Darth Vader: Is he really a villain in Star Wars?

Photo Credit: Lucasfilm

Is Darth Vader really the terrible villain that we grew up believing?

Today an article crossed my path from Cracked, the very company whose every issue I got my hands on each month growing up — where are all those collectible magazines by the way? Anyways, in such article, the author breaks down why they feel Darth Vader is a terrible villain.

Now that I’ve let the dust settle down, I’m going to hit you all with this additional bombshell. Darth Vader is an awful villain. That’s right, I said it. In fact, he is a pathetic excuse for one who dons a “black hat” or pressurized suit in this case.

However, my reasons are far different from the ones presented to us by Cracked. In fact, I’m going to fill in those lightsaber sized holes before dropping some more truth for you all. Now that I have my Jedi defenses up, let’s dive into a galaxy far, far away, where we will fall deep into Force, allowing it reveal who the real villain of the franchise indeed is.

If Darth Vader is not the actual sinister “Force” of the franchise, then who is? How can one so powerful and so ruthless not be the antagonist?

Of course, this opens up the whole can of worms of Darth Vader being the chosen one. Was it he, his son Luke, or even Rey? Maybe the conflicted Kylo Ren is the real golden boy or even Legends favorite Revan taking the cake from them all.

What precisely defines one as a villain? It may not be what you think. Alright, enough messing around. Darth Vader, time to expose you as a fraud that you indeed are, that you are not a villain.