Regardless of how he’s marketed, Darth Vader is supposed to be a frightening character. The trouble is, unless you’ve dug deeper into Star Wars lore than the average fan, you’ve probably never seen why Vader is such a heart-stopping terror. Even when he’s Force choking Imperial peons or fighting his son, he’s holding something back. Which is why I’m still trying to pick my jaw off the floor after seeing a truly demonic Vader cut down Rebel fighters in Rogue One. I mean, did you see that scene? Vader ignites his red lightsaber in a pitch black hallway, and calmly tears through nearly everyone in the room. People die, and they die horribly. He even cuts a dude he levitates to the ceiling in half! I’ve watched that scene in theaters twice now, and both times I found myself recoiling out of both awe and horror, saying, “Oh shit!” over and over again. Here’s the thing: if you’ve been reading the comics and watching Star Wars Rebels, you already know that Vader isn’t so much a person as he is a weapon of mass destruction. Whole Rebel squadrons cannot take this guy down.
