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Why Darth Vader wasn’t the evil guy we all thought he was

By C.J. Hawkings

BERLIN, GERMANY - DECEMBER 20: A man dressed as the Star Wars character Darth Vader arrives for a church service centered around the 1983 film 'Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi' at the Zionskirche (Zion Church) on December 20, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. The latest Star Wars film, 'Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens,' was released in the country two days earlier, and local priests used the opportunity to tie Biblical parallels concerning good and evil to the movie, while using the original film's score by John Williams as organ accompaniment, along with video clips. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images)
BERLIN, GERMANY - DECEMBER 20: A man dressed as the Star Wars character Darth Vader arrives for a church service centered around the 1983 film 'Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi' at the Zionskirche (Zion Church) on December 20, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. The latest Star Wars film, 'Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens,' was released in the country two days earlier, and local priests used the opportunity to tie Biblical parallels concerning good and evil to the movie, while using the original film's score by John Williams as organ accompaniment, along with video clips. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images) /
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Star Wars
Photo: Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980).. © Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved. /

When Darth Vader made his first appearance in 1977’s Star Wars (later subtitled Episode IV A New Hope), all people saw was a big evil bad guy in a black suit of armor. However, there was more to his backstory than people realized…

Darth Vader was someone a lot of people dreaded would appear in their nightmares. He was like Michael Meyers from the Halloween franchise but instead of being silent he could use the Force or his lightsaber to kill those who displeased him. When he appeared in 1977’s Star Wars, no one could have predicted his tragic backstory of how he came to be the evil man in the menacing suit of armor.

In 1999, Vader’s backstory started in the first prequel film, The Phantom Menace. It was here we learn how a young Anakin Skywalker (the Sith’s name prior to the suit) became to be a Jedi and under Obi-Wan’s tutelage before his taste for evil set in. However, it wouldn’t be until 2002’s Attack of the Clones that we got our first taste of the beginning of the dark, twisted tale that lead him down the path of evil.

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2005’s Revenge of the Sith saw Anakin go from pending fatherhood to the black suit in which he would spend the rest of life. We also learn of how he was manipulated into betraying those he cared for in exchange for an empty promise.

Since then, numerous comics, animated television shows, films, books, and video games have touched on how far Vader was pushed by Darth Sidious to keep him on the side of darkness. While this might seem awesome, there’s more to how he came to be who he was which proves he wasn’t just some evil dude who wanted revenge.

Let’s dive into how Darth Vader wasn’t the evil guy we all thought he was.

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