Marvel Showed Darth Vader's True Form (But Only REAL Star Wars Fans Caught It)

Darth Vader's inner struggle between the light and dark sides of the Force is at the core of his "Star Wars" story, with the Sith Lord frequently meditating to better attune to the Dark Side. However, fans have never experienced Vader's perspective during these meditation sessions, that is, until recently within the pages of Marvel Comics.

In "Darth Vader" #8 and #25, Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli give "Star Wars" fans a look at what the Sith Lord sees when he meditates, revealing his true form to be much more sinister than his iconic armor. We see Vader not as a man but as a human-shaped Force entity covered in dark crimson swirls representing the Dark Side energy consuming his body. Outside of his limbs, which are white because they're mechanical, Vader sees himself as a faceless creature covered in disturbing, blood-like swirls that radiate from his body as equally terrifying tentacles, making the form look more like Marvel's Carnage than anything in "Star Wars."

When Vader opens his eyes, we see they're glowing orange, removing any sense of humanity that remained from Anakin Skywalker. Interestingly, "Darth Vader" #8 emphasizes the light blue butterflies flying around the darkness that is Vader's true form. Although he tries to destroy them, he isn't able to, further symbolizing the light left in him and his struggle between the two sides of the Force.

Darth Vader's true form is a humanoid depiction of the dark side, swirling with malignant energy equating to the Sith Lord's presence across all of "Star Wars." However, what happened to this version of Vader after he returned to the light side at the end of "Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi?" Given their place chronologically, the comics never reveal this, but what if "Ahsoka" picks up where they left off? 

It seems like a stretch, but with Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) coming face to face with Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) in the World Between Worlds at the end of Episode 4, "Part Four: Fallen Jedi," nothing seems off the table. The former Jedi has been dead for a while, so we know the Anakin that Ahoksa meets isn't her former master. However, it could be a Force representation of him, with Dave Filoni finishing what Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli began in the comics. 

If this were to happen, don't expect Anakin's true form to be white like Darth Vader's limbs. In his Force version, the Sith Lord's limbs were white because they're mechanical, meaning the Force doesn't flow through them like the rest of his body. To better understand what a light-side Force form would look like, we return to the comics. In "Star Wars" #35, Soule, Madibek Musaekov, and Rachelle Rosenberg depict Luke Skywalker's true form as a humanoid figure made of blue swirls, showcasing the character's purity within the Force. If the Anakin in "Ahsoka" revealed a similar form, he'd likely be blue with a white hand instead of red.