The legacy and importance of the newMoff Adelhardcontinues to grow thanks to his unfolding journey in Marvel Comics. But even in defeat, the villain is showing that Imperial power can only take you so far in the world ofStar Wars. After witnessing the power of the force first hand, Adelhard decides it’s time for him to embrace the might of the dark side himself.
InStar Wars: The Battle of Jakku - Republic Under Siege (2024)by creative team Alex Segura, Stefano Raffaele, Jethro Morales, Alex Sinclair, Jim Campbell, and Joe Caramagna, Mon Mothma and Princess Leia grant Moff Adelhard the true credit he has earned, identifying him as a threat to everything they worked so hard to build in the New Republic. Adelhard has gone beyond just his blockade, but hasjoined forces withthe Acolytes of the Beyondto learn the secrets of the dark sideto counter anything the New Republic can throw at him.
Moff Adelhard is Not Only An Imperial Villain, But Has Dark Side Potential, Too
Adelhard Can Master the Dark Side Better than Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine Ever Could
To truly grasp the significance of Adelhard’s path, it should be restated that at this point in theStar Warstimeline followingReturn of the Jedi, the force was believed by many to be no more than a myth. The Jedi had been dead for twenty years, and there were very few surviving members of their religion. After the death of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, all the Imperials knew was that an aspiring Jedi named Luke Skywalker walked into a room with them alone, and was the only one to walk out alive. As far as Moff Adelhard knew, it was Vader and Palpatine’s devotion to the force that caused their downfall, leaders of the empire who placeed their faith in fraud.
Star Wars Reveals the Dark Side’s Afterlife, Proving the Sith Have It Rough
The Sith have tried to cheat death for centuries, with the reason why they don’t want to die being based on the horrific nature of their afterlife.
When Reyna Oskure is shown convincing Adelhard that his path to victory will be much smoother with the help of the dark side, he hesitantly accepts. With a naivete reminsicent of a young Luke Skywalker, Adelhard admits he will learn from the mistakes of those that came before him, essentially claiming that his use of the force will be more efficient than two Sith Lords.
The Mighty Imperial Adelhard Is Completely Tricked (From A Certain Point of View)
Just as Luke Skywalker allied with the force to gain fame and success through his heroic Rebel exploits, Adelhard seemed to make incredible accomplishments of his own.Moff Adelhard’s Iron Blockade is already the stuff of legend, going into effect immediately after the destruction of the second Death Star. The purpose of the blockade was simple: to grant Adelhard unparalleled control over the Empire. To achieve this, Adelhard lied and manipulated the entire Anoat sector tobelieve that Emperor Palpatine was still alive, and it was the Rebels who had lost the Battle of Endor. Anyone who said otherwise would be sentenced to immediate execution.
As time passes, the limitless and mystical power of the Acolytes of the Beyond is too much for Adelhard to ignore. Reyna Oskure took the opportunity to guide Adelhard in the dark side of the force, helping him find the best way to protect his people. Sound familiar? The Acolytes of the Beyond want to see balance restored to the galaxy and the New Republic destroyed, so everything Reyna tells Adelhard to do brings him one step closer to accepting the dark side, and manipulates him to fulfill her own plans. Palpatine, Obi-wan, or Snoke couldn’t have done it any better.
Is Moff Adelhard The True Dark Side Equal Rising To Face Luke?
Reyna Oskure offers Moff Adelhard a dark side master, and once he accepts, she brings him to Yupe Tashu on Devaron. While the story takes a dramatic twist soon after, it is still based on the belief that the force is always seeking balance. When there is an imbalance, the force moves to fix that, just as it did with Luke and Leia, and with Kylo Ren and Rey, and so on, and so on. Now as Luke Skywalker has defeated the Sith, the force is replacing them with new dark side players, and Adelhard could be his new equal
The Acolytes of the Beyond and Adelhard can learn about the force, and worship the dark side, but they will never be as fluent as Palpatine and Vader were. The hints and teases of an unknown dark side master could be as much a rumor as a fact, meaning an even more powerful dark side representative could be entering theStar Warscanon soon. InRepublic Under Siege #1,Adelhard shows interest in Malastare. If his plans are truly aligned with the dark side, perhaps there is a dark side master there that can teach him further?
Moff Adelhard’s Role is Growing in The New Age of Star Wars
The Villains is Not Only A Threat To Luke Skywalker, But The Entire New Republic
With Reyna Oskure posing as a false inquisitor, the Acolytes of the Beyond challenging Luke Skywalker for Jedi artifacts, and now Moff Adelhard rising as Luke’s evil equal in the force, Skywalker has a lot on his plate, much more than he had while facing the empire. Now that he’s a Jedi master though, Luke steps up to the test. Luke is not alone in the fight. Mon Mothma mentions that Adelhard has evolved from distraction to a real threat, and they must continue to build the New Republic and defend their ideals while they do it.
Making sure not to dip to the same level as the crumbling empire can be a hard task while fighting a war, and if there really is a powerful dark side master out there that Moff Adelhard is searching for, it’s about to become even harder. The Battle of Jakku is unleashed, and all the factions, the New Republic, Adelhard, and Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax, need to get themselves together fast.
See Adelhard’s entire journey in the ongoingStar Wars: The Battle of Jakkuevent now available from Marvel Comics.
