Although Darth Vader is generally seen as the heavy breathing antagonist of the original Star Wars trilogy, it's worth bearing in mind that he was a glorified henchman. This is not to take away any of his awesome points, far from it but he was certainly the emperor's right hand man. He is probably the best example of a henchman outshining the main villain in cinematic history. While the emperor is certainly evil incarnate, Vader has all the depth, not to mention the bitchin' outfit. With enough villainous deeds under his belt to warrant a place on this list: from killing Obi Wan to the slaughter of Rebellion troops (not to mention his Jedi temple antics from the prequels) he's the official menacing cyborg mascot of the dark side. Under the emperor he strives to bring the universe to its knees under the iron fist of the empire, standard evil stuff really. He's not all bad though, while he has been badly corrupted there is still conflict within him and this is what makes him so compelling. The redemption of Anakin Skywalker is a huge theme in Return of the Jedi, these layers are what consistently put Vader high up on the 'best characters of all time' lists. He ends his saga by doing what every henchman probably secretly dreams of doing, throwing his employer down a bottomless pit.
A pop culture mad writer from the North East who loves films, television and debating them with whoever will listen.
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