Darth Vader, born as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main characters of the Star Wars franchise. He is a high-ranking Jedi Knight-turned-powerful Sith Lord in service to the Galactic Empire.
What Makes Him Sympathetic?[]
- He was used as a slave.
- Tusken Raiders killed his mother and he felt remorse for not saving her on time. In fact, this was the last time Anakin saw his mother.
- Before turning to the Dark Side, he had a strong sense of right and wrong and frequently disobeyed his orders to help other people and do what is right.
- During his time as a Jedi he genuinely cared about his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi, his Padawan Ahsoka Tano and his droid R2-D2.
- He watched as the Jedi Council expelled Ashoka out of the Order, despite knowing she would never betray the Republic or the Jedi Order.
- The main reason why he joined the Dark Side was because he saw a vision where his wife, Padme, dies, and he wanted to become strong enough to save her and their unborn child.
- He was also getting tired of the Jedi Council, as they often couldn't tolerate him due to his tendency to do what is right and disobeying their orders.
- Was manipulated by Palpatine to join the Dark Side.
- Was saddened when Padme died.
- His body was brutally crippled by lava after his battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi and he had to wear a suit which serves as a life-support system.
- During his time as a Sith Lord he frequently feels self-loathing because of the evil actions he commits in service to the Empire.
- At one point he saved a young boy from a giant monster by pushing him out of his path which shows that there is still good in him.
- His love for his son Luke causes his redemption and died a hero.
Trivia[]
- While he is treated as sympathetic in-story, Darth Vader arguably has a divided fandom between whether or not he counts as this, as some say him killing children is condemnable.
External Links[]
- Darth Vader on the Villains Wiki.