Star Wars: Legacy of Vader Ben Solo Movie Replacement Idea

For those who are still dissatisfied with how Star Wars handled the sequel trilogy and remain frustrated over the loss of Adam Driver's Ben Solo spinoff, Marvel Comics offers an apology.

Marvel Studios' Star Wars: Legacy of Vader is "is a canon 2025 ongoing comic book series written by Charles Soule and illustrated by Luke Ross. The series focuses on First Order Supreme Leader Kylo Ren and takes place right between the events of Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi and Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker. Marvel Comics published the first issue on Feb. 5, 2025," Wookiepedia confirms.

Nearly a year after its initial publication, Star Wars: Legacy of Vader remains strong, supplementing the storytelling that has declined noticeably in modern Star Wars projects. "DARTH VADER'S SHADOW EXTENDS INTO...THE RISE OF THE FIRST ORDER!" Star Wars: Legacy of Vader's official solicit reads, "The reign of SUPREME LEADER KYLO REN begins! Kylo's dark obsession leads him to MUSTAFAR! What secrets does FORTRESS VADER hold for the young tyrant? And what face from the past will guide him on his quest?"

Soule has elaborated on furthering Kylo Ren's journey past the limitations of Star Wars in live-action. "When fans talk to me about my Star Wars work, two of my Marvel comic runs come up more than almost anything else: my 2017 run on Darth Vader with Giuseppe Camuncoli and my 2019 series The Rise of Kylo Ren with Will Sliney," the Star Wars: Legacy of Vader writer shared with StarWars.com when expounding on the comics' significance. "I think both of those worked so well in part because they were set in parts of the Star Wars timeline full of unanswered questions about characters the audience really loves. This new series is not just a combination of those two books, but also a chance to explore an extremely rich section of the timeline that's almost entirely open: Kylo Ren's time as Supreme Leader of the First Order."

The comic book writer concluded, "All of that is swirling around in his emotional matrix, making him deeply unstable, angry, frustrated… dangerous. He's looking for any form of guidance he can get — even if he won't admit it — and so he turns to just about the only thing he's got left, the legacy of his grandfather, the Sith Lord Darth Vader."

What Happened To The Hunt For Ben Solo?

It was revealed by the Kylo Ren actor during an interview with the Associated Press that Steven Soderbergh was attached to The Hunt for Ben Solo, a standalone Star Wars spinoff that would focus on Ben Solo and serve as a redemption arc for the titular character. Per The Associated Press, "Soderbergh and Rebecca Blunt outlined a story that the group then pitched to Kennedy, Lucasfilm vice president Cary Beck and Lucasfilm chief creative officer Dave Filoni. They were interested, so the filmmakers then pulled in Scott Z. Burns to write a script. Driver calls the result 'one of the coolest (expletive) scripts I had ever been a part of.'"

The Hunt for Ben Solo was ultimately cancelled by Disney and Lucasfilm, though fan campaigns have challenged the idea that the movie should be shelved forever. "We took it to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, and they said no. They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that,” Driver explained when sharing the details as to why The Hunt for Ben Solo was definitively decided against producing. Lucasfilm hasn't commented on The Hunt for Ben Solo, but Soderbergh said that “I really enjoyed making the movie in my head. I’m just sorry the fans won’t get to see it.”

Star Wars: Legacy of Vader is available for purchase online and wherever comic books are sold.