As Star Wars plots out its next moves and continues to develop the High Republic, it's going to need ways to go back to the past and remind fans young and old why they love this franchise. Unfortunately, there are only so many ways this can be done considering the cast of the original trilogy is rapidly aging, and recasting those characters has been met with mixed results. Wouldn't it be perfect if there was a character who looked ageless no matter how much time has passed?
Lucky for us, one of Star Wars' most iconic characters wears a life support system over his entire body which does a great job of hiding his age. There's never going to be a time where a Darth Vader movie is a bad idea, though I'm of the opinion that waiting wouldn't be the best decision and Disney should get to work on this as soon as possible. To drive home my point, here are six reasons the franchise should start developing a feature based on the character right now:
We Need More Post-Revenge Of The Sith Vader Stories
Darth Vader is a bad man. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith showed that well enough, but it's really what followed in the years after leading into Star Wars: A New Hope that made Darth Vader one of the most feared names in the galaxy. There's just so much we haven't seen about the time between Vader's transformation on screen (including material that has been covered in Expanded Universe material).
As folks may or may not be aware, Marvel has been running a Darth Vader comic that chronicles exactly that. There have been some pretty cool things in that run, including the fact that Vader never really gave up searching for Padme. It's the kind of things you'd like to see play out on screen, especially while seeing Natalie Portman do projects like Thor: Love And Thunder. It's possible there's a chance she'd be willing to do a small bit part in Star Wars again after that – or maybe I'm just being I'm optimistic.
We Need More Examples Of The Internal Conflict In Darth Vader
Star Wars likes to create a narrative that while Darth Vader was one of the most feared individuals in the galaxy, some semblance of who he was as Anakin Skywalker still remains inside all of the black-colored hardware. Unfortunately it's not something that always easy to see in the films, which makes the redemption of Vader in Return of the Jedi kind of weird.
Even modern movies have skewed away from making Darth Vader even somewhat of a gray character – just look at Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and his terrifying rampage in the movie's final minutes. While it's true to the attitude he has in Star Wars: A New Hope, I can't help but think one scene showing Vader's contempt for Palpatine, or feeling of loss for his wife would've gone a long way to further show that there was someone who could be saved in that suit. You can help alter that image and add to our larger perception of Vader as a character by putting him at the center of his own feature.
We Don't Get Enough Stories Told From A Dark Side Perspective
Star Wars doesn't tell stories from the Dark Side perspective all that often, and certainly not in its movies. Sure, there are brief scenes sprinkled in, but when are we finally going to get a movie that, start to finish, is a Dark Side movie? Some may say that's impossible in the world of Disney, but I think there's already a way for it to happen in the lore.
With so much infighting and backstabbing built within the Dark Side, I don't think it's crazy to suggest that you can make a Darth Vader movie where he's squared off against a rogue faction of the Empire, or tasked with battling his way out of some hostile territory. I can see the problem with making a movie where Vader is cutting down enemies of the Empire the whole film, but I think there's plenty of bad guys within the ranks of the Empire you could show Vader wage war with and make for an interesting movie.
He's Still The Best Villain Star Wars Has Ever Given Us
I don't care what anyone has to say about Sheev Palpatine: Darth Vader is the best villain in Star Wars. His look is iconic, he's a super-powerful foe, and he had relevant ties to the hero of the story. It's a shame he was killed off in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, though I guess I should be thankful he wasn't brought back to life in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as well.
The popularity of certain characters in Star Wars comes and goes, but I don't think anyone will ever be uninterested in Darth Vader. He has the staying power that can pull people back into his era whenever necessary, provided it's a route Disney would want to go in the future, and there's no doubt that he would be a draw at the center of his own blockbuster story.
Prove The "Less Is More" Theory Wrong
There's a school of thought within the Star Wars fandom that the reason people love and want more Darth Vader is that he is a character that hasn't been over-utilized in the movies, always leaving audiences hungry for more. I'm sure that may have been true at the start, but look at just how often Darth Vader has appeared in other Star Wars works since then, and he was even a featured character in Soul Caliber IV back in 2008.
I know he's been in a lot of other things both related and unrelated to Star Wars since then, but it's my way of saying that this franchise doesn't really do a ton to limit Vader's exposure to fans, and so putting him as the star of his own movie would not be too much of a stretch at all. There's no need for a full-scale trilogy or even a sequel teasing more – just do a standalone movie with one Vader adventure. If people want more, it won't take long to work up an excuse for another movie.
It Doesn't Even Need An "R" Rating
Few villains can get away with looking dark and menacing without the use of an "R" rating. Darth Vader is one of those characters, mainly because the Star Wars franchise has found inventive ways of depicting lots of violence in a rather clean way. It's not all that horrifying to see him cut down people when lightsabers instantly cauterize wounds, and destroying a planet looks rather tame when the bodies that are turned to ash are merely seen from a distance.
In an age when Disney is trying to find that fine line to serve a multitude of audiences, a Darth Vader film would scratch the itch of older fans by giving them something that doesn't feel geared towards children. Meanwhile, it can still be tame enough that older kids and young teens won't be shut out of the action. There's money in this project if Lucasfilm would only develop it!
Would you like to see a Star Wars movie that stars Darth Vader? Let us know in the comments, and as always, continue to stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest news happening in movies and television.
