Darth Vader's Most Badass Victory Was Missed By Most Fans

 One of Darth Vader's greatest victories wasn't even noticed by most Star Wars fans - as the Dark Lord of the Sith proved his power and might.

Most Star Wars fans missed Darth Vader's most badass victory. Anakin Skywalker was one of the most powerful Force-sensitives in history, born with a higher midi-chlorian count than even Master Yoda. But power isn't everything, as Anakin learned to his cost when he faced Obi-Wan Kenobi on the lava planet Mustafar. He was left dependent on machinery to keep him alive. Still, for all that's the case, Darth Vader remained a remarkably powerful Sith Lord.

Darth Vader swiftly proved himself a force to be reckoned with, a warrior who could defeat any foe. His raw power was best demonstrated in the "Vader Down" comic book crossover event, in which the Sith Lord was shot down upon a deserted planet and hunted by the entire Rebel army. Amazingly, Darth Vader didn't just survive; he thrived, tearing through the Rebels and almost capturing Luke Skywalker even though there was an army between them. But, as remarkable as that feat may have been, his most badass victory actually occurred in a more recent crossover - with the Sith Lord showing just how dangerous he really is.

In the recent "War of the Bounty Hunters" crossover, Crimson Dawn engineered a conflict between the Hutts and the Empire. The High Seat of the Hutt Council, Lord Bokku, was actually an agent of Crimson Dawn, working to destabilize the Empire and overthrow the reign of the Sith. Obeying orders, he commanded all the Hutt vessels in one star system to open fire on an Imperial flagship. Darth Vader's reprisal was swift; the Sith Lord infiltrated the Hutts' own flagship, and proceeded to execute the entire Hutt Council and their guards. Bokku made a desperate attempt to kill Vader by triggering an explosive device on his own ship, one that destroyed its engines and caused it to crash on a nearby planet; but, naturally, even that didn't stop Darth Vader. He was the sole survivor, utilizing the Force and the destroyed ship to create a makeshift shield which protected him in the fall from space.

The Book of Boba Fett has added another dimension to Darth Vader's actions in "War of the Bounty Hunters." Episode 2 of the Disney+ TV series revealed even a bounty hunter like Boba Fett didn't dare kill a Hutt without permission from the Hutt Council, because doing so would incur the wrath of the entire Hutt race. But Darth Vader shows no qualms about killing not just a single Hutt, but every single member of the Council. It's a show of force, with the Dark Lord of the Sith effectively telling every Hutt he does not fear their retribution. It's telling that Jabba the Hutt, who took charge in the power vacuum Darth Vader had created, did not try to get revenge.

No doubt Darth Vader's slaughter of the Hutts was oddly cathartic. He had grown up on Tatooine, after all - a planet ruled by the Hutts, where he had been nothing more than a lowly slave. Now it's revealed he butchered their leaders and his daughter continued his mission, with Princess Leia killing Jabba as well. It took the Hutts five years to organize themselves sufficiently to attempt to use Tatooine as a base again, and even then they were easily scared off. The power of the Hutt Cartel was broken - with Darth Vader triggering their decline in a badass massacre of some of the most influential and well-armed individuals in Star Wars history.