Domhnall Gleeson Playing General Hux In Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Last night’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens Comic-Con panel may have heavily leaned on nostalgia for the original, but it was also rife with teases for the franchise’s future. And as actor Domhnall Gleeson was sitting on the Hall H stage looking out at seas of con-goers, one huge one came as his character for the upcoming seventh chapter in the iconic sci-fi series was revealed as key Dark Side player General Hux.

So much for those rumors that Gleeson was playing a Skywalker descendant. According to Gleeson, he sports a British accent, so he was always going to be playing a villain. General Hux is a high-ranking member of the First Order, which seems to have replaced the Empire as a threat to the galaxy far, far away. Hux, the evil Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) are the core members of the nefarious First Order.

Additionally, in what was thought to be a spoiler by most of those in attendance, Gleeson revealed that Hux, Ren and Phasma all reside at Starkiller Base, a nice reference to George Lucas’ first script for Star Wars, in which Luke Skywalker was actually called Luke Starkiller (thank God for editors, am I right?).

While discussing characters on the panel, Driver also talked a little about his lightsaber-wielding Sith Kylo Ren:

Adam Driver said he approached Kylo Ren not as someone who thinks he’s bad, but who thinks he’s *right*. #StarWars #ComicCon

— Adam B. Vary (@adambvary) July 11, 2015

Driver calls Kylo Ren ‘right’ but not bad. Great pic on screen w/ troopers #Sdcc2015 #StarWars pic.twitter.com/hNGQ3VnCWZ

— Blastr (@blastr) July 11, 2015

The First Order certainly seems like a legitimate threat to peace and prosperity in the galaxy, so it will be fascinating to see how its origins are detailed.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens December 18.