Rogue One, a standalone movie outside, but very much in the Star Wars canon, has hit theaters and the the verdict is overwhelmingly positive. With its retro look that allows it to nicely dovetail into A New Hope, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is filled with tips of the hat that have fans and newbies excited. However, amidst all this, the call for a standalone movie about Darth Vader has never been more palpable.

In the first six films, Lord Vader is has been something of an enigma. Yes, we know his story. We get that it took Episodes 1-3 to show us how Anakin Skywalker became the world's most formidable villain in a shiny black suit. At the same time, as Rogue One has made abundantly clear, there are many unanswered questions between Episodes 3 and Episode 4.

Some of them range from what what was Darth Vader doing that whole time? How was he dealing with, quite literally, becoming a machine? Where was the Emperor in all this? Did he have regrets? Did he share these thoughts with anybody? Was there a point where one of the Jedi was able to "read" his thoughts?

As you can see, the questions abound. More specifically, Darth Vader, simply the image of this character, represents something. This character in the black helmet, with the black cloak, and the front chest piece that looks like a multi-colored telephone, is iconic. How is it that we have spent so many films with this character (technically 7 but 8 if you count how Darth Vader is alluded to in The Force Awakens) and we don't really know him?

This is why a Darth Vader standalone movie is so necessary. It would answer many questions while hopefully maintaining and building on the mystique of this incredibly complex character. So sit back, make sure you have seen Rogue One, and enjoy 9 Reasons Why Darth Vader Needs His own Star Wars Spin-Off Movie.

9 Darth Vader Is One of the Most Iconic Characters of All Time.

Darth Vader Spin-Off Movie

Darth Vader is seen as so malevolent that the mere mention of his name denotes fear. He is a reference point. The embodiment of pure evil. Sure, moviegoers fear Jason Vorhees and Freddy Krueger, but that is fear on a different level. Those characters are given to moments of levity even though they are doing rotten things. The Dark Lord of the Sith never has a light moment. He is known for being cold and heartless. Darth Vader doesn't need to be calculating because he can do whatever he wants when he wants. There is nothing on earth that can stop him. They can try, as we see over the course of the films, but what it takes to succeed is almost insurmountable. This character is everywhere. In TV commercials, on cereal boxes, in print ads... and this is when there's no Star Wars movie in theaters! The time has come for the baddest man in the universe to be given his own film. To allow viewers behind the dark curtain that he has been cloaked in since he first appeared on screen in the 1970s.

8 How did Darth Vader discover Luke is his Son?

Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker Jedi Fight

At what point did Vader have the realization that the young Jedi was his son? It is widely known that Vader didn't know this in A New Hope. So, how did he come to know it in The Empire Strikes Back? According to the lore of the films, Queen Amidala was actually made to look pregnant at her funeral on Naboo. The idea is that the children died as well, thus keeping them safe from Darth Vader. However, in the Empire Strikes Back, the Emperor lets Darth Vader know that he does indeed have a son. According to the expanded universe around these films, in this particular case a comic book, Luke, Han, and Leia, after the battle of Yavin, find themselves inside an Imperial weapons factory. It is here that Luke Skywalker first battles Vader. In the battle, Vader sees his old lightsaber and wants to know more about this person who attacked him. He sends Boba Fett to figure this out, and that is when he goes to Tatooine and comes back with the name Skywalker. Again, this is not technically part of the film world, though it is considered canon. If a Darth Vader spin-off movie was made, it certain could become more clear, and well known to those who don't follow the comics. In fact, there are aspects of this shared universe that could finally come to light and possibly make all the films in the Star Wars saga more coherent.

7 Darth Vader's Sith Lord Apprenticeship Needs to Be Explored.

Darth Vader's Sith Lord Apprenticeship

We know Darth Vader is a badass. We know that he can hold up his hand and choke someone from distances much further away than physics says they can. His skills with a lightsaber never waver. Even when he seems like he's hurt or troubled in a battle, it is all part of a plan. As if Lord Vader wants his opponents to feel a false sense of bravado. How did he get this way? Did Vader have any problems with his combat training? As he started off following the ways of the Force, did he ever have any issues with what he was learning? Was his "sacrifice" of his past life as Anakin Skywalker enough to show his dedication? How did he get along with the other students who were also undergoing the same training? What kinds of relationships did Darth Vader form? Did he even have to undergo this training considering how the Emperor essentially fast tracked him to his current position? Again, this is a part of Darth Vader's lore that could serve to truly humanize him if it were put on the big screen in a standalone movie. It also might bolster the credibility of Revenge of the Sith if, in some way, a spin-off movie about Darth Vader played as a companion piece to the third film in the trilogy.

6 What happened to Darth Vader directly following Revenge of the Sith?

Darth Vader after Revenge of the Sith

We've seen movies about people undergoing change before, but the events of Revenge of the Sith are beyond monumental in nature and scope. It is apparent in Rogue One that Darth Vader is fueled by anger. Intense anger that makes his every moment on screen something that's almost sacred. Anakin Skywalker has literally cut himself off from his family, friends and everybody else due to his relationship with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine aka Darth Sidious. He's gone from being a man in love, an expectant father, and a respected Jedi to a Sith Lord that is serving the Galactic Empire. He has done a complete 180 in his life. Granted, he thinks he has made the right the decision. Anakin's choice to embrace the Dark side was based on his love for his family. Again, this fear was largely based on information and nudging from Palpatine. So now that Vader has made this break how does he deal with it? Is this why Darth Vader is the (supposed) merciless entity that he is? Does Vader have any regret? We know from Revenge of the Sith that, even as Darth Vader, he can still feel remorse. Ultimately, how does Vader get over what's happened? Or, is the other tragedy that he can't? A standalone movie would both answer and raise questions about one of cinema's most complex personalities.

5 The backstory of Darth Vader's Castle on Mustafar.

Darth Vader's Castle

Why did Vader choose this locale? The lore of Star Wars describes it as a planet that is essentially covered in copious amounts lava. In fact, all the buildings on the planet are apparently held up by gravity supports. This could serve is a very interesting spot to begin a Darth Vader spin-off movie. We see him alone on this fire planet. Everything he has ever known has crumbled and all he has is his anger. On top of this, he's not even himself anymore. Perhaps, his savior at this time is in fact the Dark side of the Force? Maybe he runs so head long into his Sith Lord Apprenticeship that he can't help but become Darth Vader? However it happens, Vader is in a new place that seemed to have a big hand in shaping who he is. This is ripe for being explored on both a cinematic level in a standalone movie, and on a human level for the actor that tackles the role of Darth Vader.

4 Why does Darth Vader's Armor keep changing?

Darth Vader's Armor Changes

Does he have specific Armor for battles and for meetings? - One of the biggest issues that fans have brought up regarding Rogue One and what we have seen of Vader in the other films, is the look of his suit. In Rogue One, as this is a younger Darth Vader. The iconic helmet he wears literally seems to have been just placed on his head. It honestly looks as if he woke up that morning and put it on. In Episodes 4, 5 and 6 , Darth Vader's helmet is attached to the rest of the suit. This is why one wonders if Vader possibly has different looks for different situations. On top of that, a spin-off movie could illuminate this a lot more. What is its functionality? How does it support Vader after he's limbs are severed in Episode 3? What is the purpose of the breast plate of buttons? (Buttons that seem to change from time to time as well). Either way, the Darth Vader suit is almost as iconic as Vader himself. It needs to be explored deeply should a standalone movie come to fruition.

3 Exploring the Darth Vader / Emperor Relationship.

Darth Vader / Emperor Relationship

We know that Anakin fell under the sway of the Emperor. The question in a standalone movie becomes, now that Darth Vader has pledged his allegiance to Darth Sidious, what happens between them? As we saw in Empire Strikes Back, the Emperor holds an extremely large sway over Darth Vader. In fact, the Emperor is the only one that seems to bring out whatever humanity Vader has left. How was Darth Vader treated by the Emperor after the events of Revenge of the Sith? Did Darth Vader feel like he duped him? Was it a father son relationship in which Vader was shielded from the influence of others? There are some major points to be explored in a spin-off movie, and Darth Vader's relationship to the person who completely altered his existence is one of them.

2 Seeing Darth Vader as a Dark Hero.

Darth Vader as a Dark Hero

A standalone movie could bring some humanity back before Return of the Jedi. At one point in Return of the Jedi, Luke tells Obi Wan Kenobi, regarding Darth Vader, that, "There is good in him, I have felt it". What exactly is Luke referring to? A spin-off movie about this character could definitely present that. We're not saying that Darth Vader is going to be building hospitals in the name of fallen rebel alliance leaders. However, no matter what side you are on, good or bad, you are on that side because you believe in that cause. You feel that your side is justified in their actions. A spin-off film about Darth Vader has the chance to go deeper than so many other films because it could actually show this. They could show battles against the rebels in which Vader and others are literally fighting for their lives. Okay, lets be honest, a Disney film probably isn't going to be this nuanced. However, Rogue One had all the characters DIE! So, if that idea can pass muster with the Disney brass, it stands to reason that these spin-off movies can play in their own pool outside the canon of the Star Wars films. A standalone film could, in a very real sense, expand the universe of Star Wars in a way never previously imagined.

1 Darth Vader is the world's worst absentee father.

Father Darth Vader

When Queen Amidala dies in Revenge of the Sith, Darth Vader knew she was pregnant. However, he didn't appear to know that she had twins. The question becomes, since he knew he had a son did he know anything about Luke? As we discussed, he eventually puts together that Luke is his child. Again, the issue is that how that comes about is part of the Star Wars mythology that isn't really part of the filmic mythology. So lets say he has an idea that he has a son out in the universe in the original trilogy, what does Darth Vader know about them? Does he sense that they might be his biggest enemy? Does he have dreams (as he did in Episode 3 about his family) regarding his own demise now? Does he see his son as the person who brings it about? Regarding Leia, Vader seems to have no idea about this until he reads Luke's thoughts during their battle in Return of the Jedi. Ultimately, this is what fuels Luke to overcome his father and eventually redeem him. The question is, what can a Darth Vader spin-off film show of this? Could we see visions that Vader is able to conjure because he is a Sith Lord and was once a Jedi Knight? Is it possible that he could fuse those two worlds and, in those moments only, become so powerful he could gain knowledge not normally available to him? Could we see moments of Vader with new trainees? Moments where he is genuinely imparting advice that make him recall (perhaps wonder?) how he might've been as a father to his own children? Only a Darth Vader standalone movie can address these issues and that is why we need one NOW!

What'd you think? Do think a spin-off film for Lord Vader is necessary? Are there points that we didn't cover? Is Darth Vader too big for his own film? Should it be a whole other trilogy? Let us know your thoughts and remember this is only a movie!