A series of premonitions that Darth Vader recently received will come to fruition this summer in a major crossover event involving all of Marvel’s Star Wars titles. November 2022 gave fans what might be the most important Star Wars comic of the year. The one shot Star Wars: Revelations from Marc Guggenheim and the artistic team of Salvador Larroca, Pere Pérez, Emma Kubert, Justin Mason, and Paul Fry featured Darth Vader receiving a series of visions—both past and present—from the Eye of Webbish Bog, the eldritch being that dwells in the lava under his castle on Mustafar. The Eye repeated the same prophecies throughout the visions: “A scourge is coming,” and “First it comes for the metal, then for the muddle, and in the end… for the mind.” Now it appears those words will finally pay off.
Marvel Comics just teased its next crossover event for Star Wars, coming in the summer of 2023. While the four titles participating in the event come as little surprise, the mainline Star Wars, Darth Vader, Doctor Aphra, and Bounty Hunters, the tag line is an ominous echo of the warnings Vader received in Revelations: “First, it comes for the metal…” With the Hidden Empire crossover coming to its conclusion this April, Star Wars will next dive headfirst into the sinister prophecies of the Eye of Webbish Bog. Looking back at Revelations may provide an idea of what the central story of this event will be: a galactic droid rebellion.
Given his prevalence in the Eye’s warnings, and the focus on metal, it seems likely “First, it comes for the metal…” will center around the droid revolutionary, Ajax Sigma. Ajax Sigma was a droid who “dared to be free,” raising a droid army in rebellion against organics during the High Republic Era. Sigma’s first rebellion came to an end after being struck down by the Jedi, but its neural core survived. It was passed down through the generations, leading to Ajax’s eventual, upcoming rebirth on the Techno Union world of Mechis III.
Ajax Sigma Will Play a Key Role
Ajax Sigma’s future, in addition to its past, was also revealed to Vader during Revelations. The issue included a glimpse of Ajax Sigma meeting and dueling with Luke Skywalker. Later, the droid revolutionary can be seen leading a group of droids, including the famed bounty hunter IG-88, the heavily-armed BT-1, and the sociopathic 0-0-0. It would appear Ajax Sigma’s second droid uprising is well under way, something that could pose a threat to the Empire, the Rebel Alliance, and every other organic being in the galaxy. While this puts Ajax Sigma in conflict with Luke Skywalker, it’s interesting to note its goals aren’t inherently evil like the Empire’s: Sigma’s mission is to liberate droids, a group undeniably oppressed throughout the galaxy. The conflict itself may be the primary focus, but the morality of Sigma’s position in the galaxy may also be a central theme of the event.
This summer’s event solidifies the importance of last year’s Revelations. The warning of Ajax’s return to the galaxy joins the ranks of Dr. Aphra’s uncovering of the Spark Eternal, the threat to the Sith posed by the Fermata Cage, and even Beilert Valance’s betrayal of Darth Vader, which recently came to pass in Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #31 by Ethan Sacks and Paolo Villanelli. As the Eye of Webbish Bog foretold, there is a scourge coming for the galaxy, and the vanguard of that scourge may be Ajax Sigma itself. Darth Vader‘s warnings of the future are rapidly becoming his past and present, and Revelations continues to serve as a road map of what is to come in Star Wars.
The next Star Wars crossover event starts summer 2023.
Source: Marvel Comics