Is Darth Vader the greatest antagonist in the history of cinema?
The rasping, all-powerful Sith Lord has been a cornerstone of pop culture ever since the release of Star Wars: A New Hope in ’77, and as part of their latest, villain-centric issue, the folks over at Empire Magazine present a case for Vader being the best baddie of all time.
He is, after all, the corrupt, power-mongering Sith Lord we all love to hate, even as George Lucas’ forgettable prequel trilogy introduced us to the man beneath the mask: Anakin Skywalker. Taken under the wing of Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin’s Force abilities far exceeded all expectations, ultimately leading him on the path to the dark side in Revenge of the Sith.
Indeed, it was Rogue One that carved out a tight-knit story situated between Sith and A New Hope, and it’s fair to say that Gareth Edwards’ anthology flick served up Vader’s greatest scene, as the towering Sith Lord mowed down members of the Rebel Alliance like a hot knife through butter. And in honor of Palpatine’s disciple, Empire and illustrator Pete Ware (AKA 17th & Oak) have produced a rather stunning subscriber cover as part of its Greatest Movie Villains Ever feature:
Windswept and furious, this is Darth Vader at his most pure – unfiltered and unforgiving, above you’ll see an illustration of the Sith Lord torturing a Rebel with ease, which is underscored by the famous quote: “Be careful not to choke on your aspirations.”
“I find your lack of faith disturbing.” Following his brief, yet mesmerizing turn in Rogue One, there has been chatter online that Vader will be back, back, back for Solo: A Star Wars Story, presumably as a high-ranking puppet master pulling the strings behind the Galactic Empire. It’s yet to be confirmed, of course, but with a May 25th release date in place, it shouldn’t be too much longer before fans have the answers they so crave.