Cue John Williams’ “The Imperial March”, as Lucasfilm has revealed a first-look photo of Darth Vader’s return to our screens in the upcoming Disney Plus series Obi-Wan Kenobi. It’s been known for some time now that one of the greatest villains in cinema history would be making an appearance in the upcoming Star Wars series and now, only a day after we got our first-look images of Ewan McGregor returning to play title character Obi-Wan, amongst others, we have our first-look photo of the Sith Lord.
Returning to the role is Hayden Christensen, who played young Jedi Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Over the course of these films, we see talented, yet overly emotional, young Anakin give in to the Dark Side, becoming the character we most strongly associate with the Star Wars franchise to date.
The image certainly cuts a menacing figure, as Vader, highlighted by the surrounding smoke, emerges from the darkness. He appears to be emerging from his meditation chamber, which could cause some to speculate that there is a chance we might see the villain without his helmet.
Though Vader is not the only villain of the show, with Inquisitor Reva (Moses Ingram) and Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend) seen menacingly hunting down Jedi in the teaser trailer, Vader’s presence is still going to be felt in and amongst these other villains.
Viewers can see Obi-Wan Kenobi alongside student-turned-enemy Darth Vader as they face each other once again when the series is released on May 25.