This was also referenced in Skywalker: Family at War:
“Padme’s terrified face as she struggled for breath was now the last memory he had of her. In his anguish and disbelief he broke through his medical restraints, anger fueling his brute strength. Totally out of control, he smashed every glass vessel inside the operating theater, and crushed several droids without laying a gloved hand on them. He tossed Palpatine aside like a ragdoll—an outrage he would pay for dearly in the future.”
Originally posted by Galan007
As much as a I love Vader, I'd say it's pretty clear that by the time of ESB/RotJ, Palpatine was just on a different level.
Originally posted by xPRIMExThere's a bit more context/depth to it than that. Vader just found out that Palpatine had lied to him about the circumstances around Padme's death, and as such, he began openly disobeying Palpatine's orders in search of the truth. That's why Palpatine referred to him as "weak", but in actuality, Vader was furious that he had been lied to(and anger gleans power for a Sith.) So the notion that his power had actually been neutered in some way was already a bit dubious, imo. Tbh, I think that Palpatine ultimately wanted an obedient lapdog at his side, and that's not the role Vader was playing at the time... Hence the need for Vader to be 'corrected'.
Not really. Vader was weakened when they fought in the Greg Pak comics. Sidious even said so himself, and that he needed to “bring him back to power”.
I do agree that Vader has more raw power at his disposal, given that his potential was never really gimped in canon. However, the Palpatine bloodline also seems to share a similar potential with the Skywalker bloodline in canon... So the fact that Palpatine spent decadeS knowledge-hoarding in order to increase his own power, whilst only sharing a few scraps with Vader to keep him sated and wanting more, also lends to the notion that Palpatine was a good bit beyond him by ESB/RotJ.
Luke said it best: "Talent without training is nothing."
Speaking of Vader vs Palpatine… apparently they’re going to duel in the upcoming Star Wars 25 comic by Charles Soule:
https://comicbook.com/starwars/news/charles-soule-star-wars-25-first-look-interview/
It’ll probably just be a sparring/training session but still cool
The Kenobi episode should put to rest the idea that Vader (circa Rebels anyway) is anywhere near Palpatine.
Not that the comic where an enraged and restored Vader with the help of a monstrous Lovecraftian entity gets oneshotted by Palpatine didn”t already do that. Palpatine waves his hand and utterly overwhelms Vader”s control of the beast + the beasts own formidable mental defenses. Just stop with the Vader ~ Palpatine stuff.
There are also plenty of showings from “prime” Vader where he doesn”t perform nearly as well as Palpatine would (see: Rebels Vader vs Ahsoka compared to Rebels Palpatine in another dimension vs Ahsoka, Vader vs Kenobi, Vader vs Karbin, Vader vs Eeth Koth etc).