WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: Darth Vader #8, by Greg Pak, Raffaele Ienco, Neeraj Menon, and Joe Caramanga, on sale now.
In the Star Wars Universe, Anakin Skywalker was always a selfish individual who doomed the galaxy for a lengthy period of time. He didn't just sell his soul to Emperor Palpatine and the Dark Side, he allowed the Sith principles to turn the Republic into the Empire, bringing Imperial hell to so many innocents.
But as everything from Return of the Jedi to cartoons like The Clone Wars proved, Anakin wanted more than just being an oppressor. Now, Darth Vader #8 has confirmed his secret desire to be forgiven by Luke and rule the Galaxy as a more noble Anakin Skywalker all along.
As Vader navigates the lava-filled terrain on Mustafar, fighting off creatures in a test by the Eye of the Webbish Bog, the Sith monster teases him about if he chose his path or someone did it for him. It wants to find out his true identity, his raw character and we see Vader remembering his fights with Obi-Wan Kenobi, him cutting off Luke's hand, offering his son a chance to rule beside him, and also, the memories with Palpatine offering him unlimited power.
Now, it's obvious that he's always lusted after power and control, but these memories reveal his intentions weren't as generic as first thought. It was assumed he wanted to usurp Palpatine and carry on that vision without the Sith Lord but here, he wants to lead a new cosmic order with Luke at his side, molded by the old Jedi code. From the way he remembers his Jedi years and the conversion process, plus how this book has Palpatine abusing him and him wanting to kill his master, Vader regrets becoming a weapon belonging to someone else. He's tainted his name and this is why when the Bog brings up Vader's wants, we see Ani's head rising from the fiery pits. And as for the desire, it's Luke's head, which means they both tie into one another.
To Vader, the only way he can walk the past back and gain redemption is by having Luke forgive him. It doesn't matter who else hates him, once Luke agrees to rule with him, Vader can become the Anakin once again that Padme Amidala hoped would save the galaxy instead of the man who sacrificed it all by bending the knee to Palpatine. This is a second chance at being that person again, only this time with Luke there, it'd be different than being forced to listen to Yoda, Obi-Wan, or Mace Windu. Luke was his chance at salvation and that's why he had that inner-conflict within him, as the Jedi inside was reignited.
It explains why he eventually flipped on Palpatine, stopped him from killing Luke, and murdered his master. While that ultimately cost him his life, this allowed him to be his old self again, thus why he felt at peace gazing upon his son with his own eyes and why he eventually became a Force Ghost. He lost his way down a warped path but he did want to do good and while it took some time, Luke was that way out and the ultimate gateway back to his younger self and the Skywalker name.