Attention SPOILERS for the Marvel Darth Vader # 9 comic by Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco. In this story set after Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, the Dark Lord makes a discovery that links directly to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. First, you have to remember that the Emperor punished Darth Vader for disobeying and left him abandoned on the planet Mustafar near where he found him dying at the end of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
However, Darth Vader has just found a path that leads to the discovery of the Emperor’s best-kept secrets. As he comes into contact with the strange and mysterious Eye of Webbish Bog, who grants him a Sith pathfinder, the same one that Kylo Ren used in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker to find Exegol in the Unknown Regions of unexplored space.
The comic and the movie are linked.
This story confirms that Darth Vader’s pathfinder points to the Sith world where the Emperor will launch his Final Order to subdue the Galaxy again, something that Rey avoided in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Fans of the saga already know that the Emperor always has plans beyond what is happening at that moment. Exegol is a perfect example since it has an entire facility prepared with the dark purpose of cloning or resurrecting itself in case of being destroyed.
While Darth Vader might be enraged and seeking revenge against his master, Exegol could change that. Since his current attitude is very different from the beginning of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Witnessing the Emperor’s contingencies and the means to immortality through the Dark Side could lead Darth Vader to think that it is useless to resist his master’s will. If the Emperor can never die, Darth Vader can never be free. Exegol’s secrets could be what prompts the Dark Lord to resume his obedience to his master. It might also make some things from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker make more sense.