Unused ‘Return Of The Jedi’ Concept Art Character Atha Prime Arrives In ‘Star Wars: Jedi Knights’

STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHTS #1 Atha Prime cover crop

Proving there’s no such thing as a bad idea, Atha Prime, a character designed for Return of the Jedi but never used in the movie, will officially be making their debut in Marvel’s Star Wars: Jedi Knights comic book.

In fact, the character was almost used again as the “main villain for an unreleased Kenner toy line in the ’80s,” per a press release from Marvel. But Atha Prime was relegated to the bargain bin of history. until now.

Written by Marc Guggenheim with art by Madibek Musabekov, Star Wars: Jedi Knights #1 will feature Atha Prime on the cover, after getting teased in a Variant cover for Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #1.

“While developing the series, Marc discovered this deep cut—the antagonist from Kenner’s unrealized The Epic Continues toy line,” Editor Mark Paniccia explained. “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!”

Taking place before The Phantom Menace, the new series features icons like Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and more going on all-new missions. And if you’d like to hear more, we discussed the series with Guggenheim this past weekend at Fan Expo New Orleans.

Check out the covers by John Tyler Christopher and Ramon Rosanas, along with Madibek Musabekov’s design sheet, below. Star Wars: Jedi Knights #1 hits stores on March 5.

STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHTS #1 Atha Prime design sheet

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