#AniVader's version of ANH went down A LOT differently

[sonofthesuns]

Anakin winning on Mustafar changed... so much.

In canon, Mustafar was such a pivotal moment in his life. It’s where Anakin Skywalker died and Darth Vader was born. Up till that point, Anakin still had one foot in the Light. Up till that point, Anakin was still holding onto himself. He was still, at his core, Anakin Skywalker. He still cared about the same things Anakin did. It is only after he lost literally everything that he completely gave himself over to the Dark Side, where he completely adopted the persona of Darth Vader and cast his old self away.

That does not happen to AniVader.

He won. He gave Obi-Wan mercy, yes, and Obi-Wan used that mercy to escape with Padme and get the fuck out of dodge (it’s like poetry, it rhymes), but Anakin hasn’t lost everything like Vader did. If nothing else, he still has himself to fall back on, something Canon!Vader would never have again, trapped in his suit of armor like he was.

Canon!Vader was Palpatine’s attack dog. Loyal to his master because that’s all he had. No ambition, just going through the motions. He had nothing to live for, as everything had crumbled into dust around him, and he tossed away his old self to spare himself the pain. He was the iron fist of the Empire. The Emperor’s pet monster.

AniVader is the Hero of the Empire. Taking full advantage of his popularity as the Hero With No Fear. He still holds onto his persona of Anakin, and as such still has Anakin’s goals, Anakin’s desires, Anakin’s relationships (as fractured as they are). He’s softer than Canon!Vader, but on the flip side, he’s also far more ambitious.

It’s his new empire, after all.

AniVader has every intention of one day murdering Palpatine and taking the throne. It is the Sith Way. But he also loathes his master on a fundamental level. Their friendship that they shared for all his youth has been shattered. Palpatine lied to him. Palpatine betrayed him. Palpatine used him. Palpatine is no better than the Jedi. As such, AniVader will learn all he can from his master, and then he is going to usurp him.

But the more things change, the more things stay the same. I’ve repeatedly mentioned how much influence I draw from Vader’s noted disdain for the Death Star. But he went along with it, following his master’s will.

Does AniVader really strike you as the kind of person that would let the Death Star stay intact? Think on that. And the implications.