Darth Vader’s 10 Cruellest Moments In Star Wars Canon

Darth Vader commits a number of heinous crimes in Star Wars, but these 10 moments are his absolute cruellest. Darth Vader is one of Star Wars’ most powerful Sith, and his turn to the dark side and rise to power required some gruesome events. In fact, throughout Star Wars’ movies and TV shows, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader’s evil deeds are some of the darkest in the whole franchise.

While many of these events transpired in the original and prequel trilogies, newer Star Wars projects just how evil Darth Vader became throughout the Star Wars timeline, although during the Dark Times in particular. Many of Star Wars’ best TV shows in particular reveal the extent of his commitment to the dark side. Of all the cruelties Darth Vader enacts throughout Star Wars, though, these 10 are the very worst moments.

10

Darth Vader Dragged Obi-Wan Kenobi Into A Fire As Revenge

Obi-Wan Kenobi

In the Obi-Wan Kenobi show, Darth Vader is obsessed with getting revenge on Obi-Wan for the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. In their final encounter in the prequel trilogy, Obi-Wan infamously cut off all of Anakin’s limbs and left him burning in the lava of Mustafar. Ultimately, this required Anakin to live the rest of his life in the Darth Vader suit, which caused him daily pain. As retribution, Vader specifically sought to drag Obi-Wan through fire, burning him the same way he previously burned.

Although Vader undoubtedly sees this as tit for tat, it was nevertheless a cruelty. As Obi-Wan screams in agony, Darth Vader simply looks on, presumably willing (and planning) to watch Obi-Wan entirely burn to death. While Obi-Wan did also burn him, the two events are in stark contrast. While Vader delights in watching Obi-Wan suffer, Obi-Wan is heartbroken over what he needs to do to the man who was once his brother.

9

Vader Chopped Off Luke Skywalker’s Hand Before Revealing He Was His Father

The Empire Strikes Back

Darth Vader seems consistently focused on evening the score, which is further demonstrated in The Empire Strikes Back when he cuts off Luke’s hand. Although Obi-Wan eventually cut off all of Anakin’s limbs, Anakin first lost his hand in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones in a fight with Count Dooku. It seems that Vader wanted his son to suffer in the exact same way, as, during their final encounter in the movie, he chops off Luke’s hand in a similar lightsaber fight.

As if to rub salt in the wound, this moment comes right before he reveals that he is Luke’s father. While cutting off his son’s hand may pale in comparison to some of Vader’s more diabolical acts, this event is nevertheless one of the cruellest, particularly because of its timing. Darth Vader knew he was about to deal this devastating revelation to his son, and he first seriously injured him, as if to serve as an even bigger reminder for Luke that his father was truly evil.

8

Vader Left Reva For Dead To Prove Her Insignificance

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Considerably crueller than cutting off Luke’s hand is Vader’s treatment of Reva, one of the Inquisitors in the Obi-Wan Kenobi show. Although Reva initially seems to be a key antagonist in the show, and in many ways she is, her story is ultimately revealed to be much more complicated than it first appeared. Obi-Wan, by approaching Reva with compassion, learns that not only was she a Padawan who bore witness to Order 66 in the Jedi Temple, but also that she came face-to-face with Anakin as he murdered younglings.

In fact, Reva had seen many of her friends cut down in front of her. Because of this, her mission from the beginning was to get close enough to Vader to kill him. When Vader uncovers this plot, he reveals that he knew all along who Reva was. After gloating about this knowledge and engaging in a lightsaber battle with Reva, Vader stabs her. The worst offense, however, is that he leaves her for dead rather than killing her off. The message is clear: Reva isn’t even worth the kill to him.

7

Vader Killed Obi-Wan Kenobi

A New Hope

While Vader’s revenge in Obi-Wan Kenobi was unsuccessful, he ultimately does kill Obi-Wan in A New Hope. Despite Obi-Wan embracing his death as a way to help Luke, Han Solo, and Princess Leia escape, this was nevertheless a cruel moment. Obi-Wan stands before Vader, warning him that he will only become more powerful in death—presumably, by becoming a Force ghost—but Vader has waited years for this opportunity.

In part, Obi-Wan’s acceptance of his death dulls the cruelty of this event somewhat. However, that is only true in the context of A New Hope. With the added background of the prequel trilogy, especially regarding how close Obi-Wan and Anakin became in their time as master and apprentice, this moment truly is a cruel one. All the worse, despite his assertions to the contrary, Obi-Wan never really lost his compassion and even affection for Anakin, as made clear by his description of Anakin in A New Hope as “a good friend.”

6

Vader Murdered The Separatist Leaders As They Begged For Mercy

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith

Anakin went on multiple killing sprees throughout the prequel trilogy, and while the murder of the Separatist leaders in Revenge of the Sith wasn’t his most abhorrent, it was nevertheless disturbingly cruel. The Separatists, Nute Gunray in particular, are complicated characters. Frequently, they were antagonistic and violent, especially in the case of Nute Gunray’s obsession with killing Padmé. However, as the prequel trilogy reveals and the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV show makes even clearer, they too were being deceived.

This is in part what makes this scene so cruel. The Separatist leaders truly believed that Lord Sidious was being truthful when he said there would now be peace. Instead, he commanded Darth Vader to eliminate all of them. As they plead for mercy, Vader cuts them down and is entirely indifferent to them begging for their lives to be spared, reflecting one of his cruellest moments.

5

Darth Vader Slaughtered Everyone In The Rogue One Hallway Scene

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Yet another example of Darth Vader’s willingness to kill dozens of people without thinking much of it, in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Vader eliminates every Rebel fighter within one hallway. Although this is theoretically in defense considering they are shooting at him, Vader is completely nonchalant about the number of deaths he is causing. Particularly because his power has grown so considerably, it takes little more than a flick of his wrist to kill most of the people trapped in the hall with him.

The nature of the Rebels being trapped is also a huge part of this moment’s cruelty. There was truly no escape for the people who were being cut down, so they were doomed to their fate as Vader methodically cut down everyone in his path. This is also a fascinating reflection of how far Vader had truly fallen. In Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, Anakin at least seems upset about what he’s done when he commits his other genocides. Here, it’s clear that killing has become second nature.

4

Darth Vader Snapped A Young Boy’s Neck

Obi-Wan Kenobi

One of the single most gruesome acts Darth Vader has ever committed comes in the Obi-Wan Kenobi show. In a moment of violence so inconsequential to Vader that it’s a blink-and-you-miss-it death, Vader marches upon a village where Obi-Wan is in hiding, injuring the residents as he goes. At one point, he reaches out with the Force and begins choking a man, dragging him out from inside his house. A boy, presumably the older man’s son, runs outside. Casually, Darth Vader snaps the boy’s neck.

Although Vader had caused countless deaths at this point, many of them even children, this moment stands out because of how callously and randomly it was done. Although unforgivable, when Anakin kills the Tusken Raider children and the Jedi younglings, he has clear motive. In this case, the boy was little more than an innocent bystander concerned about his father. Moreover, Star Wars shielded audiences from witnessing children die at Anakin’s hand in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith; that was not the case for this brutal moment.

3

Darth Vader Choked His Pregnant Wife After She Said She Loved Him

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith

Although Anakin doesn’t necessarily directly kill Padmé, as she really dies in childbirth, he was obviously a significant factor in her demise. In fact, their final exchange on Mustafar in Revenge of the Sith is difficult to watch, in part because of how cruelly Anakin treats her. As Padmé pleads with him to leave with her and tells him she loves him, Anakin sees Obi-Wan descending the stairs of Padmé’s ship. Convinced that this is a plot to destroy him, Anakin chokes her until she falls to the ground unconscious.

In addition to being cruel because it is so violent, this moment with Padmé is devastating because she is his wife and the mother of his unborn children. Padmé’s pleading with Anakin, particularly as she is actively being choked, makes this all the worse. In the end, Padmé somehow holds out hope that Anakin still has good in him, which Luke poetically repeats throughout the original Star Wars trilogy, but that doesn’t negate how cruel this moment was.

2

Darth Vader Used The Death Star To Blow Up Alderaan (In Front Of Leia)

A New Hope

One of the cruellest moments in all of Star Wars is also one of the franchise’s very first. In A New Hope, when Princess Leia is being held prisoner by the Empire, the Imperials blow up her home planet of Alderaan while Leia watches. Along with destroying her planet and most of her people, this also means that Leia watches her adoptive parents’ deaths. Although Governor Tarkin ultimately makes the call, it’s clear that Vader cosigns the heinous act, as he stands beside Tarkin and Leia while it happens.

This also reflects an astounding number of deaths, although it’s easy to lose sight of that given that the deaths aren’t depicted beyond the planet exploding. However, in terms of the number of deaths, this event ranks highest on the list. While Vader is unaware, the cruelty of this moment is only compounded by the fact that Leia is Vader’s daughter.

1

Darth Vader Slaughtered The Younglings In The Jedi Council Chambers

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith

The single most gruesome and cruel act Vader commits is the murder of the younglings in Revenge of the Sith. In addition to being devastating simply by nature of the fact that Anakin is killing children, this moment is crushing because of where it takes place. As countless clones murder Jedi throughout the Jedi Temple, the younglings hide in the Council chambers. Although unspoken, it’s clear that the Jedi younglings believed they would be safe there. Even worse, the younglings come out to seek Anakin’s help, recognizing who he is and thinking he will save them.

Despite eventually being redeemed, Darth Vader is truly one of Star Wars’ darkest characters. Not only does he kill countless people both from a distance and face-to-face, but he also frequently targets the defenseless, children in particular. Though there are numerous other cruel events in Darth Vader’s Star Wars timeline, these 10 are the absolute cruellest of all.

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