Will Kylo Ren be redeemed in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker? That’s a big question we have going into the closer to the Sequel Trilogy. Ben Solo’s actions over The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi have consistently proven his devotion to the Dark Side – not least murdering his own father, Han Solo – but Adam Driver’s performance has always painted a portrait of a character supremely conflicted and constantly suppressing his own guilt and remorse.
So, will Kylo finally do the right thing in Episode IX? MTV News’ Josh Horowitz asked director J.J. Abrams the big question at D23, and while he was never going to give anything away, Abrams did promise that Driver is “mind-blowing” in Rise and one thing he didn’t want for this movie is to “limit” what the actor could do.
.@jjabrams gave us a few hints on what to expect in '#StarWars: Rise of Skywalker' from the mysterious Emperor, to the pivotal final sequence and a possible redemption for #KyloRen through Adam Driver's performance: "He is mindblowing in this" #D23Expo pic.twitter.com/QbXNJzixnm
— MTV NEWS (@MTVNEWS) August 28, 2019
It’s difficult to say which way Kylo should go in Rise of Skywalker. Obviously, a last-minute return to the light would directly mirror his grandfather Anakin’s own switch in Return of the Jedi. Which would create a neat parallel but would no doubt result in some critics calling it a ripoff of that famous moment. Then again, if Ren remains a bad’un, has he really undergone a satisfying arc? Maybe a more ambiguous ending is what’s needed for the character.
What’s for sure is that Kylo won’t be the big bad for this movie. Somehow, some way, Emperor Palpatine has returned which surely spells doom for the galaxy. It’s unclear whether Ren will ally with him or not, seeing as he offed his last evil mentor in TLJ and the complicated history the villain has with his family. Whichever way it goes though, at least we can look forward to another stunning performance from Driver when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20th.
