Hasbro: Star Wars: The Black Series Darth Vader (Emperor’s Wrath)

If you are an avid action figure collector, you know that variations on main characters are often more ubiquitous than the standard figures that set the bar. Sometimes popular, sometimes duds, getting new looks for old standbys helps lines last because it gives new adopters a chance to get the main guys, and completists can round out every corner of their favorite universe. Well, the Star Wars Black Series is no exception, and our dear Lord Vader gets a variation that will certainly remind him of one of his most no good, very bad days. Yep, the power of the Dark Side has come to your nearest Walgreens in the form of the “Emperor’s Wrath” Darth Vader.

Honestly, it is about time that the (arguably) most recognizable Star Wars character gets a variant in the Black Series. We have had plenty of Lukes, Hans, and even a couple Chewies, but it has been a long time since I had a chance to look at an all-new Darth Vader. While Luke has seen a turn in his Bespin and Jedi looks, and Han has been a Stormtrooper and has been bundled up for Hoth, Vader gets a rather inglorious new take, but a very important one all the same. This new, and rather pointed, variant captures the time when Vader comes back to the Light as Anakin Skywalker and saves his son from the wrath of Emperor Palpatine. In doing so, he catches a giant rash of Force lightning that does not interact well with his cybernetic cranium, and that is the exact moment is very well represented here. At first I thought that this was a variation I could do without because it is so specific, but it was accomplished so well, I had to get it.

That being said, this is still very much the same figure as the previously-released Black Series figure, and if you read my take on that figure, some of it will still hold over here. Frankly, there was quite a bit about the original figure that I was not keen on, specifically the off-model helmet, so while we retain much of the same body sculpt, this gave the team at Hasbro a chance to upgrade the noggin a bit. Now, I am still not a fan of the soft goods used for Vader’s robes (though the cloth cape still looks good), but even cast in translucent purple plastic, you can tell the new head is a pretty major improvement on the original.

At the end of the day, this figure really only deviates from the original in the head sculpt and the removable right hand. Both of these changes play well for that pivotal scene in Return of the Jedi, so not having these changes would definitely weaken the effectiveness of this variant. As I said, the Star Wars team at Hasbro has done a nice job of giving us these new changes, even though this would not have been my first pick for a meaningful Darth Vader variant. However, intentional or not, the newly sculpted helmet can give satisfaction to those keeping the figure as is, but is an easy tempt for customizers as well.

My main beef with the original Black Series Vader helmet is that it is well, droopy. I am sure that is not the best adjective, but the eye/goggle portion of the helmet sags a lot more than the real thing, and that leads to softer and somewhat “fatter” lower portion. It just doesn’t have the sharp and clean lines that are very much a part of the iconic look of the helmet. Well, with this new version, you can instantly tell there is a big difference from the old to the new, and this helmet features a much more screen-accurate look than the previous attempt. The eyes are tighter in shape and the breathing apparatus is more streamlined, so not only does the individual pieces look to be improved, the head/helmet as a whole sits better on the body, too.

One of the things you will notice right away is that this helmet does NOT split apart to reveal Vader’s old and crusty visage, so I think that plays a lot into keeping the integrity of the look intact. I appreciate what Hasbro was going for before with the removable helmet, but it was not translated successfully, and in hindsight, we realize that an alternate head would have been more effective after all. Now, that is not to say that the actual head sculpt does not exist with this figure, because it does, and it is depicted nicely with the requisite lightning painted on the inner head, which is easily visible under the translucent dome. As I said, the outer helmet is not removable, and I am glad if that is what is affecting the change in sculpt the most, but I kind of want to be able to see all of the little paint details that have been provided on the head as they look great. I suppose if you really wanted to, you could probably pry the helmet off, but it is not meant to be detachable like the standard version.

Now, as I said, new helmet looks great for the very specific moment in time it is supposed to capture, but I know there are already some industrious customizers out there that figured that, with a little paint, this helmet would make for an improved standard Vader as well. In fact, you can check out THIS thread to see some examples. Really, some matte black, some glossy black, and some silver paint should do it, so if your default Darth Vader is the Black Series, this stands to give you some improvement. This bodes well for Walgreens because some collectors will be buying at least a couple of the figures now; I will be keeping my one as is as my current standard Vader is the MAFEX figure, but for Hasbro, this is certainly a step in the right direction.

Finally, this Vader comes with the same lightsaber as the previous version, but this time, the cybernetic hand it is wielded with is detachable to re-enact when Luke lops it off. The hand just pops right off to reveal the mechanical stub, complete with sculpted and painted wires. I like the attention to detail here, especially with the paint, as that is a place where SWB is often lacking. The wrist retains the twist articulation, but as expected, there is no longer a hinge joint present. That does not really take anything away since this is a “moment in time” variant, so I am glad they went this way to retain the full effect of Vader’s final turn.

You know, for being so particular, I rather like this new Vader variant, and it has everything to do with how well the effect has been presented, coupled with the improved head sculpt. Frankly, Hasbro probably did not have to provide the latter, but perhaps they heard the feedback and are willing to make improvements, that would be a gesture to a fan base that is gobbling up the Black Series. All of the effects and details in the helmet and hand stump are really well done, and we finally have a helmet worthy of Vader. This figure has been a little hard to come by up to this point, but it does look like it is getting some wider distribution now, so be haunting your local Walgreens to get him. I have enjoyed their previous variants (First Appearance Daredevil, and Blue/White 8-Bit Link), so I hope I really hope that Walgreens continues to support the collector lines!