Somewhere out there in the multiverse, Atha Prime stands alongside the likes of Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Jabba the Hutt, Boba Fett, Darth Maul, Darth Sidious and Supreme Leader Snoke (ha!) as one of the most iconic villains of the galaxy far, far away, and now he’s finally set to enter the official Star Wars canon.
Inspired by concept art from Return of the Jedi and pitched by the designers at toy manufacturer Kenner back in the early 80s as the main villain for an abandoned post-OT toy line continuation referred to as Star Wars: The Epic Continues, Atha Prime is being showcased on a variant cover to February’s Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #1 and will then enter official Star Wars canon in April as the character debuts in a new story from writer Marc Guggenheim and artist Madibek Musabekov in the pages of Star Wars: Jedi Knights #2.
“While developing the series, Marc discovered this deep cut—the antagonist from Kenner’s unrealized The Epic Continues toy line,” states Editor Mark Paniccia. “We saw the original design and were immediately sold. What a cool character to bring into canon and what a perfect book to do it in!”
Check out John Tyler Christopher and Ramon Rosanas’ covers, along with Madibek Musabekov’s design sheet for Atha Prime, here…
Star Wars: Jedi Knight #2 will go on sale on March 5th 2025.