15 best Anakin Skywalker moments in Star Wars

9. Anakin beats Clovis

In the season 6 episode of The Clone Wars, “The Rise of Clovis,” Padmé agrees to work with Clovis, who had previously betrayed the Republic, to uncover a conspiracy in the Banking Clan. Anakin insists that Padmé not work with Clovis because he can’t be trusted. He also doesn’t want her working with Clovis because the two of them were once close, and he knows Clovis still loves her. Bound by duty, Padme tells Anakin to trust her.

But Anakin is right that Clovis is still in love with Padmé, and Anakin walks in on Clovis attempting to kiss Padme. Blinded by jealous rage, Anakin Force chokes Clovis and ignites his lightsaber. Clovis challenges Anakin to fight him without his “Jedi tricks,” and the two begin a vicious hand-to-hand battle in which Anakin clearly has the upper hand. Anakin nearly beats Clovis to death as Padme begs him to stop. Anakin finally sees how much his emotions have gotten out of control, and he stops. But the damage is done, and Padmé is sickened by the darkness she saw in him. Clovis covers for Anakin, claiming the two were attacked and that Anakin had saved him.

Anakin apologizes to Padmé, but she tells him that because he didn’t trust her and because their relationship is built on lies, she wants them to take a break from their relationship for a while. This moment, like many others in Anakin’s life, reveals the intense rage that will characterize him completely as Darth Vader later on. Anakin and Padmé restore their relationship later on, but the experience of losing her because of his anger surely increased his attachment to her to the obsessive level we see in Revenge of the Sith.