WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: Darth Vader #2, by Greg Pak, Raffaele Ienco, Neeraj Menon and VC's Joe Caramagna, on sale now from Marvel.
The end of Star Wars: Darth Vader #1 saw the titular Sith Lord coming face-to-face with the most important person in his past: Padmé Amidala. However, the second issue of the series reveals this isn't actually Padmé but is instead her handmaiden and lookalike, Sabé.
As the issue opens, Sabé takes a shot at Darth Vader, who is still under the impression that she's Padmé. He begins to Force Choke her, much in the same way he killed her in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. However, he let's her live and she flees deeper into the Vedaxan base. Vader is then forced to kill several of the native "land squid" and pursue her. The Sith Lord then figures out just what's going on and identifies this Padmé as Sabé, which forensic droid ZED-6-7.
"She's Sabé," says Zed-6-7. "The queen's double. Just a shade taller than Padmé. Slightly more pronounced jaw... and a 0.15 percent deeper voice. Even after adjusting for age."
Vader learns that it's, in fact, Sabé who broke into Padmé's quarters on Coruscant, a burglary he discovered while trying to hurt those who hid the existence of his son, Luke, from him. Over the course of their dialogue, Sabé reveals she doesn't actually know what happened to Padmé, though she suspects the Emperor. From there, Vader convinces Sabé to join his cause in order to take revenge on whomever was responsible for taking Padmé away. Vader manipulates Sabé by not disclosing his real identity and his role in Padmé's death, instead using Sabé's desire for revenge against her.
As the two fly away from Vendaxa, Sabé reveals she obtained security recordings from Padmé's chambers, though she's been unable to decrypt them. However, that's all changed, as she now has access to ZED-6-7. The three set out for Naboo, Padmé's homeplanet and where Sabé hid the recordings.
The idea Padmé was once again alive seemed pretty far-fetched, though the cliffhanger for Star Wars: Darth Vader #1 definitely left a lot of people wondering just what was going on. The Star Wars universe is one of fantastic powers and abilities, and such characters Emperor Palpatine were able to come back through the power of cloning. However, Vader discovering Sabé seems much more logical, as she's been kicking around the galaxy far, far away since Keira Knightley brought the character to the big-screen in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Having someone who looks and sounds so much like Padmé back in his life is sure to shake Darth Vader in major ways, especially since the security recordings from his former wife's apartment likely show his time with her as Anakin Skywalker. Vader is about to go on a major emotional journey, and it could very much make him into the man who chose his son over his Emperor in Return of the Jedi.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #3 releases April 15 from Marvel.