Whether it is MCU’s Loki Laufeyson, The Vampire Diaries’ Klaus Mikaelson, or Harry Potter’s Draco Malfoy, these characters always make the viewers go, ‘But I can fix him!’ Star Wars’ Darth Vader is one of them. Despite the many atrocious acts committed by the samurai helmet-sporting villain, fans of George Lucas’ fictional universe fell head over heels for him since his very first appearance in the franchise.
Darth Vader is the epitome of what a villain should be. He’s ruthless and rigid, driven by a tragic past and consumed by the dark side of the Force. And while fans may look at him with rose-tinted glasses over their eyes, George Lucas only saw him as a pathetic guy with a sad, sad life.
George Lucas Gets Honest About Darth Vader
In an interview with Rolling Stone where he discussed the A-Z of Darth Vader, George Lucas was asked about the greatest challenge that came with creating the iconic villain.
As per Lucas’ expertise and opinion, the biggest challenge was making the villain terrifying without the audience getting to see his face. While he wears a samurai helmet and a cape and is huge in his build, none of these things mean that the viewers will be scared of him.
And thus, Lucas made sure to go beyond physical appearance in order to make Darth Vader one of the scariest villains out there. In the end, the filmmaker unveiled his honest thoughts about the guy.
He stated,
I had to make Darth Vader scary without the audience ever seeing his face. Basically, it’s just a black mask. I said, ‘How do I make that evil and scary?’ I mean, he’s big and black and he’s got a cape and a samurai helmet, but that doesn’t necessarily make people afraid of him. His character’s got to go beyond that – that’s how we get his impersonal way of dealing with things. He’s done a lot of horrible things in his life that he isn’t particularly proud of. Ultimately, he’s just a pathetic guy who’s had a very sad life.
Darth Vader was once a sweet, little boy with a twinkle in his eyes who went on to become a cold-hearted murderer. Driven by his past, the man never felt any remorse for his horrid actions which made him nothing but a pathetic guy leading a sad life in the eyes of Lucas.
George Lucas on Why Darth Vader Gets So Much Attention
There are uncountable amazing characters in the ever-growing universe of Star Wars but none of them come remotely close to the fan-following Darth Vader has. Why? Well, as far as Lucas is concerned, people are often drawn more towards villains as they are powerful and not afraid to break a few (all) rules.
However, Lucas acknowledges the importance of showing that there will always be consequences for your actions, which is something a movie should always depict, no matter how strong the villain is.
People like villains because they’re powerful and they don’t worry about the rules. And as you go through puberty, you have to break off your social bondage and become your own person. So when you have a film aimed at adolescents, the movie is there to say, ‘Well, all well and good, but this is what happens to you when you do that. This is why you’re compassionate, and why you join together as a group to help each other.’ These are the same basic stories that have always been told.
Darth Vader’s life came to an end in Return of the Jedi (1983) when he decided to save his son, Luke Skywalker, from the Emperor’s wrath, sacrificing his life in the process. Luke removes his father’s helmet and just before his death, Anakin Skywalker expresses remorse for his actions. Thus, the story of Darth Vader concluded.
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