So do you think Darth Vader, one of the most famous and iconic characters in the Star Wars movies, was really a villain or a hero? While you might think he was obviously a bad guy, you’d be surprised how many dedicated Star Wars fans actually think he’s a great hero. Here are some reasons why the former Jedi Master and the Lord of the Sith can be seen as both, depending on which point of view you take.
Darth Vader obviously did some pretty bad things over the course of his life, and he didn’t just take the lives of the few Imperial officers he suffocated with The Force. He played a key role in using the Death Star with Grand Moff Tarkin to destroy an entire home planet of Princess Leia, ultimately killing millions of people. And by supporting Emperor Palpatine’s reign as the enforcer of evil, Darth Vader was complicit in the deaths of billions of innocent people throughout the Star Wars galaxy.
However, it’s also important to consider how Darth Vader became a Sith Lord and served the Dark Side of the Force. Vader started out as Anakin Skywalker, one of the most talented Jedi to ever serve in the Galactic Republic. He did many great deeds and saved countless lives while in the same order as Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. He had a strong desire to do what was right and right wrongs, which was something that ultimately brought him down.
The death of his one true love, Padme, and the manipulation of Darth Sidious led Anakin to do horrible things that he felt he could never atone for. However, even after becoming a Sith Lord, Darth Vader still had some distance from Emperor Palpatine, constantly seeking ways to overthrow and kill his master.
In the end, Darth Vader saw the errors of his ways, turned his back on the Dark Side, and killed his Sith Master. He did so with the help of his son, Luke Skywalker, who reminded him of what it meant to be a Jedi. Thanks to Luke’s guidance, Anakin Skywalker was reborn and, by killing Sidious, drove the last of the Sith Lords from the galaxy once and for all.
What do you think, one last noble act makes up for so many years of wickedness? Although Darth Vader spent decades serving the Dark Side, many Star Wars fans believe that his final actions redeemed him and made him a hero.
