In the Star Wars universe, of Darth Vader's most dangerous enemies first came to his attention during the Clone Wars when he was still a Jedi Knight being mentored by Chancellor Palpatine. Surprisingly, the full extent of Vader's rivalry would not be revealed until after his death, as it was depicted in 2019's Star Wars: Age of Resistance - Kylo Ren #1 by Tom Taylor, Bryan Young, and Leonard Kirk.

In the story, Kylo Ren followed in the footsteps of his grandfather by traveling to the world of the alien Benathy, where he fought the Benathy's "god," revealed to be a Zillo Beast, one of the deadliest entities ever seen in the galaxy. Through flashbacks, the comic revealed Vader's clash with this giant beast, something which tied back to his downfall during the Clone Wars.

RELATED: Star Wars: The Zillo Beast Tried To War Coruscant About Palpatine

Star Wars Zilo Beast

Kylo Ren's primary motivation in the new trilogy was proving himself worthy of the legacy of his grandfather, Darth Vader. When he traveled to the world of the Benathy, he subjugated the aliens, as his grandfather had done decades earlier, then fought their "god" in a sequence, where he is seen trying the same tactic against the alien kaiju that Vader had. Kylo was swallowed whole by the giant reptile, and he cut his way out, killing the Zillo Beast that his grandfather failed to defeat. But that Vader fought the creature at all speaks to his own unresolved struggles from similar encounters in the past.

Anakin Skywalker and Mace Windu discovered one of the creatures on the planet Malastare in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars' episode "The Zillo Beast." They were ordered by Chancellor Palpatine to bring it back to the capital planet of Coruscant, and so they rendered the beast unconscious. This caused some diplomatic issues, as the Dugs wanted to kill the creature, believing it to be the last of an ancient race that their ancestors had hunted to extinction. The Republic needed the Dugs to provide fuel, so used deception to subdue and transport the Zillo Beast.

RELATED: Star Wars: General Grievous' Most Sinister Jedi Trophies Weren't Lightsabers

The Zillo Beast in The Clone Wars

Once it was on Coruscant, Palpatine decided to have it put to death. Padme objected, pointing out that the creature appeared to be intelligent and that it was immoral to wipe out the last of any species. To kill it would be an act of genocide--all the more cruel for having brought it to Coruscant in the first place. She asked Anakin to help her convince Palpatine not to hurt it. He agreed, but once they were in Palpatine's office, Anakin was persuaded of the Chancellor's side as well in a moment that showed how morally compromised he already was. After a failed attempt to kill it with poison gas, the Zillo Beast escaped, wreaking havoc on the city. It was finally killed with more gas, completing Palpatine's genocide.

More recently, Vader has begun to question Palpatine's influence in the obgoing series Star Wars: Darth Vader by Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco. He has awakened to the horrors of his past crimes, and to the ways that Palpatine's lies shaped his life. His motives for fighting the Zillo Beast remain a mystery, but one of those past actions that blooded his metal hands was the failed attempt to kill the Benathy's god. Kylo Ren took note of this but failed to learn the right lessons. Kylo succeeded in killing the Zillo Beast, but he repeated Vader's greatest failure: allowing himself to be manipulated by Palpatine.

KEEP READING: Star Wars Theory: Palpatine's Plan Actually Succeeded