Despite George Lucas being the creator of Star Wars, Disney understood Darth Vader better than him. Darth Vader is one of the few Star Wars characters who transcends the franchise, often being regarded as one of the best movie villains of all time, no matter the genre. In-universe, Vader is one of Star Wars‘ most powerful Sith Lords.
For these reasons, Vader remains an incredibly iconic centerpiece of Star Wars to this day, almost five decades after George Lucas created the franchise. Upcoming Star Wars movies and shows will undoubtedly reference or directly include Vader, be it as his dark self or as his light-sided alter ego, Anakin Skywalker.
Vader and Anakin have been a massive part of the Skywalker Saga, in both the best and worst-ranked Star Wars movies. George Lucas first introduced the character in the original trilogy before detailing his backstory in the prequels.
Although Disney’s sequels shied away from Vader somewhat, the House of Mouse has still used him extensively, proving that it understands the villain better than his creator.
Some Of Darth Vader’s Best Moments Have Come From Disney
As most Star Wars fans would agree, Disney’s projects in the franchise have featured some of the very best Darth Vader moments. The first Disney live-action appearance for Darth Vader came in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Perhaps the highlight of the entire film is Vader’s cameo, with the scene showing him in a way Star Wars never had before it: as a merciless, Rebel-killing machine.
Vader’s hallway sequence highlights his ruthlessness in a way the prequels and originals never showed, causing people to gush, still to this day, over Rogue One‘s depiction of him. Before that, though, Vader played a role in Disney’s Star Wars Rebels, which shared Rogue One‘s depiction of him as a terrifying villain whom no one could match in combat.
Rebels also took this deeper, though, by reuniting Vader with his old apprentice, Ahsoka Tano. This provided more badass action sequences, only with a layer of emotional depth that had only been attached to Vader in the final moments of Return of the Jedi.
Don’t Get On His Bad Side: These 10 Unforgettable Star Wars Scenes Show Just How Badass Darth Vader Really Is
Darth Vader has had innumerable incredible moments in Star Wars movies and TV shows, but these 10 scenes best represent his immense power.
Hayden Christensen then returned as Darth Vader in Disney’s Obi-Wan Kenobi. Although the show as a whole received a mixed response, Christensen’s inclusion and Vader’s depiction received unanimous praise. The same can be said for Christensen’s appearance in Ahsoka, with both shows highlighting his depth as Anakin and his unforgiving nature as Vader.
Disney has also published a great many Darth Vader comics that show how great a character he is. This is without mentioning video game appearances, such as Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor, both of which feature Vader at his intimidating best. While some of Vader’s best moments do come from before Disney Star Wars, the vast majority came after.
Disney’s Star Wars Delivered The Darth Vader Fans Always Imagined
Via Disney’s Star Wars productions, a version of Darth Vader that fans had only imagined previously was brought to life. Vader was menacing in the original trilogy, but he was never depicted using the same visceral, exciting action filmmaking that allows his villainous tendencies to come to the fore.
The action sequences involving Vader in Disney’s Star Wars projects prove as much, be it the aforementioned duels in Rebels, Obi-Wan Kenobi, or the now-iconic hallway scene in Rogue One. For decades, Lucas’ Star Wars meant that fans could only wish to see Vader in full Sith action. Thanks to Disney, this wish became a reality.
George Lucas Could Only Do So Much With Darth Vader
It is worth noting, however, that it was not Lucas’ fault that Disney’s Star Wars outdid him when it came to Darth Vader. The original trilogy, for instance, was constructed on a much smaller budget than every single Disney production. Not only that, but technological limitations also meant that Darth Vader could not be shown in all his glory in the original three Star Wars films.
Advancements in both practical and digital effects mean that it is much easier to make Vader move quickly and with more purpose in modern action scenes, which can not be said for the bulky, heavy suit of the 1970s and 1980s. Therefore, where the original Star Wars trilogy is concerned, Lucas could only do so much with the character.
Then came the prequel trilogy, which had narrative limitations on what could be achieved with Darth Vader as a character. By going backwards through Star Wars‘ vast timeline, Lucas centered the prequels around Anakin Skywalker before he became the evil Sith Lord. Although this adequately outlined the reasons why Vader was born, it meant that the character was not the focus; Anakin was.
These are the various reasons why Darth Vader has shone under Disney’s stewardship. Gone are the budgetary and technological restrictions that were around during the 1970s, with the same being said for a strict storyline. Disney has the freedom to jump around in the Star Wars timeline, thus showing Darth Vader at his peak in a way George Lucas never could.
Disney’s Star Wars Is Not Done With Darth Vader
What makes Disney’s handling of Darth Vader all the more exciting is that his time in the franchise is not done. Darth Vader is simply too iconic a character to shelve for good. Where there is Star Wars, there will always be Darth Vader not far behind. Projects like Rebels, Rogue One, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka exemplify this.
Ahsoka season 2’s story is set to release in 2026, with Hayden Christensen returning once more as Anakin Skywalker. While the story may focus more on the Jedi parts of him than the Sith parts, Darth Vader’s ghost loomed over Anakin in Ahsoka season 1. Christensen is set for a promising Star Wars future, meaning Darth Vader is, too.
Above all else, this proves that Disney Star Wars is depicting Vader in a way Lucas never did, and that the House of Mouse does not plan to stop doing so anytime soon.
- Cast
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Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
- TV Show(s)
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The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
- Movie(s)
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Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
- Character(s)
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Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
