warning! Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters: 4-LOM & Zuckuss #1
In a new preview for Marvel's next Star Wars tie-in issue for War of the Bounty Hunters, things do not look for for the galaxy's most classic bounty hunting duo 4-LOM and Zuckuss. After being soundly defeated by Boba Fett in earlier issues of the major crossover event, the preview confirms that the duo will now be divided. While Zuckuss will apparently try to reunite with his partner and friend, it seems as though 4-LOM might not feel the same way. However, a job from their shared past may hold the answers to why the two hunters are so at odds and trying to kill one another.
Previously in War of the Bounty Hunters, Boba Fett was dead set on discovering who stole his bounty from him (Han Solo encased in carbonite). However, he was attacked during his investigation due to Jabba placing a bounty on his head because of his failure to deliver Solo, and his attackers were none other than the dynamic duo of Zuckuss and 4-LOM, Both hunters were quickly defeated by Fett in humiliating fashion. That being said, 4-LOM definitely got the worse end of the deal as Boba Fett beheaded the droid. Now, Zuckuss and 4-LOM will for some reason be at odds with one another in the aftermath.
While the exact reasoning for 4-LOM and Zuckuss' future rift is as of yet unknown, the preview pages for the upcoming issue from writer Daniel Jose Older and artist Kei Zama do indicate that it has something to do with a past job the pair worked to take out some high-value target. Here are the preview pages and synopsis for the upcoming issue:
- STAR WARS: WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS: 4-LOM & ZUCKUSS #1
- ZUCKUSS BATTLES 4-LOM! WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS TIE-IN!
- Together, lethal droid 4-LOM and Gand Findsman Zuckuss make an unparalleled bounty hunting team. Yet a brutal battle with Boba Fett has divided them. Lost and alone on the crime-infested streets of Nar Shaddaa, Zuckuss faces down an utterly transformed 4-LOM...but why is his old friend out for blood? The answer may lie in the past, from an early mission that helped forge their formidable partnership. Daniel José Older and Kei Zama's one-shot is the second of four action-packed "War of the Bounty Hunters" tie-ins about the criminal underworld's most notorious hunters and scoundrels, all told by the best STAR WARS writers and illustrators in the galaxy.
While it's unclear exactly how 4-LOM will be transformed, he was last seen as a simple head thanks to Boba Fett. Perhaps the droid will get a new body on the Smuggler's Moon on Nar Shadaa? It's certainly possible that 4-LOM will blame Zuckuss for their failure to take down Boba Fett, which led to him losing his body. However it all plays out, it seems as though Zuckuss wants to preserve their partnership while 4-LOM would rather see it burn.
It's going to be interesting to see if Zuckuss and 4-LOM will be able to bounce back as the galaxy's most dynamic bounty hunting duo, reentering the War of the Bounty Hunters to potentially get a rematch against Boba Fett as the crossover continues. However, this new preview casts a lot of doubt for Zuckuss and 4-LOM's future together in the Star Wars galaxy. The full Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters: 4-LOM & Zuckuss #1 will release with answers on August 4th.