Ask any Star Wars fan worth their salt to identify the true hero of Lucasfilm’s original trilogy and they’ll likely gravitate toward Luke Skywalker, the Tatooine farm-boy-turned-Jedi-Master who helped topple the Galactic Empire and their totalitarian regime.
But from another point of view, Mark Hamill’s series stalwart actually straddles the line between hero and villain, and that’s something the actor addressed just recently via Twitter. As the conspiracy theories continue to engulf Star Wars: The Last Jedi – seriously, we’re beginning to lose track – Hamill has tackled what is arguably the most contentious of the bunch: Luke Skywalker going rogue and converting to the dark side.
To recap, a vocal corner of the Internet believes Kylo Ren will be responsible for Luke’s descent into villainy, while there are those who believe Mr. Skywalker is on the verge of becoming a Gray Jedi – that is, a Force-sensitive being who operates between the dark side and the light. It would certainly explain why Luke is a little disillusioned with his religion of choice: “it’s time for the Jedi…to end.”
Either way, Mark Hamill took to Twitter late last night to tackle that theory head-on – well, sort of.
NEWS FLASH for all you "Villains Looming at the Back of Posters" theorists: Luke was ALWAYS the villain! (from a certain point of view) 😲 pic.twitter.com/4FzxDbFd4V
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) October 17, 2017
This isn’t the first time that the “evil Luke” conspiracy has gripped the Internet; after all, Hamill’s wayward Jedi was a point of contention soon after IMAX’s unveiling of its official standee for The Last Jedi, which placed Skywalker on both sides of the Force.
Again, basing story assumptions on a film’s marketing campaign is a dangerous game. Not only that, but we’re inclined to believe that Lucasfilm chose Luke Skywalker for The Last Jedi‘s posters over Supreme Leader Snoke. Because let’s face it, Andy Serkis’ booming villain isn’t the most photogenic alien in all the galaxy.
All will be revealed once Star Wars: The Last Jedi stages its theatrical debut on December 15th.
