Darth Vader's Another Sword Proves He Shouldn't Be Using a Lightsaber

When Darth Vader's lightsaber was shut off by the Cortosis blade, he picked it up himself and used it on the Jedi who planned to use it against him.

There may not be a more iconic Star Wars weapon than the lightsaber, but Darth Vader can actually wield a bladed sword better.

Even non-Star Wars fans know how much Darth Vader hates Obi-Wan Kenobi. After Order 66 and the purge of the Jedi Order, Darth Vader went on a blind and relentless crusade to find his former master and bring him down forever. The Sith Lord was so vengeful that even Emperor Palpatine warned Vader not to be so overwhelmed by revenge that he forgot their larger mission of eradicating any remaining Jedi.

In John Ostrander and Douglas Wheatley's saga Star Wars: The Purge, Darth Vader is actually lured into a trap by a group of Jedi. They did this by letting the news of Obi-Wan Kenobi on the planet slip away. When he arrived, the Jedi attacked Vader. One of them wields a Cortosis Blade, which has the ability to temporarily disable any lightsaber it comes into contact with. After the woman used it to deactivate Vader's lightsaber, Vader requisitioned the weapon for himself and used it to cut down the remaining Jedi.

Vader Can Use Any Sword With Ease

Image of Darth Vader with his red lightsaber So iconic that it's hard to imagine him without it. The scene of the Sith Lord crushing the rebels at the end of Rogue One comes to mind. However, the comic puts a different kind of blade in Darth Vader's hands, and he uses it just as effectively -- if not more effectively -- as a lightsaber. In fact, it has a leg up on the lightsaber, due to its ability to completely neutralize the weapon on contact.

There is also a very interesting moment in this battle that demonstrates the versatility of this weapon. Though outnumbered, cutting down the Jedi one by one, Vader eventually lost his grip on the blade. He then surrendered to the remaining Jedi. Any Star Wars fan knows that Vader never gives in, it's just a ploy. He then used the Force to move the severed hand still holding the sword, impaling his opponent. If that hand holds his lightsaber, the lightsaber will be disabled. But since it is just an ordinary sword, the blade can still be used freely without its owner. This is a very impressive move that shows just how deadly Darth Vader can be Use it in Star Wars.