Han Solo and Princess Leia's force-weilding baby took the Star Wars spotlight in the franchise's latest release. One of the biggest revelations of the Disney-era of Star Wars has been that Carrie Fisher's Leia Organa and Harrison Ford's Han Solo started a family after the events of Return of the Jedi, welcoming a baby boy they would go on to name Ben. Ben was not just any baby, though.
The character grew up to become the Sith lord Kylo Ren (played by Adam Driver in the movies), having turned on his family and Jedi future after being taken in as a potential protege by series figurehead Luke Skywalker. Ben's connection to his family, which traces back to Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, has been a core tenet of the character since his initial introduction, something that has driven the recently completed Ben-starring Star Wars: Legacy of Vader comic series.
Legacy of Vader #12 concluded Ben Solo/Kylo Ren's conquest to reconnect with his family, debuting yet another look at the character as a youngster in the arms of his parents, Han Solo and Leia Organa (via Star Wars Holocron).
The series ended showing the pair of proud planet-hopping parents embracing the young soon-to-be-sith, as they welcome the Sequels star into the world. In this moment, Han and Leia converse with one another in a bit of eerily on-the-nose dialogue.
Asking her husband about their son's future, Leia posits, "What do you think he's going to be, Han?" to which Harrison Ford's vest-loving scoundrel responds, "Whatever he wants to be, Leia. We'll make sure of it."
This was not the first time Legacy of Vader included flashbacks to Ben Solo's childhood.
In a series of visions presented to an adult Kylo Ren in issue #2, he saw several snippets from growing up.
These included scant glances of him with his parents once again.
Other key Star Wars players popped up in this Legacy of Vader #2 scene as well, including Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, and C-3PO.
In one particularly touching scene, a young Ben could be seen riding on the shoulders of his father's fur-faced wookie co-pilot.
Even though his journey in the Star Wars movies may be over, Lucasfilm has continued to put a focus on Leia and Han's son across its comic lineup over the last couple of years.
Previously, one of the youngest takes on the character fans had seen came at the end of Star Wars: Battle of Jakku - Last Stand #4, where Leia was seen holding a toddler Ben after the battle that would set the events of The Force Awakens, years before the movie.
Fans were even treated to a deep dive on the character's descent to the dark side in Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren.
And, of course, readers also got the chance to see the character join his parents in the cockpit of their iconic starship, the Millennium Falcon, as part of Star Wars: Han Solo: Hunt for the Falcon #2.
All 12 issues of Star Wars: Legacy of Vader are available now. The latest entry into the Star Wars canon follows Ben Solo/Kylo Ren as he explores the galaxy for relics pertaining to his grandfather, Darth Vader (read more about Legacy of Vader's story here). Legacy of Vader comes from renowned Star Wars comic writer Charles Soule, with art by Luke Ross and Stefano Raffaele.
Will Ben Solo Ever Return to the Star Wars Universe?
After getting the spotlight for his own 12-issue comic series, fans are ravenous for more Ben Solo content. However, it does not look like anything is coming in the near future from the iconic sci-fi franchise.
Adam Driver's son of Han Solo and Princess Leia has actually been the focus of Star Wars fans outside of this comic series for several months now.
Back in October, it was revealed that Disney had cancelled a Ben Solo-focused movie starring Adam Driver and directed by Ocean's 11 filmmaker Steven Soderbergh. The project was reportedly titled The Hunt for Ben Solo and would have followed the character in the events after his presumed death in The Rise of Skywalker.
The Hunt for Ben Solo's cancellation sent the Star Wars fandom into a tizzy, making projects like the (at the time) ongoing Legacy of Vader comic series more bittersweet than they had initially been presented as.
The emergence of this movie has sparked a full-on fan movement to get it made, with thousands of Star Wars faithful rallying to the cause. While Lucasfilm has not budged on its position on the Ben Solo movie, that has not stopped fans from voicing their disdain for the decision.
Perhaps the popularity of something like Legacy of Vader could reinitiate conversations between Driver and the Lucasfilm brass, bringing the Hunt for Ben Solo project back from the dead.
