Last month, it was revealed that Ian McDiarmid would be reprising his role as Emperor Palpatine in the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. And while several supposed leaks have emerged since then alleging details on the classic villain’s comeback, one report that was shared back in February has also been getting some renewed attention for how well it lines up with our current understanding of the film.
According to the unverified 4chan leak, Palpatine has been the main villain of the Sequel Trilogy this whole time, living on as a spirit capable of possessing bodies. Snoke, for instance, was apparently being controlled by Sheev, and now that the Supreme Leader has been killed, Palpatine’s consciousness has returned to an item that the report identifies as “the MacGuffin.”
In The Rise of Skywalker, it’s said that Kylo Ren and Rey will team up in order to find and destroy the MacGuffin, banishing the Emperor once and for all. The twist, however, is that one of the Knights of Ren, played by Matt Smith, has already been possessed by Palpatine, and eventually turns on Kylo.
Aside from the fact that the Emperor returns, none of the above claims have been confirmed since the report was first shared almost three months ago. However, what’s interesting about this alleged leak is how it slots in seamlessly with a rumor relayed by Making Star Wars over the weekend. Though the MSW report said nothing of Snoke or a MacGuffin, they did say that Smith’s character is possessed by the Emperor, and that Kylo and Rey team up to fight this greater evil.
All in all, it must be said that the 4chan report has significantly more going for it than your average forum “leak,” but we’ll find out if the hearsay has it right when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20th.
