Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Battle of Jakku - Insurgency Rising #2Star Wars may have just set up a fascinating way to bring back Mara Jade into the official canon, Luke Skywalker's wife from the previous Legends continuity. Currently, Marvel Comics is releasing a brand-new and canonical Star Wars comic series set in the immediate aftermath of Return of the Jedi and the Battle of Endor. To that end, a potential door may have been opened for Mara Jade's return in this new series.
As seen in Star Wars: Battle of Jakku - Insurgency Rising #2 by Alex Segura, Leonard Kirk, and Rachelle Rosenburg, The Force called upon Luke Skywalker to retrieve an old Jedi star compass that had been held in one of Palpatine's secret observatories. However, Luke is quickly ambushed by dark-side cultists known as the Acolytes of the Beyond. Likewise, these cultists are being led by a red-headed woman who claims to have been a devout servant of Palpatine and Darth Vader.
Although this new Star Wars issue says that this woman's name is "Yuan Howzell", it would be fascinating if this agent of the dark side was later revealed to be none other than a re-canonized Mara Jade.
Luke Skywalker's Wife Explained
Custom Image by Simone Ashmoore
In Legends, Mara Jade was similarly a servant of Emperor Palpatine during the Galactic Civil War. Trained to be an assassin and Force-using operative known as the Emperor's Fist, Mara Jade's last orders from Palpatine were to kill Luke Skywalker, orders she failed to complete following the Emperor's death, choosing instead to become a smuggler rather than continue serving the Empire. Likewise, she and Luke would join forces during Grand Admiral Thrawn's campaign. The pair gradually fell in love and got married in the original Star Wars continuity before Disney's canon purge in 2012.
Mara Jade is one of Star Wars' most popular characters, and this stunning cosplay shows just why she should be brought back into canon at last.
Although Mara Jade no longer exists in the official canon, that hasn't stopped Star Wars fans from theorizing and coming up with ways in which she could one day be reintegrated back into the established canon. After all, there's still a sizable chunk of time between the original and sequel trilogy with new stories to tell. As such, this new Battle of Jakku series set right after Return of the Jedi could be a means by which Luke Skywalker's wife finally gets re-canonized.
The Acolytes of The Beyond Could Be The Answer For A Canonical Mara Jade
Still Serving The Sith (Just In A Different Form)
Very little is known about the Acolytes of the Beyond other than that they served the recently deceased Sith Lords and were led by Yupe Tashu, a member of Palpatine's inner circle. Keeping that in mind, perhaps Mara Jade is this issue's featured Acolyte leader who was sent to confront Luke Skywalker. "Yuan Howzell" could simply be an alias or a name Mara was given by the cult whenever she was accepted (or was taken) to join their ranks. As such, the Acolytes may hold the key to providing a familiar yet fresh and canonical take on Mara Jade's origins in the official Star Wars canon.
Star Wars: Battle of Jakku - Insurgency Rising #2 is on sale now from Marvel Comics
Hailing from the Legends continuity, Mara Jade's Force-sensitivity caught the eye of Emperor Palpatine himself. She became one of the Emperor's Hands, a skilled assassin and spy who served his will. Mara failed in her last mission for the Emperor, to kill Luke Skywalker, and sank into the depths of the underworld for a time. She eventually became an ally of Luke, and the two fell in love, with Mara joining Luke's Jedi Order. Mara was eventually killed by Jacen Solo, serving as his sacrifice as he committed himself to the way of the Sith.
The son of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, Luke was brought up on the desert planet Tatooine. Initially mentored by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke fired the fateful shot that destroyed the Death Star, and he became a rebel hero. Despite the fears of Obi-Wan and Yoda, Luke's faith in his father was proved well-founded when Vader returned to the light. With the Emperor defeated, Luke dedicated himself to bringing back the Jedi; his first attempt ended in tragedy due to Palpatine's manipulations, but Luke's legacy lives on in Rey.
Custom Image by Simone Ashmoore 
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