Han Solo is a Star Wars fan favorite, but will he return for Episode 8?
Before you even start, you need to be warned that there are spoilers ahead that could ruin your viewing of Star Wars The Force Awakens. If you don’t want your virgin viewing experience spoiled, then stop here and return after you’ve seen the film.
You’ve been warned.
Final warning.
Han Solo’s death in The Force Awakens might not have been a complete surprise to all fans who watched the movie, but it’s still something we need to deal with moving forward. First and foremost, fans are in denial about Han Solo’s death and are searching for ways that he will return in some way for the future films.
Luckily for those of us grieving his loss, there is a serious chance that we haven’t seen the last of our favorite smuggler. There’s a scene where Leia tells Han that she lost their son Ben — who is really Kylo Ren — when she sent him away to train with Luke. She mentions that’s when she lost them both.
There’s a ton of exposition and context here that is left unexplained, and considering these aren’t he prequel films we have to believe that this was a teaser which will be returned to in a later film.
Of course, there’s pretty large chance that Han Solo is gone, and there’s no denying that he’s dead. That being said, if Kylo’s arc involves battling his demons and what he’s done, we will almost surely see Han in a vision or as a Force Ghost-style guide for his son.
That’s all a lot of assuming, but Han Solo might not be as finished in the Star Wars story as we think. Eventually, all of the original characters will be phased out, but the movies have a way of making deaths of major characters not as permanent as we think.