This article contains spoilers for "Darth Vader" #21, which is on sale now.
As Marvel's "Darth Vader" ongoing series closes in on it's final issue, the Dark Lord of the Sith and his supporting cast are making major moves. "Darth Vader" #21 from writer Kieron Gillen and artist Salvador Larroca saw the Sith Lord come closer to defeating his rival Cylo, and it also pushed Doctor Aphra one step closer to confronting Vader.
In the issue, Vader tracks down the cyborg scientist Cylo and his fleet (all loose ends that the Emperor needs tied up) in the heart of the Crushank Nebulae. Vader's Imperial fleet engages Cylo's forces in a dogfight, and Vader -- in a daring move -- manages to board the enemy flagship before it jumps to hyperspace.
Alerted to his presence aboard their ship, Cylo's scientist Voidgazer requests to confront the intruder head-on. She halts Vader's advance as he stalks through the ship's labs, trapping him in a room. With Vader in a cage, she unleashes a beast to destroy him -- a cybernetically enhanced rancor
Readers will recognize this specific alien from 1983's "Return of the Jedi," where Luke Skywalker -- armed only with the bones and rocks in the rancor's pen -- battled a rancor kept in Jabba the Hutt's palace. For this battle, Vader has a lightsaber and a much greater mastery of the Force -- but this rancor also has cybernetic implants.
The battle will play out in "Darth Vader" #22, on sale on June 29.