10 Movie Unmaskings That Shocked EVERYONE

7. Darth Vader - Return Of The Jedi

Mission Impossible III
Lucasfilm

For two and a half movies, fans had seen Darth Vader as an unrelenting, clinical, badass who was the most imposing figure in the entire galaxy. So, when Vader was finally unmasked during Return of the Jedi's final act, it came as a huge shock to see the visage that laid underneath Vader's iconic mask.

This strong, unstoppable force of nature with otherworldly powers and a lightsaber was exposed to be a weak, frail, damaged old man who was on death's door.

Granted, part of the reason for Vader's final form can be explained by the Emperor's lightning blasts doing a number on dear Darth, but Vader's state is down to more than just being on the receiving end of his boss' wrath.

As the years went on, we'd obviously get to see the full extent of Anakin Skywalker's injuries and transformation in Revenge of the Sith. There, Hayden Christensen's Anakin was left with missing limbs and extensive burns that left him unrecognisable.

Before seeing that image though, it was hugely shocking to see the state of Sebastian Shaw's Anakin when Darth Vader's helmet was removed as part of the character's redemption at Return of the Jedi's Climax.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.