Star Wars has become as big a franchise as Marvel, and is starting to match the output of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Despite the embiggening of the world, fans are shocked an obvious choice hasn’t seen a spin-off: Darth Vader.
Such a series would surely prove to be more than just cromulent, with the character being a major highlight of the recent Obi-Wan Kenobi solo series which debuted in June 2022. Hayden Christensen and James Earl Jones returned to play and voice the character respectively for Kenobi, and fans want more.
Disney Plus has so far seen spin-offs The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and is soon to add Vader’s former apprentice with Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka on its way. The patience is running thing, though. The fans want Vader and they want him as the star.
Voiced emphatically by one commenter, when the entire saga depends on the actions of Vader in some roundabout way, it’s staggering he hasn’t seen more one-on-one level dedication in the form of movie or series.
Or is Vader just too “badass” like one commenter suggests? His role in the original trilogy was fairly simple, as is his overall role in the empire. Go in with the troops and show people what the empire is about, and importantly how powerful it can be.
The other side of the coin sees Vader as something you need to use sparingly for him to keep his effect. If he were to headline a series, would his appearances be anywhere near as impactful during Rogue One or Obi-Wan?
The reality is also he’s appeared in at five films as a bogeyman who means business. If you count his helmet being among Kylo Ren’s possessions and young Anakin, he’s appeared in every single Star Wars film.
Should Vader ever get his own Disney Plus series, it’d be curious to see if Christensen would reprise his role again. Obi-Wan Kenobi can currently be streamed on Disney Plus.
