– Spoiler Review –
With Kylo Ren more assured of his path forward than ever, he dives into Vader’s vault deep within the Mustafarian castle. What does he all find? And how does it paint the perfect, final stroke on writer Charles Soule’s journey for the young man? Find out in my review of Legacy of Vader #12, the series finale!
After the events of the two most recent issues, Kylo Ren seems to have accepted himself and is ready to move beyond the past. Yet he doesn’t fully understand what the future will be for him, who he really wants to be going forward. To maybe help figure it out, to maybe look for the final answers to why he’s not gotten what he’s wanted, and to maybe understand what he even wants, he ventures into Vader’s strange and twisted vault. Like many of Charles Soule’s works, we get into a realm of some weird as hell Force shenanigans that leave quite the impression! How, where, when, and why it works will forever remain a mystery, but what Kylo Ren experiences is way more important anyways. Or is it the who that’s more important? Let’s dive in!
While I felt Kylo was ready to put the past behind him, or at least take ownership over his choices so far, it seems he still needs a little shove. The shove first comes in the shape and form of Darth Vader, his idolized grandfather, who schools him in the ways power works. Who wields it. Who craves it. And who will never get it if they keep asking for it or expecting it instead of taking it for themselves. This ‘Vader’ starts talking about himself in the third-person, as if whomever is talking isn’t actually Vader, and exposes the what really made Vader powerful: truth. When Anakin/Vader cut out the voices of others and made choices on his own, he was free, he was himself. For Kylo, who has tried to imitate Vader and those before him, hoping to wipe the past clean so it’s just his deeds that are remembered, even if such deeds are just footsteps from those before him, it’s a damning thing to hear. Contempt towards all the expectations heaped on him and doing everything he can to be at the same level of those before him, it would be hard to hear making your own choices, to embrace the fear that comes with uncertainty, is what would be the most powerful thing anyone could do. It fits like the final missing LEGO piece into Kylo Ren’s story in the sequel trilogy, as once he makes all the choices by himself, by the end of The Rise of Skywalker he becomes more powerful than even Vader could’ve imagined.
Kylo obviously rejects these truths, especially when this ‘Vader’ pops off his helmet and reveals Ben Solo beneath! It’s a rather fitting image. When Luke unmasked Vader before he died, it allowed Anakin Skywalker to show himself and accept what he did. It’s what this vision is trying to tell Kylo, much like Force Ghost Luke Skywalker told him not too long ago, Ben is who he really is, no matter how hard he tries to fight it and push away from it. But who is Ben? And who can he be? This Ben Solo proceeds to breakdown all of Kylo’s actions so far, distilling the truth of why he’s so eager to kill the past: it has less to do with what the past is, but more of what it represents. It represents what he hasn’t been, what he hasn’t become, and it’s easier to focus on it than face the future, so uncertain, so unknown, so…scary. Ben tells Kylo plainly, wrapping things up, he needs to move forward and make his own choices. It’s a simple thing but hard for someone who’s lived most of his life in the past, thinking it would fix the future for him instead of having to do it himself.
Which actually leaves us with the biggest, and maybe almost more important question of Legacy of Vader #12: was this all in Kylo’s head, a Force vision like thing, or was that actually someone else who was talking to him? I think we have our answer thanks to two key moments. The first is ‘Vader’ telling Kylo that, much like for the Cave of Evil, only the voices Kylo has with him will reach him here. There are no outside influences, so as long as that’s true, it suggests theories like Anakin Skywalker Force Ghosted to his grandson might be incorrect. The second key moment is on the final page, as the person watching Kylo fall, which seems to be the Ben Solo who had been talking with Kylo throughout, fades to the Force Ghost blue outline. So, if it’s not outside influences, and therefore not Anakin or Luke, could it be the only voice Kylo brought with him, and this was Ben Solo!? And not just any Ben Solo, but his Force Ghost, after he died?!?!?! Force Ghosts operate outside of time and space, so it’s not improbable Ghost Ben could visit Kylo. And if that’s the reality of this, holy bantha poodoo!! It would not only offer a small quenching of the Ben Solo thirst, but a bigger taste of what an interesting and exciting character he’d be to have back in future stories. I’m okay with not knowing an answer to this, if ever, but I think that’s just one of the gifts Soule gave readers with this series, bringing in some memorable situations with room to theorize and wonder about, with no clear or easy answer in sight.
On art to bring the finale home was Luke Ross once again, colorist Nolan Woodard, and letterer Joe Caramagna too. You’ve probably already seen the page, people were sharing it the night before the issue released and early the morning after on social media, but we have to talk about it because it’s both emotional but also maybe another hint about WHO was talking to Kylo in the Vault. As Ben Solo taunts Kylo, his hands wrapped around the red blade, he’s about to call Kylo a crying baby, but instead of hearing the word, we get an image instead. It’s of Han and Leia, holding a little baby Ben, discussing how they’ll let him become whoever he wants to be. It’s a touching moment, their love for the child and the support they want to offer, which they do even after he falls to the dark side, in full display. Ross’ scenery is so serene, gorgeous flowers surrounding this picture-perfect moment, a beautiful skyline as the backdrop. Ross’ Han, Leia, and baby Ben are at peace, happy and content, love and connection and hope present in them all, while Caramagna’s word bubbles are as unintrusive as possible, letting the image do all the talking, their words barely needed but exactly what should be heard. It’s a gorgeous little moment that feels like a painting that belongs in a museum, as the future is wide open in front of them. It’s the coloring that brings in an interesting idea, and I’m maybe thinking way too much into this (but that’s the fun of these things, isn’t?), but Woodward bathes the scene in a luminous blue, much like the blue used for Force Ghosts only a few issues ago, the skyline a haunting yet wonderfully juxtaposed red behind them. But that blue…could it have been chosen because it’s a memory Force Ghost Ben is sharing with Kylo?!? Food for thought! Elsewhere, I adored the differences between Kylo and Ben, as they look and seem so distinct despite being the same. It all starts with the face, Kylo’s is ashen, scarred, and wrinkled, while Ben’s is clean, untouched almost, without a wrinkle to be found. Ben is more emotive with smiles and smirks and playfulness, while Kylo is grumpy, angry, scrunched. Where Kylo wears his signature black outfit, Ben is adorned in white, close to his outfit as a student of Luke Skywalker. The lightsaber battle between Ben and Kylo has some great panels, especially in the page where it’s 6 squares, as I loved the way their sabers clashed. As they swing and connect, it looks like flames erupting, Kylo’s cracked blade emitting bolts of lightning, while Ben’s is steadier, more assured, another different between them. Woodard does a lot with his coloring choices here, the reds and blues fighting for supremacy. And Caramagna shows Ben’s calm, as his word bubbles are simple, normal ones, while the only time Kylo says something, a shout of anger, it’s rimmed in black and full of bolded letters for the shout. And it’s Caramagna who really carries an early page, as he takes us across a splash page full of different little images of Vader and Kylo battling, which at first glance is confusing but his placements give us the guide to see it through. I also like how Kylo and Vader’s faces sit each side of the page, as if this fight is inside, not physically happening.
Here are a few other things:
- Published the Monday before this issue released, writer Charles Soule and Ben Solo’s trip to the Force netherworlds in issue #10 won top spots in my 2025 Star Wars comics year-in-review! Make sure to check it out to see who else made Top Creatives and what the remaining Top 5 Moments were!
- Speaking of the Cave of Evil, Kylo destroyed that in Age of Resistance: Supreme Leader Snoke and his journey through it, and how it ties into the throne room scene in The Last Jedi, make it one still worth checking out.
- Is there more Kylo Ren comics from Charles Soule on the way? The ending to the issue says Kylo Ren will return, so that seems to suggest there could be more on the way. Or it could be referencing the character’s return in general, as rumors are hedging their bets on his appearance in Rey’s New Jedi Order film, regardless of the cancelled The Hunt for Ben Solo. If it’s another comic, which Soule suggested when he mentioned working on writing Kylo Ren when he’s happy, what exactly could it entail? More of the lead-up to The Rise of Skywalker? Adapting the cancelled film’s story, so Ben Solo’s appearance in future stories has something fans can reference? Or was Soule just referencing the Force Ghost Ben Solo who appears here, if my theory is correct? Only time will tell, but it’s fun to theorize and much of the theorizing enjoyment comes from the quality of this series!
Legacy of Vader #12 is a memorable series finale, as it both covers an important part of Kylo Ren’s journey and leaves plenty for fans to theorize over until we ever get more.
+ Kylo’s actions and choices so far dissected for the truth
+ The theories which will follow about Ben Solo’s appearance here…
+ Art team giving us a gorgeous glimpse of the past and some simple, yet necessary ways to show the difference between Ben and Kylo
– No word on what’s next, if anything!
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on Bluesky.
LEGACY OF VADER REVIEWS:
Reign of Kylo Ren Vol. 1: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 — Vol. 2: #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 | #11