We Now Know How Hayden Christensen's Darth Vader Could Look In Obi-Wan Kenobi
Anakin Skywalker's path to the Dark Side is a story that spans decades, beginning with his childhood as a slave on Tatooine and coming to a head when his murder of Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) to save Chancellor Palpatine's (Ian McDiarmid) life. The chancellor — a.k.a. Darth Sidious, the Sith lord pulling the galaxy's strings — spares no time in cementing Anakin as his apprentice, and grants the former Jedi a title that would strike terror in the heart of the galaxy for years to come: Darth Vader.
Technically, then, Anakin is Vader for the final act of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Sans the iconic dark suit and mask, however, Anakin doesn't pack quite the same punch, even if he's terrifying in his own right courtesy of the new reddish-yellow tint to his eyes. With Anakin actor Hayden Christensen returning for the Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi series, though, fans may finally get a chance to see how time has affected the man beneath the suit. True enough, Luke (Mark Hamill) unmasks Vader in Return of the Jedi, but that was Sebastian Shaw behind the mask, not Christensen (who was a toddler when the film released in 1983).
As the internet has lit up with anticipation for the actor's return, digital artist Bosslogic offered up his own take on Christensen as Vader. Fair warning: the result may turn you to the Dark Side.
"He's more machine now than man..."
Sporting the piercing eyes and burned visage he has in Revenge of the Sith's final scenes, Bosslogic's Christensen is almost as fear-inducing as the Vader mask itself. The burns of Mustafar run deep, literally and metaphorically, and the artist's work on Christensen's face absolutely reflects that. "Can't wait to see Hayden Christensen again," Bosslogic wrote in the accompanying caption. If he looks anything like he does in the art, then who can wait?
Normally, Vader only removes his helmet in seclusion, but Obi-Wan actor Ewan McGregor all but confirmed that the old friends will come to blows in the series, so who knows? An errant lightsaber strike may singe a hole in the mask. Just imagine: the labored breathing of an exhausted Vader, smoke swirling into the air from the damaged mask, one of Anakin's enraged eyes peeking out from behind. It's a chilling image — one made all the more chilling with Bosslogic's work in mind.
No matter how fans receive the story, Star Wars productions always look the part. Obi-Wan Kenobi is likely going to be no exception to the rule, and fans can now only hope that Christensen's Vader will be part of the reason.