9 Most Brutal Acts Of Revenge In Star Wars

8. Vader's Redemption - Return Of The Jedi

Count Dooku Revenge of the Sith
Lucasfilm

There may well be a whole lot of Anakin Skywalker dotted through this article, but that's largely down to how much of a troubled character Anakin is and how his viewpoint has changed back and forth across the Star Wars franchise.

In 1983's Return of the Jedi, the finale of that film saw the redemption of the Anakin/Darth Vader character.

Having been a puppet of Emperor Palpatine since way back during the events of The Phantom Menace, Anakin and his persona of Vader had served his higher power perfectly as his loyal, all-powerful right hand. Sending fear throughout the galaxy and thinking nothing of killing anyone who even mildly disagrees with the Empire's plans, Vader had dedicated his life to Palpatine after being manipulated by this wily old Sith.

So, not only was Vader turning on the Emperor at Return of the Jedi's close an act of redemption, it was also similarly an act of revenge. Think of it as a lightbulb moment, where Anakin Skywalker finally realised how he was merely a replaceable puzzle piece who had been brainwashed to turn his back on his friends, his family, and on all that the Jedi stood for.

As revenge for those years of manipulation, one of the final acts of Anakin's life saw him throw the Emperor to his grizzly death.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Chatterer of stuff, writer of this, host of that, Wrexham AFC fan.