Charles Soule is returning to Star Wars to write Star Wars: Legacy of Vader, a comic book series focused on Kylo Ren during his time as Supreme Leader of the First Order between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker – and I guess this means that Soule's original character, Darth Momin, will likely appear in the series in some shape or form.
Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #1 – written by Charles Soule, with art by Luke Ross – will be an extra-long 48-page special issue and promises to answer some vital questions about the gap between Episode VIII and Episode IX of the Sequel Trilogy.
The advanced synopsis for the first issue of the miniseries contains few clues, though I should note the cryptic and intriguing tease that a “face of the past will guide [Kylo Ren] in your search” as he travels to Mustufar, seeking to confront the legacy of Darth Vader while trying to forge his own path.
I have a feeling Charles Soule's Sith character Darth Momin is about to return to Star Wars lore
Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #1 – Wwritten by Charles Soule; Art by Luke Ross; Main cover by Derrick Chew
Darth Momin is an original comic book character, created by Charles Soule for the fourth issue of the magazine in 2015. Lando miniseries. In the series, Momin's helmet possessed two members of Lando Calrissian's team, after they infiltrated Emperor Palpatine's ship, the Imperialis. Lando's team had to evacuate and destroy the Imperialis, and with it Momin's helmet. Soule later wrote the 2017 Darth Vader series, set fourteen years earlier, where Momin – possessing Imperial bodies – helped Vader build his fortress. Vader eventually returns the helmet to Palpatine, where it will be stored on the Imperialis.
I think Charles Soule regretted his decision to destroy Momin's helmet in his first appearancelosing his ability to use it as a narrative device and to expand Momin as a character, in subsequent stories. Notably, in the Crimson Reign Comic event, the Knights of Ren attempted to steal an artifact from Vader's Fortress and came face to face with Darth Momin. According to Charles Soule, this version of Momin is a ghost, and is explained in the comics as Momin's spirit creating a nexus of Dark Side power to haunt visitors to the castle.
Darth Momin was Vader's “secret mentor” – he could have a parallel role in Kylo Ren's story
Star Wars: Vader's Legacy #1 – Variant cover by Ramón Rosanas
Darth Momin was a Sith inventor, most famous for his invention of the Fermata Cage, a prison that could freeze a moment or people in time and release them in the present, as if time had not passed. He also created an engine with enough power to destroy an entire city and planned to put power into his engine to freeze the city moments before its destruction. His last invention was the Vader Fortress, which channeled the Force and opened a door to the Dark Aide, allowing Darth Vader to return to the past.
I know Charles Soule has a plan here for his beloved character.
As Kylo Ren explores his grandfather's fortress, I have no doubt he will face the spirit of Darth Mominthat always haunts its corridors. When Momin appeared in Crimson Reign, his spirit was defeated with a single blaster shot, so I don't know if he can interact with the physical world, if his spirit is a sentient being, or if it's just a shadow of his former self. In any case, Momin's inclusion in the Crimson Reign it wasn't an accident, and I know Charles Soule has a plan here for his beloved character.
Darth Momin could do more than just appear in “Legacy of Vader”
Star Wars: Vader's Legacy #1 – Variant cover by Annie Wu
Although it is possible that Darth Momin may appear in Vader's legacy could be restricted to a cameo, or the character could materialize as nothing more than a ghost, I think there's also a strong possibility that Charles Soule will use the character in a much more dramatic way. As I mentioned earlier, I think Soule has wanted to do more with Momin for some time, and Vader's legacy could finally offer him the chance to do so, perhaps even making the ancient Sith the antagonist of the miniseries.
[Making Darth Momin the villain] would solve the problem of making Ren the protagonist of the series, at the lowest point of his fall to the Dark Side.
If Momin is more than a ghost, then he has spent the last few decades plotting in Vader's Fortress. Now, with one of the most powerful people in the galaxy falling into his clutches, he may have his sights set on Kylo Ren. Momin has already had characters before – and few presenters would be as tempting for him as Kylo Ren. Especially considering the comic finds Ren in a vulnerable state, this could create a tense dynamic for Soule to explore. This would solve the problem of making Ren the protagonist of the series, at the lowest point of his fall to the Dark Side.
Charles Soule described Vader's legacy as a combination of your Rise of Kylo Ren and Dark Lord of the Sith series. Soule says both series worked so well because they explored periods so full of unanswered questions and Vader's legacy does the same as Kylo Ren rules the First Order. Darth Momin could play a key role in providing the answers that Star Wars fans look for, as this part of the Kylo Ren story is developed in great detail by one of the contemporaries Star Wars greatest story authors.
Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #1 will be available February 5, 2025, from Marvel Comics.