10 Unexpected Darth Vader Cameos in Non-Star Wars Comics You Never Knew About!

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In this aspect, I’ll point out some comic book “easter eggs” – these are hidden jokes, visual gags, or inside references that creators (often comic artists) have inserted into TV shows, movies, or the pages of a comic for readers to discover. They can range from easily spotted to incredibly obscure. As a tribute to May the 4th, let’s take a look at instances where Darth Vader made an appearance in non-Star Wars comic books today.

Over time, I’ve hidden several references to “Star Wars” comics, known as Easter Eggs. In fact, about a decade ago, one such Easter Egg was created by me. Since then, there has been a steady stream of them, but I haven’t contributed any more myself. Given the significance of May 4th this year, I thought it would be interesting to highlight instances where Darth Vader made an appearance in comics outside of the “Star Wars” universe.

As a devoted fan, I’ve come across instances where Darth Vader’s presence is explicitly stated, and there are others where it’s more subtly implied – let’s call them ‘lawyer-friendly’ appearances. But we all understand the gist. So, here’s a rundown of some intriguing encounters of Darth Vader in comic books outside the Star Wars universe.

What counts as a “Darth Vader” appearance?

Initially, I wouldn’t use Darth Vader as a recurring element in posters or toys within comic books. It’s not inherently bad, but it seems too straightforward to me. When Darth Vader shows up unexpectedly in a comic book, such as a hidden reference or Easter egg, it’s noticeable and adds depth. However, when Star Wars posters or toys are part of the storyline, they don’t stand out in the same way. For instance, I wouldn’t give much weight to the scene in Spectacular Spider-Man #72 by Bill Mantlo, Ed Hannigan, Al Milgrom, and Rick Magyar, where a Doctor Octopus fan is also a Star Wars fan.

Additionally, I believe I’ll exclude instances such as characters dressed as Darth Vader, like the one in Reggie and Me #104 by George Gladir, Dan DeCarlo Jr., and Rudy Lapick or the Adam Strange backup story in Green Lantern #146 by Laurie Sutton, Carmine Infantino, and Dennis Jensen… from my count.

Mysterio references Darth Vader when discussing his origins

In Daredevil #7 (written by Kevin Smith, Joe Quesada, and Jimmy Palmiotti), Mysterio delivers a lengthy speech to Daredevil, outlining his wicked plan. During this exposition, he discusses his background as a master of movie special effects. He also makes references to notable scenes in cinema, such as the moment when Darth Vader reveals he is Luke Skywalker’s father (or Obi-Wan Kenobi choosing to pass away using the Force, depending on your perspective).

Kitty Pryde decides to look like Darth Vader

In issue #155 of the “Uncanny X-Men,” penned by Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum, and Bob Wiacek, Kitty Pryde dons an entertaining attire with the help of a Shi’ar fashion device.

It’s not unreasonable to classify this item as a costume, and indeed, you’d be correct. But let’s face it, it’s just too awesome not to highlight it! Kitty is a big Star Wars enthusiast, and…

Ninja High School loved to work Darth Vader into the series

In Ninja High School, the central storyline revolves around two significant female characters chasing after a main character named Jeremy. One of these characters happens to be an alien, which results in intricate alien-related subplots. These plots enabled creator Ben Dunn to seamlessly incorporate appearances of sci-fi characters as cameos.

For instance, in Ninja High School #8, we see a few different Vader references…

And in the 16th issue of the series, Dunn worked in Vader amongst a group of villains…

In retrospect, following the departure of Dunn from his regular contributions (the series was authored by Herb Mallette and illustrated by Rod Espinosa), I found myself re-encountering Vader alongside an ensemble of science fiction icons once more.

Darth Vader and Thanos team-up?!

In the first issue of “Infinity” (written by Jonathan Hickman, Jimmy Cheung and Mark Morales), we see Darth Vader as a member of Thanos’ team…

Darth Vader helped invade Australia

In issue #245 of “Uncanny X-Men” (written by Chris Claremont, Rob Liefeld and Dan Green), the story was a humorous take on DC’s invasion scenarios. Specifically, as part of the “Invasion!” crossover event, the invading aliens targeted Earth, specifically Australia. Since the X-Men were stationed in Australia during that period, Claremont creatively portrayed the unexpected encounter between these extraterrestrials and the X-Men.

Among the assortment of extraterrestrials, Liefeld surreptitiously introduced a few alien characters from Star Wars (as well as some others from films), with Darth Vader being one of them.

Here’s a detail showing it better…

Darth Vader is part of a hero’s inspiration

In Sleepwalker #10 by Bob Budiansky, Bret Blevins and Mike Manley, we venture into the mind of Rick Sheridan, the individual who linked with the extradimensional alien entity named Sleepwalker. To his misfortune, Sleepwalker was deceived into bonding with a SINGLE human instead of everyone, thus enabling him to join the Marvel Universe whenever Rick Sheridan dozed off. Remarkably, Rick turned out to be a hero as well, and in this installment, we witness how elements from Star Wars (and Superman) significantly influenced Rick’s decision to don the superhero cape. Specifically, he observes Luke and Vader engaged in combat…

Homer Simpson is caused to be Darth Vader

In the 13th installment of “Treehouse of Horror” penned by Ian Boothby, Pia Guerra, and Terry Austin, certain items are being auctioned on eBay, but with a catch: they’re cursed, causing individuals to transform into the objects they were associated with. This unfortunate turn of events results in Homer Simpson metamorphosing into Darth Vader, much to his dismay as he finds no beer available in space.

Happy May the 4th, everyone!

If anyone else has a suggestion for a good comic book easter egg, drop me a line at brianc@cbr.com!

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2025-05-05 07:35