Hayden Christensen’s career has been defined by his tenure in the Star Wars franchise, most particularly in the prequel trilogy. The trilogy showed the evolution of Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker into the dark side and turning into the terrifying Darth Vader. As seen in the original trilogy, Vader is a powerful entity that is feared by everyone in the galaxy.
The character has been considered one the greatest cinematic villains of all time and none of the Star Wars villains have come to his level of menace and complexity. Christensen was recently asked how Vader would have fared against Thanos in a one-on-one fight. The actor’s surprising response may
Hayden Christensen Believes Darth Vader Would Beat Thanos In A 1v1 Fight
Darth Vader is the franchise-defining villain who kicked off the Star Wars films with the original trilogy. His intimidating presence and complexity terrified audiences while also making him a fascinating villain. Hayden Christensen’s portrayal of Anakin Skywalker/ Darth Vader in the prequel trilogy added more layers to the individual and Christensen’s return as the character in recent Star Wars shows has been appreciated by fans.
Being one of the most celebrated villains of all time, comparisons with other cinematic villains are expected and fans have wondered how he would fare against other villains in other franchises. In a recent interview with GQ, Christensen was asked who would win in a fight between MCU’s Thanos and Darth Vader.
Without any hesitation, the actor answered “Vader beats everybody. Always.” This led to an intense debate on X between Star Wars and Marvel fans. Both sides strongly defended the strongest villain of their beloved franchise. Here are some of the reactions,
Cmon now Hayden😂😂
No individual person is beating Thanos with all the infinity stones😂
— CinemaBums (@Cinema_Bums) July 1, 2024
Thanos would win
— Goddons🇳🇬 (@GodwinOsezoa) July 1, 2024
This is like asking a Dad if he could beat another Dad in a fight.
Thanos got him easy.— Joshua Hartley (@JHartley2) July 1, 2024
Vader wins with the quickness
— Chef Scottymillerburgh (@scottymilyburgh) July 1, 2024
i dont think people realize how strong vader is
— ☥ (@Cerealvx) July 1, 2024
Vader wouldn’t have to move a muscle and could literally crush Thanos with his mind. Don’t even
— Bossy_ (@RealBossy_) July 1, 2024
Christensen may have started an intense fan war over the internet with his nonchalant answer. Both franchises have massive enthusiastic fans who wouldn’t like others looking down on their characters. While the question itself is an interesting one, it does not have a real answer and it is open to interpretation as to who wins between these beloved villains.
Leonardo DiCaprio Was Considered For Anakin Skywalker Before Hayden Christensen
When George Lucas started to work on the Star Wars prequel trilogy, many high-profile actors were considered to play important roles. Hayden Christensen was a new actor at that point and had no star power to attract studios and filmmakers. Thus, when he heard of casting calls for Anakin Skywalker, he thought it was unattainable, but he gave his name for it anyway.
In an interview with Empire, Christensen revealed that the studio had approached big stars like Leonardo DiCaprio for the role which confirmed his belief that he would never get the role. Knowing that, it helped his audition process as it freed him from any kind of pressure. He was surprised when he ultimately landed the part The actor said,
I had heard that they’d met with Leonardo and a bunch of other actors. That just confirmed my thought that the role would go to another actor. Through the entire auditioning process I had told myself, from day one, that I wasn’t going to get the part. It just wasn’t a possibility. And I think that probably helped me a lot because it just freed me up in a lot of ways. And so it really came as a surprise to me when I got the part.
Christensen reprised his role as Anakin Skywalker in modern Star Wars shows such as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka. The actor’s return to the franchise has been loved by fans despite his divisive portrayal of the character in the prequel trilogy. The actor is open to returning in future Star Wars projects if the story is right. Fans can watch the aforementioned shows on Disney+.
