Award-winning writer Marc Bernardin reveals the strict guidelines set by Lucasfilm and Marvel Comics on how far he could go with his iteration of Darth Vader in the comic book miniseries Star Wars: Darth Vader – Black, White & Red.
The wordsmith opened up to Comic Book about the restrictions placed on the fallen Skywalker’s powers on the Fatman Beyond podcast with Kevin Smith. He explained:
“It was odd, the things that they did have parameters about. ‘Darth Vader isn’t that powerful. Darth Vader can’t quite do that. Darth Vader’s use of the Force manifests this way, not that way,’ sort of small, in-world canon things.”
Bernardin is clear that the studios were generally easy to work with but were strict regarding adherence to certain aspects of Star Wars canon. One of these was the Sith lord’s access to the recovery pod seen in The Empire Strikes Back. He said they told him:
“‘He wouldn’t have that on his own private shuttle, that’s only on [his flagship] Executor,‘”
Star Wars: Darth Vader – Black, White & Red is part of Marvel Comics’ Black, White & Blood miniseries, which places some of its most villainous characters under a microscope.
The prolific wordsmith has built a multifaceted career in the creative sphere. He was a film editor for the Los Angeles Times and served as senior editor for The Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Weekly. He is a supervising producer on Star Trek: Picard.
In addition to Star Wars: Darth Vader – Black, White & Red #3 (2023), Bernadin also wrote Women of Marvel #1, X-Men Origins: Nightcrawler #1 for Marvel and The Authority, and Static Shock for DC Comics, as well as many other comics. Bernardin won the Comic-Con International’s annual Inkpot Award in 2018.
The Star Wars: Darth Vader – Black, White & Red boasts a renowned team of storytellers, including Jason Aaron, Peach Momoko, Daniel Warren Johnson, and Torunn Grønbekk. The artwork is by Leonard Kirk.
Star Wars: Darth Vader: Black, White & Red is out now.