Tom Hiddleston already plays one of the most iconic supervillains in the Marvel universe, but this epic new piece of fan art suggests he’d be the perfect fit to portray one of the biggest evils in the Star Wars galaxy, too. Though the saga of Emperor Sheev Palpatine AKA Darth Sidious chronologically came to an end with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, there’s plenty more to explore in his past. And maybe Hiddleston could be the best choice to bring the young Palps to life.
This artwork imagines the Loki star leading a Palpatine-focused Disney Plus production, with this fan poster also featuring the likes of Count Dooku and Palpatine’s Sith master, Darth Plagueis.
The prequel trilogy showcased how Palpatine rose up the ranks of office to appoint himself emperor of the galaxy, but what would be fascinating to discover is how he became so corrupted and power-hungry in the first place. Well, a streaming film would be one way of revealing his origins story, but it’s possible that one of Lucasfilm’s upcoming TV series is already going to cover it. Reports have stated that The Acolyte, from Russian Doll showrunner Leslye Headland, may center on a young Palps and his apprenticeship under Plagueis.
In which case, it seems unlikely that Hiddleston will be contracted to play the part, no matter how good he’d be. He’s already got his hands full with his MCU commitments, as Loki is the first of Marvel Studios’ TV shows to be ongoing, with a second season in the works – it’s believed to start shooting in January 2022. So who could take over from Ian McDiarmid? Well, Matt Smith was rumored to be playing the character in TROS back in the day. Maybe Disney could make those rumors come true?
Tom Hiddleston lovers can catch Loki season 1 on Disney Plus now, while Star Wars fans have the season finale of The Bad Batch to look forward to this Wednesday.