Warning! This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: Dark Droids #1 Probably the last Star Wars character one would expect to ever be portrayed as a malevolent or otherwise intimidating force in the franchise is C-3PO, yet in the most recent ongoing Star Wars crossover series, that’s exactly what’s happening, as C-3PO just officially betrayed Luke Skywalker and the Rebellion.
C-3PO is one of the first Rebels Star Wars fans ever saw in the franchise in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, which makes his betrayal of the Rebellion so much more impactful. However, the one redeeming factor to this betrayal is that C-3PO isn’t in control of himself, so it’s not technically his fault. And another bright side is that C-3PO isn’t betraying the Rebellion for the Empire, meaning C-3PO’s well-noted efforts against the Empire aren’t in vain. Unfortunately, those two points are where the bright sides of the situation end, as C-3PO has been overtaken by the Scourge, and has been added to the collective hive-mind of an artificial intelligence hellbent on conquering the galaxy. And now, C-3PO will unwittingly lend his assistance to making the Scourge’s dark dream a grim reality.
C-3PO Is Corrupted By The Scourge, Making Him Star Wars’ Latest Villain
In Star Wars: Dark Droids #1 by Charles Soule, Luke Ross, and Alex Sinclair, readers witness the birth and initial outbreak of the Scourge. In the previous crossover event, Star Wars: Hidden Empire, Lady Qi’ra of the Crimson Dawn opened an ancient Sith prison known as the Fermata Cage in an effort to trap Palpatine and Darth Vader within. While that failed, a small disc fell out, a disc containing something that the ancient Sith deemed dangerous enough to lock away forever within the Fermata Cage. Then, after the disc was released, the disembodied essence of the Spark Eternal possessed it. The mixture of those two entities created the Scourge, and when this disc was recovered by Imperial droids and cataloged within an Imperial Star Destroyer, the Scourge was free to move through the droids that physically handled the disc, and eventually even move freely through the ship itself. This was the beginning of the Scourge’s galaxy-wide infection, but it wouldn’t end with Imperial droids being overtaken by the sinister hive-mind, as C-3PO was the Scourge’s final victim in this issue.
When it was revealed that C-3PO was taken over by the Scourge, the infected Threepio acknowledges that he’s a trusted member of the Rebel Alliance with access to some of the most sensitive pieces of information in the galaxy. He also notes that he’s in proximity to some of the most powerful people in the galaxy, most of whom have formed emotional attachments to him. He then ends his internal monologue with the chilling final statement, “I am hungry”. Everything the Scourge-infected C-3PO said was a direct threat to the Rebel Alliance and, in turn, to Luke Skywalker himself, and speaks to his role in this grand plan being conducted by Star Wars’ newest villain.
C-3PO isn’t a physical threat to anyone, meaning it’s unlikely the beloved droid will be murdering any of his fellow Rebels during this storyline. However, based on everything C-3PO said, it seems like he’ll be acting as a mole for the Scourge within the Rebellion, which could absolutely result in the deaths of his friends. No matter what part Threepio will play, this Star Wars comic establishes that it will be for the benefit of the Scourge, meaning C-3PO just officially betrayed Luke Skywalker and the Rebellion.
Star Wars: Dark Droids #1 by Marvel Comics is available now.