General Grievous is one of the most iconic characters introduced during Star Wars' Prequel Era - a cyborg Jedi hunter capable of transforming himself into a multi-lightsaber-whirling cyclone of death. Grievous met his fate during the Battle of Utapau at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi near the conclusion of the Clone Wars, but his legacy endured. While Grievous would not live to see his dream of a galaxy rid of the Jedi come to fruition, his unique fighting style was the inspiration for another deadly villain: Commander Karbin.
Even at a glance, Grievous's influence on Karbin is apparent: the Mon Calamari soldier's body from the neck down has been replaced with a sleek metallic frame sporting four arms, digitigrade legs, and clawed feet. In combat, the influence is even more apparent as Karbin employs an array of lightsabers in a near-identical style to his predecessor, spinning two to four blades in a rapid, fan-like fashion. Karbin, however, has had the luxury of nearly two decades of advancements to perfect his mechanical frame, rendering him an even deadlier warrior than the infamous Separatist general. Of course, their similarities are no coincidence.
Commander Karbin first appeared in Darth Vader #5 (2015) by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca, where he was revealed alongside several other powerful warriors created by the Cylo Directive. Like Dr. Cylo's other creations, Karbin is a cybernetically-enhanced warrior intended as a replacement for Darth Vader - an opportunity the cyborg relishes. Whereas the Astarte twins have implants that allow them to mimic Force abilities and Tulon Voidgazer can control a swarm of droids with her mind, Karbin is simply a refinement on the proven form of General Grievous, with Cylo calling him the next step in the process - something he proves by holding his own in combat with Vader.
Commander Karbin Is a Match for Darth Vader
Beyond the superficial similarities, there's a great many parallels between the two villainous cyborgs. A fellow Clone Wars veteran, Karbin's transformation into a cyborg mirrors that of General Grievous in older Legends continuity, with the destruction of his ship obliterating most of his body (in current canon, Grievous's enhancements were a calculated decision.) Little remains of Karbin's organic body: only his head is visibly intact, and the internal "gut sack" (Grievous's greatest weakness) is either more heavily protected or possibly absent altogether. Neither did Karbin lack for Grievous's more intangible skills, being a proven military commander with a strong tactical mind in his own right.
Karbin and Vader met again on the planet of Vrogas Vas in Darth Vader #15. Vader had crashed his ship in pursuit of Luke Skywalker and the wily Commander Karbin, also tracking Luke, managed to spring an ambush on Vader. Karbin's initial confidence and belief that "four lightsabers are better than one" quickly evaporated by Darth Vader stating his trust in a greater weapon - the Dark Side. Despite losing an arm to Vader, Karbin performed irably in their final duel, right up until it was interrupted by Darth Vader's ally Dr. Aphra crashing her ship the Ark Angel into Commander Karbin. Even this left Karbin only seriously damaged, requiring a final strike from Vader's blade to finally end his life.
Few beings have ever stood up to Darth Vader and not instantly died, and fewer still posed a genuine threat to the Sith Lord. General Grievous was one of the most lethal warriors in all the Star Wars mythos, and there's little doubt that Commander Karbin was an improvement on his skills - just not enough of one to survive crossing Darth Vader.
