20. Anakin Isn’t As Advertised
This one is kind of cheating because it really is based on interpretation of his character. That said, am I the only one who feels like the Anakin described by Obi-Wan in the originals is not the person given to us in the prequels? Anakin seems like a heroic, noble warrior who tragically fell due to weakness in a single moment of loss (think Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight).
Instead, Anakin becoming evil is telegraphed so heavily that it very much ignores the tragic aspect of his fall. He was argumentative, aggressive, defiant and reckless all within his first several minutes of screen time in Attack of the Clones. He dresses in all black, and wears a scowl almost always. He also gets angry at everything.
However, he turns around for a few moments. For example, he wants to save the clone pilots in the opening battle of Revenge of the Sith. Why? Because he’s a good guy. Just ignore a majority of his actions and his physical appearance.
It might make more sense if films two and three had him take some kind of linear progression. He starts out as a good kid who slowly loses himself and eventually reaches the point of no return when he turns to the dark side. However, Anakin is probably better in Revenge because he meditates with Yoda and actually seems to try and curtail his aggression.
The point is that the hero described in the original films and shown at the very end of Return of the Jedi is not the character presented. Again, maybe that’s opinion, but seriously, does Anakin’s emotional volatility make you think he’s going to stay a hero or make you think he will obviously be a villain? The answer should be the former, but scenes like this give a really strong hint.
Next: 19. Luke Defeating Jabba