eBay

Note: Hi, I don't make anything on this, I had to buy the item, pay to ship it, and ebay takes 15%.....just doing this to get it out of inventory...thanks!

FREE SHIPPING IN THE USA!!! USA SELLER - PACKED CAREFULLY & SHIPS *WITH TRACKING* WITHIN 1 DAY AFTER ORDER

Disney Star Wars Darth Vader Tin Box (Empty) Crayola Collectible Box No Crayons

Some Dings and Bends see pictures, not in perfect condition. Makes a great boys’ keepsake or knickknack box.

This Disney Star Wars Darth Vader Tin Box by Crayola is the perfect collectible item for any fan. The red tin box features Darth Vader on the front and is great for storing keepsakes or knickknacks. Please refer to the pictures for any dings or bends on the tin box. This Crayola collectible item does not come with any crayons and is a great addition to any collection of crayons, drawing and painting supplies, or kids' crafts. The California Prop 65 Warning is applicable for this item, but please note that the condition of the tin box is not perfect.

SOME GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT Darth Vader

Darth Vader, as he appeared in the original Star Wars film

First appearance Star Wars (1977)

Created by George Lucas

Portrayed by

Darth Vader:

David Prowse[a]

Bob Anderson[b]

Spencer Wilding / Daniel Naprous[c]

Hayden Christensen[d]

Dmitrious Bistrevsky[e]

Anakin Skywalker:

Sebastian Shaw[g]

Jake Lloyd[h]

Hayden Christensen[j]

Voiced by

Darth Vader:

James Earl Jones[k]

Ben Burtt (vocal effects)

Brock Peters (radio drama)

Matt Sloan[l]

Scott Lawrence (various video games)

Anakin Skywalker:

Hayden Christensen[m]

David Birney (radio drama)

Mat Lucas[n]

Kirby Morrow (Lego Star Wars series)

Matt Lanter[o]

In-universe information

Full name Anakin Skywalker

Alias The Chosen One

Occupation

Slave[h]

Padawan[p]

Jedi Knight[q]

Member of the Jedi High Council[r]

Jedi General in the Grand Army of the Republic[s]

Dark Lord of the Sith[t]

Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Military[u]

Affiliation

Skywalker family

Watto's shop

Jedi Order

Galactic Republic

Sith Order

Galactic Empire

Weapon Lightsaber

Family Shmi Skywalker (mother)

Spouse Padmé Amidala (wife)

Children Luke Skywalker (son)

Leia Organa Solo (daughter)

Relatives Ben Solo (grandson)

Master

Obi-Wan Kenobi (as a Jedi)

Darth Sidious (as a Sith)

Apprentice

Jedi:

Ahsoka Tano

Sith (Legends):

Galen Marek / Starkiller

Shira Brie / Lumiya

Homeworld Tatooine

Extended Family

Canon

Cliegg Lars (stepfather)

Owen Lars (stepbrother)

Beru Whitesun (stepsister-in-law)

Han Solo (son-in-law)

Jobal Naberrie (mother-in-law)

Ruwee Naberrie (father-in-law)

Sola Naberrie (sister-in-law)

Legends

Mara Jade Skywalker (daughter-in-law)

Ben Skywalker (grandson)

Jacen Solo (grandson)

Jaina Solo Fel (granddaughter)

Anakin Solo (grandson)

Allana "Amelia" Solo (great-granddaughter)

Jagged Fel (grandson-in-law)

Cade Skywalker (descendant)

Darth Vader is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. The character is the secondary antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is the main protagonist of the prequel trilogy. Star Wars creator George Lucas has collectively referred to the first six episodic films of the franchise as "the tragedy of Darth Vader".[1] Darth Vader has become one of the most iconic villains in popular culture, and has been listed among the greatest villains and fictional characters ever.[2][3] His masked face and helmet, in particular, is considered one of the most iconic character designs of all time.

Originally a slave on Tatooine, Anakin Skywalker is a Jedi prophesied to bring balance to the Force. He is lured to the dark side of the Force by Chancellor Palpatine and becomes a Sith Lord, assuming the name of Darth Vader and helping his new master all but destroy the Jedi Order. After a lightsaber battle with his former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, in which he is severely injured, Vader is transformed into a cyborg. Now Palpatine's right-hand, he serves the Galactic Empire for over two decades, hunting down the remaining Jedi as well as the Rebel Alliance. Vader ultimately redeems himself by saving his son, Luke Skywalker, and killing Palpatine, sacrificing his own life in the process.[4] He is also the secret husband of Padmé Amidala, the biological father of Princess Leia, and the maternal grandfather of Kylo Ren (Ben Solo). In the non-canonical Star Wars Legends continuity, he is also the grandfather of Luke's son Ben, and Leia's sons Anakin and Jacen and daughter Jaina, and the great-grandfather of Jacen's daughter Allana.

The character has been portrayed by numerous actors: David Prowse physically portrayed Vader in the original trilogy, while James Earl Jones has voiced him in all of the films and some television shows. Sebastian Shaw portrayed the unmasked Anakin in Return of the Jedi, as well as the character's spirit in the original release of that film.[f] Jake Lloyd played Anakin Skywalker as a child in The Phantom Menace, the first film of the prequel trilogy, while Hayden Christensen played him as a young adult in the following two films, post-2004 releases of Return of the Jedi,[i] and the television series Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka.

In addition to the first six Star Wars films, the character appears in the anthology film Rogue One. He also appears in television series (most substantially The Clone Wars) and numerous iterations of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, including video games, novels, and comic books. Due to Vader's popularity, various merchandise of the character, such as action figures and replicas of his lightsaber, has been produced.

Creation and development

Name

George Lucas, who created Vader's character

According to Star Wars creator George Lucas, he experimented with various combinations of names for the character built upon the phrase "Dark Water". He then "added lots of last names, Vaders and Wilsons and Smiths, and ... just came up with the combination of Darth and Vader". After the release of The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Lucas stated that the name Vader was based upon the German/Dutch-language word vater or vader ('father'), suggesting "Dark Father" and the character's relationship with original-trilogy protagonist Luke Skywalker.[5] Other words which may have inspired the name are "death" and "invader",[6] as well as the name of a high-school upperclassman of Lucas's, Gary Vader.[7][8]

As no other character with the title "Darth" was introduced until the release of The Phantom Menace (1999),[v] some viewers interpreted it as the character's first name, in part because Obi-Wan Kenobi addresses him as "Darth" in the original film.[9][w] The moniker is bestowed upon Anakin in Revenge of the Sith (2005) upon his turn to the dark side of the Force.

Director Ken Annakin's films Swiss Family Robinson and Battle of the Bulge influenced the original trilogy,[10] leading some to believe that Anakin was named after him. Lucas' publicist denied this following Annakin's death in 2009.[11] Anakin and Luke's original surname "Starkiller" remained in the script until a few months into filming Star Wars, when it was dropped due to what Lucas called "unpleasant connotations" with Charles Manson and replaced with "Skywalker".[12][x]

In other countries

In France, the character's name was changed to "Dark Vador" starting with the original film. The names of other characters were changed too, but his is the only name that has been maintained even in the most recent films. The title "Dark" was used in place of "Darth" for the other Sith lords as well.[14]

In the Italian-language editions, Darth Vader is named "Dart Fener". In 2005, before the release of Episode III, an online survey asked Italian fans whether they would rather maintain the Italian name or switch it to the original: the first option won. In 2015, when Episode VII had to be released, the Italian localisation decided to change the name to the English "Darth Vader".[15]

In Iceland his name is "Svarthöfði" (which means "blackhead").

Concept and writing

In the first draft of The Star Wars, tall, grim general "Darth Vader" was already close in line with his final depiction, and the protagonist Annikin Starkiller had a role similar to that of his son Luke's as the 16-year-old son of a respected warrior.[16] Originally, Lucas conceived of the Sith as a group that served the Emperor in the same way that the Schutzstaffel served Adolf Hitler. In developing the backstory for The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas condensed this into one character in the form of Vader.[17]

After the success of the original Star Wars film, Lucas hired science-fiction author Leigh Brackett to write the sequel with him. They held story conferences and, by late November 1977, Lucas had produced a handwritten treatment. He wrote, "When we kill [Vader] off in the [third film], we'll reveal ... [h]e wants to be human—he's still fighting in his own way the dark side of the Force." Lucas considered introducing a new lair for Vader to replace the Death Star; these included an Imperial City, a cave, "a little castle on a rock in the middle of the ocean", and "a tall, dark tower, very narrow in a lava flow".[18][y]

In Brackett's draft, Luke's father appears as a ghost to instruct him.[19] Lucas was disappointed with Brackett's script, but she died of cancer before he could discuss it with her.[20] Amongst other issues, Lucas found Vader's characterization unsatisfactory, e.g. expository dialogue near the beginning.[18][z] With no writer available, Lucas wrote the next draft himself. In this script, dated April 1, 1978, he utilized a new plot twist: Vader claims to be Luke's father.[21] According to Lucas, he found this draft enjoyable to write, as opposed to the year-long struggles writing the first film.[22] Lucas has said that he knew Vader was Luke's father while writing the first film,[23] though the relationship is not explicitly evidenced before said draft of The Empire Strikes Back.[21][24][25] Although Lucas kept Vader's identity secret, even to the cast and crew of The Empire Strikes Back, Vader's physical portrayer, David Prowse, stated to the press in 1978 that in the sequel, "Luke learns that Darth is, in fact, his long-lost father."[26]

The new plot element of Luke's parentage had drastic effects on the series. Author Michael Kaminski argues in The Secret History of Star Wars that it is unlikely that the plot point had ever seriously been considered or even conceived of before 1978, and that the first film was clearly operating under a storyline where Vader was a separate character from Luke's father.[27] After writing the second and third drafts in which the plot point was introduced, Lucas reviewed the new backstory he had created: Anakin had been Obi-Wan Kenobi's brilliant student and had a child named Luke, but was swayed to the dark side by Palpatine. Anakin battled Obi-Wan on a volcano and was badly wounded, but was then reborn as Vader. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan hid Luke on Tatooine while the Galactic Republic became the tyrannical Galactic Empire and Vader systematically hunted down and killed the Jedi.[28] An early draft of Return of the Jedi ended with Luke taking Vader's helmet and declaring, "Now I am Vader."[29]

After deciding to create the prequel trilogy, Lucas indicated that the story arc would be a tragic one depicting Anakin's fall to the dark side. He also saw that the prequels could form the beginning of one long story that started with Anakin's childhood and ended with his death, in what he has termed "the tragedy of Darth Vader".[1] This was the final step towards turning the film series into a "saga".[30] For the first prequel, Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Lucas made Anakin nine years old[31][aa] to make the character's separation from his mother more poignant.[33] Movie trailers focused on Anakin and a one-sheet poster showing him casting Vader's shadow informed otherwise unknowing audiences of the character's eventual fate.[34] The movie ultimately achieved a primary goal of introducing audiences to Anakin,[30] as well as introducing the concept that he is the Chosen One of an ancient Jedi prophecy, destined to bring balance to the Force. Lucas states in an interview recorded around the time of the third prequel, Revenge of the Sith (2005), that "Anakin is the Chosen One. Even when Anakin turns into Darth Vader, he is still the Chosen One."[35][36] Hayden Christensen spoke about Darth Vader's role in the six-film saga: "He believes that he's the Chosen One. He's not doing wrong things knowing that it's having a negative impact. So there's that sort of naivety to him now that wasn't there before, and it makes him more human in a lot of ways."[36]

Michael Kaminski offers evidence that issues in Anakin's fall to the dark side prompted Lucas to make fundamental story changes, first revising the opening sequence of Revenge of the Sith to have Palpatine kidnapped and his apprentice, Count Dooku, killed by Anakin in cold blood as the first act in the latter's turn towards the dark side.[37] After principal photography was complete in 2003, Lucas re-wrote Anakin's turn to the dark side; Anakin's fall from grace would now be motivated by a desire to save his wife, Padmé Amidala, rather than the previous version in which that reason was one of several, including that he genuinely believed that the Jedi were plotting to take over the Republic. This fundamental re-write was accomplished both through editing the principal footage, and new and revised scenes filmed during pick-ups in 2004.[38]

During production of the animated The Clone Wars television series, Ahsoka Tano was developed to illustrate how Anakin develops from the brash, undisciplined Padawan apprentice in Attack of the Clones (2002) to the more reserved Jedi Knight in Revenge of the Sith.[39] Clone Wars supervising director and Star Wars Rebels co-creator Dave Filoni said that giving Anakin responsibility for a Padawan was meant to place the character in a role that forced him to become more cautious and responsible. It would also give him insight into his relationship with Obi-Wan and depict how their relationship matured. Ahsoka and Anakin's relationship was seen as an essential story arc spanning both the animated film and Clone Wars television series.[40] Filoni began thinking about the final confrontation between Ahsoka and Vader ever since he created the former;[41] different iterations had different endings,[42] including one in which Vader kills Ahsoka just as she slashes open his helmet to reveal his scarred face.[43] A similar scene is included in an episode of Rebels, in which Ahsoka slashes Vader's helmet open, and the Sith Lord recognizes her.[44] According to Filoni, Ahsoka's presence in the series allows Vader to encounter the show's lead characters without the latter being "destroyed", as Ahsoka can "stand toe-to-toe" with her former master.[45]

Design

Ralph McQuarrie incorporated samurai armor into his conceptual designs for Vader's costume in 1975.

Vader was not initially conceived of as wearing a helmet. The idea that he should wear a breathing apparatus was first proposed by concept artist Ralph McQuarrie during preproduction discussions for Star Wars with Lucas in 1975. According to McQuarrie, Lucas directed him to portray a malevolent figure in a cape with samurai armor, stating, "George just said he would like to have a very tall, dark fluttering figure that had a spooky feeling like it came in on the wind."[46] Because the script indicated that Vader would travel between spaceships and needed to survive in the vacuum of space, McQuarrie proposed that Vader should wear a space suit. Lucas agreed, and McQuarrie combined a full-face breathing mask with a samurai helmet, thus creating one of space-fantasy cinema's most iconic designs.[47][46] McQuarrie's 1975 production painting of Vader engaged in a lightsaber duel with Deak Starkiller (a prototypical Luke Skywalker) depicts the former wearing black armor, a flowing cape and an elongated, skull-like mask and helmet. This initial design by McQuarrie was relatively close to Vader's final depiction.[48]

Darth Vader designers

Ralph McQuarrie

Brian Muir

Working from McQuarrie's designs, costume designer John Mollo devised an outfit that could be worn by an actor onscreen using a combination of clerical robes, a motorcycle suit, a German military helmet and a military gas mask.[49] The prop sculptor Brian Muir created the helmet and armor used in the film.[50] Vader's chest plate includes Hebrew characters, some of which are upside down, and may constitute gibberish or jabber about redemption.[51]

The sound of the respirator function of Vader's mask was created by Ben Burtt using modified recordings of scuba breathing apparatus used by divers.[52] The sound effect is trademarked in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office under Trademark #77419252 and is officially described in the documentation as "The sound of rhythmic mechanical human breathing created by breathing through a scuba tank regulator."[53]

Commentators have often pointed to the influence of Akira Kurosawa's films such as The Hidden Fortress (1958) on George Lucas, and Vader's samurai-inspired costume design is held up as a significant example of the Japanese influences on Star Wars.[54]

It has long been rumored that the warrior on the front cover of Wishbone Ash's 1972 album Argus was the main inspiration behind Darth Vader. Vocalist and guitarist Andy Powell acknowledged this rumor although he himself cannot confirm if it is true as he had nothing to do with the conception of the cover art.[55]

Portrayals

As Vader

David Prowse physically portrayed Vader in the original film trilogy.

Darth Vader was portrayed by bodybuilder David Prowse in the original film trilogy, with fencer Bob Anderson performing the character's lightsaber fight scenes.[56][57] George Lucas thought that the 6-foot-6-inch (1.98 m) Prowse "brought a physicality to Darth Vader that was essential for the character ... with an imposing stature and movement performance to match the intensity and undercurrent of Vader's presence."[58]

Lucas chose to have a different actor be the voice of Vader, since Prowse had a strong West Country English accent that led the rest of the cast to nickname him "Darth Farmer". Lucas originally intended for Orson Welles to voice Vader, but after deciding that Welles's voice would be too recognizable, he cast the lesser-known James Earl Jones instead.[59][60] Jones initially felt his contributions to the films were too small to warrant recognition and his role was uncredited at his request until the release of Return of the Jedi (1983).[56] When Jones was specifically asked if he had supplied Vader's voice for Revenge of the Sith—either newly or from a previous recording—Jones answered, "You'd have to ask Lucas about that. I don't know."[61] Hayden Christensen and Gene Bryant alternately portray Vader in Revenge of the Sith.[62][63][64][ab] During the production of Revenge of the Sith, Christensen asked Lucas if a special Vader suit could be constructed to fit his own body, rather than have a different actor don one of the original sets of Vader armor worn by Prowse.[65] Brock Peters provided the voice of Darth Vader in the NPR/USC radio series. Both Spencer Wilding[66] and Daniel Naprous portrayed Vader in Rogue One (2016), with Jones reprising his role as the character's voice.[67][68]

James Earl Jones voiced Darth Vader for the character's portrayals in film and television.

Vader's character has also been portrayed in several video games; in games such as Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire and Dark Forces, visual effects artist C. Andrew Nelson appears in short sequences in the Vader costume, voiced by Scott Lawrence. Matt Sloan, who appeared in the YouTube parody Chad Vader, provided the voice of Darth Vader in The Force Unleashed.[69] As a result of his video game appearances, Nelson was cast to appear as Vader in brief sequences inserted into the Special Edition of The Empire Strikes Back, in which Vader is seen boarding his shuttle.[64]

In September 2022, it was confirmed that Jones would retire from voicing the character. His voice was digitally recreated by the company Respeecher for use in Obi-Wan Kenobi using artificial intelligence, and Jones later signed over the rights to his performance for future Star Wars productions.[70][71]

As Anakin

Hayden Christensen portrayed Anakin Skywalker in the latter two episodes of the prequel trilogy and other minor film appearances. In 2022, he took over the portrayal of Vader as well.

During production of Return of the Jedi, the casting crew sought an experienced actor for the role of Anakin Skywalker since his death was unquestionably the emotional climax of the film, and Sebastian Shaw was selected for the role.[72][ac] When Shaw arrived at the set for filming, he ran into his friend Ian McDiarmid, the actor playing the Emperor. When McDiarmid asked him what he was doing there, Shaw responded, "I don't know, dear boy, I think it's something to do with science-fiction."[74] His presence during the filming was kept secret from all but the minimum cast and crew, and Shaw was contractually obliged not to discuss any film secrets with anyone, even his family. The unmasking scene, directed by Richard Marquand, was filmed in one day and required only a few takes, with no alteration from the original dialogue.[72] Lucas personally directed Shaw for his appearance in the final scene of the film, in which he plays Anakin's Force spirit. Shaw's likeness in this scene was replaced with that of Christensen in the 2004 DVD release. This attempt to tie the prequel and original trilogies together was one of the most controversial changes in a Star Wars re-release.[75][76][ab] Shaw received more fan mail and autograph requests from Return of the Jedi than he had for any role in the rest of his career. He later reflected that he enjoyed his experience on the film and expressed particular surprise that an action figure was made of his portrayal.[72]

When The Phantom Menace was being produced, hundreds of actors were tested for the role of young Anakin[78] before the producers settled on Jake Lloyd, who Lucas considered met his requirements of "a good actor, enthusiastic and very energetic". Producer Rick McCallum said that Lloyd was "smart, mischievous and loves anything mechanical—just like Anakin."[79][80] During production of Attack of the Clones, casting director Robin Gurland reviewed about 1,500 other candidates for the role of the young Anakin before Lucas eventually selected Hayden Christensen for the role,[81] reportedly because he and Natalie Portman (the actress who plays Padmé Amidala) "looked good together".[82] When Revenge of the Sith was being produced, Christensen and Ewan McGregor began rehearsing their climactic lightsaber duel long before Lucas would shoot it. They trained extensively with stunt coordinator Nick Gillard to memorize and perform their duel together. As in the previous prequel film, McGregor and Christensen performed their own lightsaber fighting scenes without the use of stunt doubles.[83]

Anakin has also been voiced by Mat Lucas for the 2003 micro-series Clone Wars, and by Matt Lanter in the CGI animated film The Clone Wars, the television series of the same name and for Anakin's small roles in the animated series Rebels and Forces of Destiny.[84] James Earl Jones reprised the voice role for Vader's appearances in Rebels.[85][86] Both Lanter and Jones contributed their voices for the second-season finale of Rebels, at times with identical dialogue spoken by both actors blended together in different ways.[87]

Characteristics

In Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker feels "smothered" by Obi-Wan Kenobi and is incapable of controlling his own life.[88] By Revenge of the Sith, however, his "father–son" friction with his master has matured into a more equal, brotherly relationship.[89] Once he becomes Darth Vader, each evil act he commits shatters any hope or connection towards his previous life, which makes it harder for him to return to the light,[90] but he ultimately escapes the dark side and redeems himself by sacrificing his life to save his son, Luke Skywalker, and kill the Emperor in Return of the Jedi.[91]

Eric Bui, a psychiatrist at University of Toulouse Hospital, argued at the 2007 American Psychiatric Association convention that Anakin Skywalker meets six of the nine diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD), one more than necessary for a diagnosis. He and a colleague, Rachel Rodgers, published their findings in a 2010 letter to the editor of the journal Psychiatry Research. Bui says he found Anakin Skywalker a useful example to explain BPD to medical students.[92] In particular, Bui points to Anakin's abandonment issues and uncertainty over his identity. Anakin's mass murders of the Tusken Raiders in Attack of the Clones and the young Jedi in Revenge of the Sith count as two dissociative episodes, fulfilling another criterion. Bui hoped his paper would help raise awareness of the disorder, especially among teens.[92]

Appearances

Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker appears in seven of the live-action Star Wars films, the animated series The Clone Wars (including the film), Rebels, and the micro-series Clone Wars and Forces of Destiny. He also has a main and recurring role in games, comics, books and the non-canon Star Wars Legends material.

Skywalker saga

Main article: Skywalker saga

Original trilogy

David Prowse as Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Darth Vader first appears in Star Wars[w] as a ruthless cyborg Sith Lord serving the Galactic Empire.[56] He is tasked, along with Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing), with recovering the stolen plans for the Death Star battle station, which were stolen by the Rebel Alliance. Vader captures and tortures Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), who has hidden the plans inside the droid R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) and sent it to find Vader's former Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) on the planet Tatooine. During Leia's rescue by Obi-Wan's allies Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Vader strikes down Obi-Wan in a lightsaber duel. Having placed a tracking device aboard their ship, the Millennium Falcon, Vader is able to track down the Rebel base on the planet Yavin 4.[93] During the Rebel attack on the Death Star, Vader boards his TIE Advanced and shoots down Rebel X-wings, but Solo intervenes and sends Vader's ship spiraling off course, allowing Luke to destroy the Death Star.

In The Empire Strikes Back, Vader becomes obsessed with finding the Force-sensitive Luke[93] and leads his stormtroopers to attack on the Rebel base on Hoth, but the Rebels escape. While conversing with the Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) via hologram, Vader convinces him that Luke would be a valuable ally if he could be turned to the dark side of the Force. Vader hires a group of bounty hunters to follow Luke's friends, and negotiates with Bespin administrator Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) to set a trap for them to bait Luke.[93] After Han, Leia, Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) arrive, Vader tortures and freezes Han in carbonite and gives him to the bounty hunter Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch).[93] When Luke arrives, Vader overpowers him in a lightsaber duel, severing his hand. Vader tells Luke that he is his father, and tries to persuade him to join the dark side and help him overthrow the Emperor. Horrified, Luke escapes through an air shaft. Vader telepathically tells Luke that it is his destiny to join the dark side.[93]

In Return of the Jedi, Vader and the Emperor supervise the final stages of the second Death Star's construction.[93] Thinking that there is still good in his father, Luke surrenders to Vader and tries to convince him to turn from the dark side. Vader takes Luke to the second Death Star to meet the Emperor. While there, the Emperor tempts Luke to give in to his anger, which leads to Vader dueling with Luke once again.[93] Realizing that Leia is Luke's twin sister, Vader threatens to turn her to the dark side if Luke will not submit. Furious, Luke overpowers Vader and severs his father's cybernetic hand. The Emperor entreats Luke to kill Vader and take his place. However, Luke refuses, and the Emperor tortures him with Force lightning. Unwilling to let his son die, Vader seizes the Emperor and throws him down a reactor shaft to his death, but is mortally wounded by his master's lightning in the process.[93][94] The redeemed Anakin Skywalker asks Luke to remove his mask, and admits that there was still good in him after all as he dies peacefully in his son's arms.[94] Luke escapes the second Death Star with his father's body and cremates it in a pyre on Endor. As the Rebels celebrate the second Death Star's destruction and the Empire's defeat, Luke sees the spirits of Anakin, Yoda (Frank Oz), and Obi-Wan watching over him.[94]

In the original trilogy, David Prowse physically portrayed Vader, while James Earl Jones provided the character's voice. Sebastian Shaw portrayed the unmasked Anakin in Return of the Jedi, as well as the character's spirit prior to the 2004 re-release, when he was replaced by Hayden Christensen as Anakin's Force spirit.

Prequel trilogy

A wax sculpture at the Madame Tussauds Star Wars exhibit in London depicting Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker from the prequel trilogy

In Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, which takes place 32 years before A New Hope, Anakin appears as a nine-year-old slave[33] living on Tatooine with his mother Shmi (Pernilla August). In addition to being a gifted pilot and mechanic, Anakin has built his own protocol droid, C-3PO. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) meets Anakin after making an emergency landing on Tatooine with Queen of Naboo Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman). Qui-Gon learns from Shmi that Anakin was conceived without a father and can foresee the future. Qui-Gon senses Anakin's strong connection to the Force and becomes convinced that he is the "Chosen One" of Jedi prophecy who will bring balance to the Force. After winning his freedom in a podrace wager, Anakin leaves with Qui-Gon to be trained as a Jedi on Coruscant, but is forced to leave his mother behind. During the journey, Anakin forms a bond with Padmé. Qui-Gon asks the Jedi Council for permission to train Anakin, but they refuse, concerned that the fear he exhibits makes him vulnerable to the dark side. Eventually, Anakin helps end the corrupt Trade Federation's blockade of Naboo by destroying their control ship. Qui-Gon is mortally wounded in a lightsaber duel with Sith Lord Darth Maul (portrayed by Ray Park, voiced by Peter Serafinowicz), and with his dying breath asks his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) to train Anakin, which he does with the council's reluctant approval.[94] Palpatine, newly elected as the Galactic Republic's Chancellor, befriends Anakin and tells him he will "watch [his] career with great interest".

In Episode II: Attack of the Clones, which takes place 10 years after The Phantom Menace, 19-year-old Anakin is still Obi-Wan's Padawan apprentice. Over the years, he has grown powerful but arrogant, and believes that Obi-Wan is holding him back. After rescuing Padmé, now a senator, from an assassination attempt, Anakin travels with her to Naboo as her bodyguard, and they fall in love, which is against the Jedi Code. Sensing that Shmi is in pain, Anakin travels with Padmé to Tatooine to rescue his mother. While there, Anakin learns that Shmi had been freed by and married farmer Cliegg Lars (Jack Thompson) a few years after he left. He then visits Cliegg and learns from him that she was kidnapped by Tusken Raiders. Anakin locates Shmi at a Tusken campsite, where she dies in his arms. Overcome with grief and rage, Anakin massacres the Tusken tribe and returns to the Lars homestead to bury Shmi.[94] Anakin then travels with Padmé to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan from Sith Lord Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). Dooku captures the trio and sentences them to death. However, a battalion of Jedi arrives with an army of clone troopers to halt the executions. Obi-Wan and Anakin confront Dooku, but the Sith Lord beats them both in a lightsaber duel and severs Anakin's arm. After being rescued by Yoda, Anakin is fitted with a robotic arm and marries Padmé in a secret ceremony.

In Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, set three years after Attack of the Clones, Anakin is now a Jedi Knight and a hero of the Clone Wars. He and Obi-Wan lead a mission to rescue Palpatine from Separatist commander General Grievous (voiced by Matthew Wood). The two Jedi battle Count Dooku, whom Anakin overpowers and decapitates in cold blood at Palpatine's urging. They rescue Palpatine and return to Coruscant. Anakin reunites with Padmé, who tells him that she is pregnant. Although initially excited, Anakin soon begins to have nightmares about Padmé dying in childbirth.[94] Palpatine also appoints Anakin to the Jedi Council as his personal representative. Suspicious of Palpatine, the Council allows Anakin as a member, but declines to grant him the rank of Jedi Master and instead instructs him to spy on Palpatine, shaking Anakin's faith in the Jedi. Later, Palpatine reveals to Anakin that he is the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, the mastermind of the war, and says that only he has the power to save Padmé from dying. Anakin reports Palpatine's treachery to Jedi Master Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson), who confronts and subdues the Sith Lord. Desperate to save Padmé, Anakin intervenes on Palpatine's behalf and severs Windu's hand, allowing Palpatine to kill him. Anakin then pledges himself to the Sith, and Palpatine dubs him Darth Vader.[94]

On Palpatine's orders, Vader leads the 501st Legion to kill everyone in the Jedi Temple, including the children, and then goes to the volcanic planet Mustafar to assassinate the Separatist Council. After learning what her husband has done, a distraught Padmé goes to Mustafar and pleads with Vader to abandon the dark side, but he refuses. Sensing Obi-Wan's presence, and thinking that they are conspiring to kill him, Vader angrily uses the Force to strangle Padmé to unconsciousness. Obi-Wan engages Vader in a lightsaber duel that ends with Obi-Wan severing Vader's limbs and leaving him for dead on the banks of a lava flow, where Vader catches fire and sustains severe burns. Palpatine finds a barely alive Vader and takes him to Coruscant, where his mutilated body is treated and covered in the black suit first depicted in the original trilogy. When Vader asks if Padmé is safe, Palpatine says that he killed her out of anger, and Vader screams in agony. At the end of the film, Vader supervises the construction of the first Death Star alongside Palpatine and Tarkin (Wayne Pygram).

Jake Lloyd played Anakin Skywalker as a child in The Phantom Menace, while Hayden Christensen played him as a young adult in the following two films. James Earl Jones reprised his role as the voice of Vader in Revenge of the Sith.

Sequel trilogy

Thirty years after the Galactic Civil War, Darth Vader's melted helmet appears in The Force Awakens (2015), in which Vader's grandson Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) – who has followed in his grandfather's footsteps by falling to the dark side and betraying the Jedi – is seen addressing him, though Vader does not appear in the film.[ad] At one point, his helmet was considered as the film's MacGuffin.[95] The helmet appears again in The Rise of Skywalker (2019), when Kylo briefly meditates with it, and during the film's first duel between Kylo and Rey (Daisy Ridley). The helmet is last seen on the planet Kijimi, which is later destroyed by a Sith Star Destroyer. The film also reveals that the voice which Ren perceived coming from Vader's helmet in The Force Awakens was generated by a resurrected Palpatine.

In The Rise of Skywalker, Anakin makes a vocal cameo appearance, along with other "voices of Jedi Past", where he encourages Rey to "bring back the balance... as [he] did" before she faces Palpatine and his Sith forces.[96][97] Palpatine uses the voice of Darth Vader to telepathically speak to Ren.

He is voiced by James Earl Jones as Vader and Hayden Christensen as Anakin.

Other Star Wars films

The Clone Wars (film)

In the 2008 3D animated film The Clone Wars, Yoda (voiced by Tom Kane) assigns Ahsoka Tano (voiced by Ashley Eckstein) as Anakin's Padawan apprentice, a responsibility Anakin is at first reluctant to accept. Anakin calls her "Snips" for her "snippy" attitude, while Ahsoka calls him "Skyguy" as a pun on his surname.[94] After earning Anakin's respect during a dangerous mission, Ahsoka joins him on a quest to rescue Jabba the Hutt's infant son, Rotta. Her impetuousness both annoys and endears her to her master, and Anakin develops a friendly affection for his apprentice.

He is voiced by Matt Lanter.

Rogue One

In the anthology film Rogue One (2016), Darth Vader makes an appearance in which he summons Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), the Imperial Director of Advanced Weapons Research, to his castle on Mustafar. He confronts him about his handling of the Death Star project and the destruction of Jedha City, while Krennic asks Vader for an audience with the Emperor regarding the Death Star, which he lost command of to Tarkin. Vader refuses, ordering him to ensure that the Death Star project has not been compromised.[98] When Krennic asks him if he would still regain command of the Death Star, Vader uses the Force to choke him, telling him, "Be careful not to choke on your aspirations, Director."[99] At the end of the film, Vader boards the disabled Rebel flagship, the MC75 Star Cruiser Profundity, with a cadre of 501st Legion troopers and kills several Rebel soldiers as he attempts to recover the plans. However, the docked blockade runner Tantive IV escapes with the plans, setting up the events of A New Hope.

Darth Vader had a much different role in early versions of the film's story. Screenwriter Gary Whitta stated that in his initial pitch, Vader would appear on Scarif and slaughter the Rebel blockade there.[100] In an earlier storyline, Vader would also have killed Krennic for his failure to prevent the Rebels from stealing the Death Star plans.[101] An image of a deleted scene featuring Vader was revealed in February 2021 by Industrial Light & Magic visual effects animator Hal Hickel, who added that Vader was supposed to have a conversation with Tarkin in that scene.[102]

James Earl Jones also reprises his role from previous films as the voice of Darth Vader, who is physically portrayed by Spencer Wilding during the meeting with Krennic and aboard the Star Destroyer, and by Daniel Naprous for the end scene.

Television series

Clone Wars (2003–2005)

Anakin is a lead character in all three seasons of the Clone Wars micro-series, which takes place shortly after the conclusion of Attack of the Clones. Anakin becomes a Jedi Knight and is quickly promoted to a General of the Republic's Clone Army, due in part to Palpatine's (voiced by Nick Jameson) influence. Among other missions, he fights a duel with Dooku's apprentice Asajj Ventress (voiced by Grey DeLisle), helps Obi-Wan (voiced by James Arnold Taylor) capture a Separatist-controlled fortress and rescues Jedi Master Saesee Tiin (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) during a space battle. During the third season, Anakin frees a planet's indigenous species from Separatist control and sees a cryptic vision of his future as Darth Vader. In the series finale, Anakin and Obi-Wan go on a mission to rescue Palpatine from General Grievous, leading to the opening of Revenge of the Sith.

He is voiced by Mat Lucas as an adult and Frankie Ryan Mariquez as a child.

The Clone Wars (2008–2014, 2020)

Anakin is a lead character in all seasons of The Clone Wars. As a Jedi Knight, he leads the 501st Legion on missions with both his master Obi-Wan and apprentice Ahsoka Tano throughout the war. Some of Anakin's actions taken out of concern for Ahsoka violate the Jedi code, such as torturing prisoners who may know her location when she goes missing.[103] Throughout the series there are several references to Anakin's eventual fall to the dark side, including visions of his future as Darth Vader in the third season, and disillusion with the Jedi Council after they wrongly accuse Ahsoka of bombing the Jedi Temple in the fifth season. While she is later forgiven after the true culprit is found, she nonetheless chooses to leave the Jedi Order.[104] Anakin appears as Vader in the final scene of the series finale, set some time after Revenge of the Sith. He investigates the crash site of the Venator-class Star Destroyer Tribunal, which was destroyed during Order 66. Finding one of Ahsoka's lightsabers among the wreckage, Vader assumes that his former Padawan has perished and leaves in silence.

Matt Lanter reprised his role as Anakin from the movie.

Rebels (2014–2018)

Darth Vader appears in Star Wars Rebels, which takes place 14 years after The Clone Wars concluded. He makes minor appearances throughout the first season, and serves as the main antagonist for most of the second season.[105]

At the beginning of the series, Vader leads a squadron of Force-sensitive Imperial Inquisitors who actively search for and kill any remaining Jedi and Force-sensitive children. In the first season, he dispatches the Grand Inquisitor to hunt a Rebel cell causing trouble for the Empire on Lothal, and personally arrives on Lothal to deal with the Rebel threat after the Inquisitor is killed.

In the second-season premiere, Vader orchestrates the murder of Imperial Minister Maketh Tua, who tried to defect to the Rebellion, and confronts the Jedi Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger. When he later attacks the fleet of the Phoenix Squadron, Vader discovers that Ahsoka is still alive and has joined the Rebel Alliance,[106] while Ahsoka is overwhelmed when she recognizes Anakin under "a layer of hate" in Darth Vader. The Emperor orders Vader to dispatch another Inquisitor to capture her.[42] Later in the season, Ahsoka has a vision in which Anakin blames her for allowing him to fall to the dark side.

In the season finale, Ahsoka duels with her former master inside a Sith Temple, allowing her friends to escape Vader and the temple's destruction. As the episode concludes, Vader escapes from the temple's ruins while Ahsoka's fate is left unknown. Vader makes a final voiceless cameo in the late fourth-season episode "A World Between Worlds", in which it is revealed that Ahsoka escaped from her previous duel with Vader by entering a Force-realm that exists outside of time and space. Shortly afterward, Vader's voice (archival audio from Return of the Jedi) is heard echoing in the void.

Matt Lanter reprised his role from The Clone Wars as Anakin and James Earl Jones as Vader. Both Lanter and Jones contributed their voices for the second-season finale, at times with identical dialogue spoken by both actors blended together in different ways.

Forces of Destiny (2017–2018)

Anakin Skywalker appears in multiple episodes of the 2D animated online micro-series Forces of Destiny[84] with Matt Lanter reprising his role.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)

Hayden Christensen returned as Darth Vader, both in and out of armor, in the Disney+ streaming series Obi-Wan Kenobi[107] with Dimitrious Bistrevesky serving as performance artist for the character, while James Earl Jones returns to voice the character. The series reveals that for a decade after their duel on Mustafar, Obi-Wan believed his fallen apprentice to be dead, only for the Imperial Inquisitor Reva (Moses Ingram) to reveal to him that Anakin Skywalker is alive.[108] After Reva draws out Kenobi, Vader begins hunting his former master, seeking to exact revenge on Kenobi for the injuries he inflicted upon him back on Mustafar. Christensen also returns in flashback sequences, both as a newly minted Darth Vader carrying out the massacre at the Jedi Temple, and as Padawan Anakin Skywalker, training with Kenobi in the years preceding the Clone Wars.

Ahsoka (2023)

In October 2021, The Hollywood Reporter reported that, according to undisclosed sources, Christensen would reprise his role as Anakin in the Ahsoka series, which is set after the original trilogy.[109] Industrial Light and Magic used "de-aging" technology to make the 42-year-old Christensen look the same age as Anakin was in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.[110]

In Ahsoka, Anakin is a spirit in the Force, appearing to his former apprentice, Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), in the World Between Worlds, an ethereal realm that exists outside of time and space.[111] He leads her through visions of their shared past together, from training her and fighting alongside her in the Clone Wars to her exile from the Jedi Order and his own fall to the dark side.[112]

Video games

Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker have appeared in a number of Star Wars since the earliest days of the franchise, though rarely as a playable character. He plays a central role in the Legends game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (2008), where he is playable in the first level and later serves as the penultimate boss (and potentially the final boss as well, if the player chooses the Dark Side ending). He also appears in the sequel, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (2010), as the final boss.

Darth Vader makes a minor appearance at the end of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019), after the main antagonist, the Second Sister, is defeated. Vader kills the Second Sister for her failure to secure a Jedi Holocron that could lead the Empire to a number of Force-sensitive children, and then attempts to take the Holocron himself from the protagonist, Cal Kestis, who barely manages to escape from him. Vader returns as a boss in the sequel, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (2023), where he leads an Imperial assault on a Jedi hideout on the planet Jedha and duels Cere Junda, whom he manages to slay after a prolonged battle.

Both Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker have appeared as playable characters in every Lego Star Wars video game to date, most recently in The Skywalker Saga.[113]

A bird version of Darth Vader, represented by Red, appears as a playable character and a boss in Angry Birds Star Wars and its sequel. In both games, he can use the Force to attract blocks and other objects, which are then fired out at various angles.[114]

Darth Vader is also a playable character and boss in Disney Infinity 3.0,[115] and is available as a playable character to unlock for a limited time in Disney Magic Kingdoms.[116]

In video games, Darth Vader is often voiced by Scott Lawrence or Matt Sloan, while Anakin is voiced by Mat Lucas and Matt Lanter.[citation needed]

Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR series

Main article: Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series

At the 2015 Star Wars Celebration, it was announced David S. Goyer was helping to develop a virtual reality game series based on Darth Vader. As an observer with limited influence, the player is able to walk, pick up, push and open things, and possibly affect the story.[117] The game, titled Vader Immortal, is set between Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One and comprises three episodes, the first of which became available with the launch of the Oculus Quest on May 21, 2019,[118] while the last was released on November 21, 2019.[119] The game was later ported to the Oculus Rift. On August 25, 2020, all three episodes were also released on PlayStation VR.[120]

Canon literature

Star Wars: Lords of the Sith was one of the first four canon novels to be released in 2014 and 2015.[121] In it, Vader and Palpatine find themselves hunted by revolutionaries on the Twi'lek planet Ryloth.[122][123]

Comics