The kiss, the effortlessly cool “I know”, and Han Solo being frozen in carbonite – all iconic Star Wars moments that have lived in the public consciousness since The Empire Strikes Back debuted in 1980. Now, a new Star Wars comic has unveiled that another of the original trilogy's mainstays also had a carbonite-themed fate.
The 2020 Marvel series – which is set between the events of Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi – pokes around the unexplored corners of the lives of Luke and Leia in a galaxy far, far away. The comic series has already revealed the fate of Luke’s previously-lost lightsaber after his duel with Darth Vader, and now it shows how Leia was captured my Stormtroopers and encased in carbonite while on a mission in Cloud City (H/T ComicBook.com).
Star Wars #3 is very good @CharlesSoule is a mad man for freezing Leia in carbonite. But keep it up I’m enjoying it pic.twitter.com/S6A3tS7Z0VFebruary 26, 2020
While it doesn’t change established canon too much, it’s still a shocking moment to see Leia – on the final page of the issue, no less – with her face frozen in pain. It makes her struggles to rescue Han from the clutches of Jabba all the more touching, too, knowing she’s gone through the same ordeal. Find out what happens next in Star Wars #4 on March 18.
Those looking for more new Star Wars stories should look towards The High Republic, a series set 200 years before the Skywalker Saga. The first of several books and comics set in the era is due out in August.
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