Kylo Ren

         He's dark. He's powerful. He's a bit unhinged. He commands armies but whines in his room to the mutilated helmet of his dead grandfather he never knew. Kylo Ren is the synthesis of the broodiness of Anakin Skywalker and the ominousness of Darth Vader. His backstory is both tragic and mysterious. Originally conceived of as “the Jedi killer,” he leads the Knights of Ren and uprooted Luke’s Jedi academy by either converting or killing his classmates. We want to see him succeed and do the right thing, but it's hard to hope for the best after he eliminated one someone who felt like family to us—his own father, Han Solo.

          The magic of what makes Kylo Ren work is exactly this dilemma and so much more. When he was introduced to fans in the months leading up to Episode VII, reactions varied. Some complained about the crackling crimson cross-hilt lightsaber. Others marveled. Some said the mask was derivative of Darth Revan. Resoundingly, it was hard not to think the obvious: it's a cool character design, but how will he compare to the single most legendary villain in the history of pop culture, Darth Vader? As it turns out, this was front-and-center in the minds of the filmmakers as well. For Kylo Ren himself, this represents his single greatest doubt. In one of the quieter moments of The Force Awakens, he voices his indecision and his "pull to the light." This culminates in Rey turning the tables on her interrogator in the movie's second half, reading Ben Solo's mind and giving words to what we were all thinking, "You're afraid  that you'll never be as strong as Darth Vader!" Therein lies the stroke of brilliance. Kylo dreads being a pretender. He wants to establish himself as a true dark side powerhouse, but standing in the way is the Resistance, Rey, his own inner doubts, his parents, and his master, and even his own legacy.

          Kylo Ren’s story is truly one of the most compelling elements of the Sequel Trilogy. He had a tragic turn to the dark side involving a perceived betrayal by his parents and some sort of manipulative targeting from Supreme Leader Snoke. There’s still so much of his story yet to be explored. But The Last Jedi gave us a series of flashbacks show his rocky relationship with his uncle, Luke. His agenda is hard to pinpoint, exactly. On the one hand, he wants to prove himself and establish his evil prowess, but on the other, he doesn’t follow a traditional villainous trajectory. He eliminated his own master, Snoke, and invited Ray to join him in ruling the galaxy. At the end of Episode VIII, he becomes the new Supreme Leader of the First Order, but has he truly erased his pull to the light?

          While the wealth of Kylo Ren stories are yet to be told (an exciting idea!), here are a few recommendations. He will feature most prominent in an upcoming mini-series from none other than Charles Soule, The Rise of Kylo Ren. The author described it as “from Ben to Ren.” It looks to tell the story of leaving Luke’s Jedi academy and becoming the villain we love to hate. You’ll also want to check out two recently released comics in the Age of Resistance series, Snoke #1 in particular, for a young Ben being trained by the Supreme Leader in the dark side cave on Dagobah. Empire’s End shows baby Ben. Bloodline features Leia in the expanse between ROTJ and TFA, with glimpses at how an adolescent Ben might receive the surprise news that Darth Vader was his grandfather. We’re not willing to let the past die with Kylo, not yet anyway. Additional recommendations if you’re a fan of Kylo Ren’s persona include a taste of Soule’s best comics writing in his Darth Vader series, a tour of the dark side with Darth Plagueis, an ambitious and eager-to-prove-himself Darth Maul in Shadow Hunter, and Jacen Solo’s first steps down the dark path in Legacy of the Force: Betrayal. We’re anxious to see what the future holds for Kylo, but there’s plenty to read in the meantime.

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