Leia Was Willing to Sacrifice Luke to Kill Darth Vader After A New Hope

Leia Was Willing to Sacrifice Luke to Kill Darth Vader After A New Hope

After A New Hope, Leia leaves nothing to save Luke in order to bring Vader to justice – and this wouldn’t be the last time she makes such an order.

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Leia Was Willing to Sacrifice Luke to Kill Darth Vader After A New Hope

Princess Leia initially refused to sacrifice any manpower – even one measly speeder – to help save a possibly critically injured Luke Skywalker because it would impinge upon her endeavor to bring Darth Vader to justice. Desperate to take down Vader for allowing Alderaan’s destruction during A New Hope, Leia was willing to let Luke potentially die. As later events reveal, this wouldn’t be the last time Leia would be forced to make a difficult decision.

Leia’s harsh command follows Luke Skywalker’s valiant albeit crazy effort to stop Darth Vader’s slaughter of Rebel forces upon his arrival to Vrogas Vas in the 2015 comic crossover Vader Down. The Sith Lord originally travels there to capture Luke, whom he has just learned is his son. But Luke isn’t alone. An entire rebel base is stationed there, forcing Vader to later contend with multiple X-Wings in his TIE fighter. The Sith Lord successfully downs two whole squadrons of these fighters before his son kamikazes into him, sending both Vader and Luke spiraling to the ground below.

Upon learning of Luke’s predicament, Leia still commands that all remaining forces engage the downed Vader, leaving nothing available to help her friend, in Darth Vader #13 by Jason Aaron and writer Kieron Gillen, artist Salvador Larroca, colorist Edgar Delgado and letterer Joe Caramagna. Much like readers felt at the time, Han Solo understandably struggles with her order since Luke is not only Leia’s friend but a man who actively puts his own life at risk to save her. But it’s not enough to sway her decision. Unfortunately, this one instance becomes part of a much larger unflattering pattern after the events of The Empire Strikes Back when she decides to sacrifice the cyborg Lobot, Lando Calrissian’s friend, in 2020’s Star Wars #14 by writer Charles Soule, artist Ramon Rosanas, colorist Rachelle Rosenberg and letterer Clayton Cowles.

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In both cases, Leia is faced with a difficult decision and chooses what’s best for the Rebellion over her own friends and the friends of others. This shouldn’t be too surprising, as effective leaders are able to set aside their own personal feelings to ensure victory even if success comes at a high cost. But it still isn’t a good look, especially as both instances are still mired with questionable motives where Leia either is still driven by her emotions or never has to contend with any in the first place.

In the case of Luke’s sacrifice, there is a possible conflict of interest in Leia’s decision to condemn her friend: The fact that Vader witnessed Alderaan’s destruction. She doesn’t even hide this when she argues with Han about her order. When she’s later willing to continue an operation that is literally killing their secret weapon, Lobot, she doesn’t have any emotional connection to him at all. Even though his death would be unfortunate, it wouldn’t take as much of an emotional toll on her as one of her loved ones dying. So while Leia’s desire to kill Vader at Luke’s expense may be fueled by personal reasons, the decision is obviously difficult for her since she cares deeply for Luke. Meanwhile, her order to condemn Lobot may not be as personally driven, but she has to make less of a sacrifice, making her order seem more heartless.

Regardless, the idiom “heavy lies the crown” definitely applies here. These instances after A New Hope portray Princess Leia as a leader who is able to make difficult decisions even at the expense of her own humanity. Even though both cases with Lobot as well as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader reveal that her motives may not be wholly pure or objective, it’s clear that the comics thrust her into circumstances she can’t leave unscathed more than the movies, transforming her from a perfect princess into a battered leader who must make sacrifices and contend with her own demons.

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Link Source : https://screenrant.com/leia-sacrifice-luke-kill-darth-vader-marvel-comics/

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