Marvel Star Wars comics are set to introduce an almost forgotten character into the canon, who was initially designed as a part of a Eighties Kenner Toys motion determine line. Star Wars: Jedi Knights might be a deal with for hardcore followers of the franchise, bringing a badass character design to life after forty years of ready.
As introduced by Marvel Comics, Star Wars: Jedi Knights – written by Marc Guggenheim, with artwork by Madibek Musabekov – will introduce Atha Prime, character "impressed by unused Return of the Jedi idea artwork."
Though the character was initially supposed to function a alternative antagonist for Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine for a toy line that by no means got here to fruition, now Atha Prime will make an affect on modern society Star Wars in a brand new, untold story from the Prequel Period.
“Atha Prime” and why his Star Wars debut is a giant deal for the franchise, defined
The villain of the unrealized "Epic Continues" toy line
Kenner's unique pitch to Lucasfilm for Atha Prime positioned it as the primary post-Return of the Jedi antagonist within the franchise's historical past, as they initially carried the accountability of growing the nascent Expanded Universe after the conclusion of the Authentic Trilogy. A part of the toy firm's bold plan for the character even included making him the mastermind of the Clone Wars - at a time when the battle was nonetheless one of many Star Wars Canon's largest mysteries, virtually 20 years earlier than the Prequels answered followers' questions.
That is nonetheless an necessary milestone for the character and the franchise, as Atha Prime's design is introduced out of obscurity and given a outstanding place at Disney. Star Wars canon.
Now, Atha Prime might be launched as a part of a Prequel-era journey, in Star Wars: Jedi Knights. Based on superior info shared by Marvel concerning the character's position within the sequence, the guide "will introduce the character because the tyrannical ruler of a mysterious planet who courageously opposes the Republic and the Jedi Order." Whereas his position within the franchise's lore is probably not as grand as Kenner initially supposed, that is nonetheless an necessary milestone for the character and the franchise, as Atha Prime's design is introduced out of obscurity and given a outstanding place at Disney. . Star Wars canon.
Marvel has been making ready to introduce Atha Prime for a while now - constructing on many years of anticipation
Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #1 – Ramon Rosanas “Sneak Preview” Variant Cowl
As Star Wars Editor Mark Paniccia famous:
Throughout the improvement of the sequence Ambrose Tardive Frames [Guggenheim] found this deep reduce – the antagonist of Kenner's unfulfilled work The epic continues toy line. We noticed the unique design and had been instantly bought. What a cool character to carry into the canon and what an ideal guide to take action!
Inventive selections like this are precisely what makes Star Wars canon is a delight for followers and an thrilling tapestry for creators to weave their very own threads. Idea artwork for Atha Prime has been round for forty years, though “The Epic Continues” toy sequence by no means hit cabinets. Obstinate Star Wars followers have speculated when and the way the character would possibly lastly seem in continuity in a Star Wars story all alongside, and now it's lastly occurring.
The plan to carry Atha Prime into the canon has been within the works for a while at Marvel; the looks of a mysterious character on one of many variant covers of Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #1 has sparked hypothesis about a lot of completely different identities, and whereas Atha Prime is among the many most stunning, he's additionally among the many most intriguing. Now that Atha Prime is lastly canon, the designers of this unproduced Eighties Star Wars The toy must be thrilled that its design nonetheless managed to endure and finally discover reputation.