Should Kylo Ren live or die in Star Wars Episode IX?

The fate of Kylo Ren is still up in the air for Star Wars Episode IX. But we wonder, will he live or die at the end of the sequel trilogy.

Star Wars Episode IX seems to be far, far away for us fans, which has triggered a wealth of speculation as to who will survive the end of the trilogy. One trademark of the Star Wars franchise is that there are hardly any villains to have survived each trilogy, which puts Kylo Ren’s head on a bit of a chopping block.

However, it is never too late to break away from a tradition, especially if there are going to be more movies starring these characters. No one knows whether the current characters that the new trilogy revolves around are going to wrap up their stories in Episode IX or be used in further projects, so Kylo Ren may be the main villain for the next three movies as well.

Perhaps Kylo deserves to die. Even though he is a complex character that blurs the line between good and evil, there are countless unforgivable atrocities that he has committed. No one will ever forget how Ren stabbed Han Solo – his own father – to death, let alone forgive it.

Everyone will have their own opinion of what Ren’s fate should be, but I would like to present evidence for why he should live and why he should die.

His Grandfather’s Footsteps

Photo Credit: [Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith] LucasfilmKylo Ren’s major drive in the newest Star Wars trilogy is to fulfill the dream that Darth Vader never got to achieve. It seems as though he seeks to be exactly like his ancestor, which could be bad for him.

At the end of Return of the Jedi, Darth Vader meets his demise, and reverts back to Anakin Skywalker for a touching moment with his son. I would not be the least bit surprised if the same turn of events were bestowed upon Kylo. He has a change of heart, he dies because of it, and he goes down as the hero no one thought he could be.

On the other hand, he could survive Episode IX, and become something even more evil. Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader at the end of The Revenge of the Sith, and the rest is history. Kylo Ren could survive and become a true sith lord, Darth Ren if you will, and become an even greater threat in the next film. Perhaps he may even pick up a few robotic accessories to boot.

This is all just speculation of course, based upon the ironic storytelling that the Star Wars universe has always thrived on. Anakin turns to the dark side of the force to keep Padme from dying, and that becomes the reason for her death. Kylo tries to fulfill the mission Darth Vader set out upon, and ends up failing in the same exact way. There is no way to tell until the film is released, but if I had to bet on it, I would not be surprised to see Kylo live or die in the methods described above.

A New Villain Emerges

Photo credit: Lucasfilm/Solo: A Star Wars Story

As much as I love to hate Kylo Ren, the fact of the matter is that we have had him as our main antagonist for three whole movies. After a while, that gets a little tiring. No matter how villainous, beloved and truly evil you are, no one can be menaced by the same character for more than a trilogy.

Kylo Ren dying in Episode IX would pave the way for a number of other characters to take the stage as villains. General Hux, Darth Maul, or even a brand new Sith lord could all rise to fill that position.

If Kylo Ren lives to fight another day, fans are going to get tired of him. As of right now, half of the fandom sees him as a laughing stock, and that will only worsen if he is given another opportunity as the narrative’s main villain. However, if he has a change of heart much like his grandfather did, then living on in the aid of The Resistance could be an interesting turn of events.

If he does live, then I hope that it is not as a villain, but as a new personality. If the writers do not think this is a wise progression of his story, then I think that he must meet his end.

Pulling a Negan

NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 06: Jeffrey Dean Morgan speaks onstage during The Walking Dead panel during New York Comic Con at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on October 6, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for New York Comic Con)

The best way I know how to explain this next part is to use the same logic found in The Walking Dead. On the show, Rick Grimes has every chance to kill Negan, slits his throat, and then orders Sidiq to save his life. His thought process is that it is easier to kill the wicked than to reform them, so he decides to lock Negan up until he sees the error in his ways.

Rose said it best in The Last Jedi, “We’re going to win this war not by fighting what we hate, but saving what we love!”

It is entirely possible that instead of killing Kylo, The Resistance keeps him alive and locked up, because that is the more moral thing to do. Maybe they need some intelligence that Ren possesses as well, and they use him to dismantle the rest of the FIrst Order. Whatever reason it may be, there is no doubt that he is more useful dead than he is alive.

However, no one is going to shed any tears over the loss of such an evil being. I don’t think I’m the only one who wanted to yell at the theater screen when Rose stopped Finn from destroying the entire First Order fleet, and this could be the chance for the writers to prove that it wasn’t a mistake to save so many lives.

Should Kylo Ren live or die in Episode IX? Let me know in the comments! Star Wars Episode IX is scheduled to come out in December 2019.