Darth Vader, previously known as Anakin Skywalker, is the most well-known villain in the Star Wars franchise and perhaps in all movie history. From his intimidating appearance in his dark helmet, which is the only thing keeping him alive, to his horrifying ability to use the Force to kill with minimal effort, Vader is far from weak. Indeed, he is a force to be reckoned with and is not to be crossed. And yet, from the moment he saved his son from Darth Sidious, fans have believed he was something other than a villain. Does this act really redeem him or make him anything other than a Sith Lord?
Known for his cruelty and lack of mercy on his adversaries and even his own men, Vader is cold and harsh on the outside, the complete opposite of Anakin Skywalker, whose compassion overrides that of any other Jedi. With this in mind, the question that arises is: is Darth Vader truly a villain? While many consider Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader to be two completely separate beings, they are the same at their core. Vader’s tyrannical brutality is top-tier, showing no mercy whatsoever. While many believe that his tragic origin story is what qualifies him as an anti-hero rather than a villain, Vader seems to walk the line between villain and anti-hero.
Updated August 16, 2022: If you love Star Wars, you'll be happy to know we've updated this article with additional content based on the release of the hit Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Who Was Anakin Skywalker?
Anakin Skywalker was born to Shmi Skywalker on Tatooine. Raised in slavery, Anakin had no father to be spoken of. When Qui-Gon Jinn found him, in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Anakin was working at Watto’s shop. Qui-Gon recognized the boy had a Force presence within him and, more importantly, that he fit the description of the “Chosen One” that the prophecy foretold would bring balance to the Force. When Anakin’s midi-chlorian count returned to be higher than Master Yoda’s, Qui-Gon was insistent on getting Anakin out of his enslaved life to bring him before the Jedi council and have him trained in the ways of the Force. The Jedi Council initially insisted that Anakin was too old, but with Qui-Gon’s persistence, the Council relented. Qui-Gon would never get the chance to teach him anything, however, as he would die in battle against Darth Maul, leaving the responsibility to his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Anakin showed natural fighting skills and quickly became a powerful Jedi. That said, he was not without his flaws, breaking several Jedi rules, including the rule of no attachment by giving in to his love for Padmé Amidala and marrying her, an action that could have seen him expelled from the Jedi Order. Jedi in training are taught very young to suppress their emotions because it's believed that attachments can be a path to the Dark Side, but this notion has been debated for years. It's easy to believe that Anakin's attachment to Padme made it easy for Palpatine to manipulate him. On the other hand, some fans argue that it was also the hypocrisies of the Jedi that turned Anakin. If not for the strict rules of the Jedi, he may have been able to save his mother, or even Padme.
Was Anakin Skywalker a Good Person?
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Anakin was a formidable Jedi and a legendary pilot, but when all’s said and done, was he actually a good person? Anakin did some very questionable things at times. He slaughtered an entire tribe of Tuskan Raiders when his mother died at their hand, and he mercilessly killed Count Dooku, despite knowing it was not the Jedi way. Despite this, Anakin was overall a good person. He saved Obi-Wan on a number of occasions and showed more compassion than most other Jedi. For example: during his time as a General during The Clone Wars, Anakin cared about his clones and refused to see them as dispensable, which is what they were designed to be. That said, while his compassion and overall more emotional take on things made him a better Jedi than most, this is also partly what led to his downfall. With greater emotion in his decision-making, he was more likely to get involved and attached to those he cared about. The loss of his mother changed him in more ways than one and displayed one of the main reasons why attachment is forbidden to Jedi.
Is Darth Vader a Villain or Anti-Hero?
A villain can be defined as an evil person whose actions are crucial to the plot. At the same time, an anti-hero is a main character who lacks conventional hero qualities like morality, often acting out of self-interest. Many of Vader's actions are done out of pure hatred, like murdering younglings at the Jedi Temple to get the secret to immortality from Emperor Palpatine to save his wife Padme from dying. Indeed, his whole reason for following Palpatine's orders was to save his wife from death. While this may seem noble, this is out of self-interest.
The debate of characterizing his actions ends comes after Revenge of the Sith. In the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, Vader is more vicious than ever. In his search for his former master, he dragged innocent people out of their homes using the Force and murdered them as a means to draw Obi-Wan out of hiding. When he found him, he attempted to prolong his vengeance by dragging Obi-Wan across open fire to torture him. Again, these can be seen as acts of hatred, the fuel of the Sith that blinded Anakin Skywalker and poisoned his heart.
If by this point anyone is still debating his villainy, examine the fight scene between Vader and Reva in "Part V" of the series. Reva had been working as an Inquisitor for years to try and get close enough to Vader to kill him as vengeance for his slaughter of her fellow younglings. Vader knew this the whole time and toyed with her before stabbing her with her own lightsaber. Vader then revealed that he remembered Reva, calling her a youngling. He showed in this scene that he feels no remorse for what is arguably his darkest act of villainy, the massacre of children. Only a villain could be so cold-hearted. Anti-heroes typically leave room to believe they can be good. Villains leave no doubt at all.
Did Darth Vader Redeem Himself?
As much as Darth Vader shows his reign of terror throughout the Star Wars franchise, killing without a second thought, we see Luke refuse to give up hope for his father. Despite what everyone tells Luke, he insists that there's still good in Vader. In Return of the Jedi, when Luke is brought before the Emperor, the Dark Lord attempts to provoke Luke into giving in to his negative feelings to bring him closer to the dark side. When Luke refuses and controls his feelings, the Emperor tortures him with Force Lightning while Vader watches. As Luke calls out to his father for help, Vader grabs the Emperor and throws him off a balcony, leading us to believe that Vader killed his master up until the release of The Rise of Skywalker. In doing this, Vader sacrifices his own life so that his son may live on.
Did this selfless act redeem the Sith Lord? Perhaps only in the eyes of his son Luke, but a career of tyranny isn't just erased by one good deed. Remember that Vader wanted to overthrow Darth Sidious anyway so that he and Luke could rule together. Think of Cersei Lannister from Game of Thrones. To her children, she was a caring and loving mother who would do anything to protect them. She even loved Joffrey, as hard as that was. To everyone else, she was a cunning and ruthless diplomat more dangerous than any man with a sword. Acts of love did not change what she was anymore than a single showing of compassion did for Vader.
While fans can argue that Anakin's descent into darkness was due to his tragic upbringing, examine "Part VI" in Obi-Wan Kenobi, when he faced his former master for the last time. There was a brief instance in which Vader was Anakin again for the first time in a decade. To Obi-Wan's apologies, he says, "You did not kill Anakin Skywalker, I did." Anakin wanted power, and he chose his path. He lost everything, but he got everything he wanted as well. There is no clearer proof that Darth Vader is a villain, even if he did save his son. Even devils can show kindness sometimes.