Darth Vader Joins The Light Side Of The Force With Jedi Armor In Star Wars Fan Art
Everyone remembers when Darth Vader (Sebastian Shaw) got to see Luke (Mark Hamill) with his own eyes in what is one of the saddest moments ever shown in "Star Wars." After finally learning the error of his ways by losing a hand (again) and tossing his former boss down an exhaust shaft, Anakin returned from the Dark Side before dying in his son's arms. Now, thanks to some amazing artwork from Andrew Morgan on ArtStation, we can see what Vader might've looked like if he'd survived the beating from his son and the hefty dose of force lighting he was hit with from Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid).
Blending the Dark and the Light together for Vader's redemptive attire, Morgan created Jedi Master Vader, swapping out the black cloak for classic Jedi Order brown while continuing to hide what Anakin Skywalker's body looks like underneath the Darth Vader armor. Another notable detail sees Vader's signature black armor given a thorough polish and a silver tint, accompanied by a brand new lightsaber that swaps out the signature Sith red blade for Mace Windu's purple hue, presumably without the explicit "Pulp Fiction" secret on the lightsaber hilt.
As wild as it might seem to see Vader/Anakin bring himself back from the brink and put the galaxy right, there was a time when the idea of the feared Lord of the Sith changing his ways was actually considered, albeit in a galaxy a little far off from the one we know.
Vader had his own What If that came with a brand-new suit
Before Andrew Morgan's subtle but cool-looking Vader costume change was making the rounds online, and even before Disney had its eye on snatching up Lucasfilm, an alternate chapter of "Star Wars" lore unfurled in the "Infinities" version of "Return of the Jedi."
The story was told in a comic book series equivalent to Marvel's "What If...?" which explored deviations from the original film series. In this issue, Vader is forced to face both Luke and Leia (Carrie Fisher) on the second Death Star instead of just his son. Reunited with his children, the encounter leads Vader to reclaim his old name of Anakin Skywalker and join the Rebel Alliance with an all-new, all-white life support suit replacing his iconic black outfit before heading off to take down the Emperor alongside his family.
Of course, given that this was a tale set in an alternate timeline (and before the big Disney merger), the events of "Star Wars Infinites" are not canon, but it's interesting to know that there is a glimpse of what the galaxy far, far away could look like had Vader lived. With the Skywalkers reunited, they wouldn't have ruled the galaxy as father, son, and daughter, but might have been able to bring balance to it — with Vader sporting a cool-looking new wardrobe as a bonus.