Obi-Wan Kenobi leaked images show Anakin’s Vader metamorphosis
The missing chapters in Vader’s story may be written.
Sorry, Obi-Wan: The biggest questions surrounding your upcoming spinoff series aren’t even about you. They’re about Anakin.
The Disney+ series sparked massive fan speculation last year when they announced Hayden Christensen would reprise his role of Anakin Skywalker, but there was no word on how his character would be included.
- Would it be as Darth Vader?
- In a flashback?
- Would he merely be a figment of Obi-Wan’s imagination as he’s wracked with the guilt of slaying his brother?
A new concept art leak reveals the most likely answer to how Christensen’s character figures into the story.
In images obtained by Star Wars NewsNet, we’re offered an idea of how Anakin will be introduced into the world of Obi-Wan Kenobi. The leaked concept art unveils a look at a stripped-down Darth Vader.
(We’re not running the photo here, you’ll have to click through to see it.)
He’s still got his trademark breathing apparatus, but his torso and more importantly his face are exposed. This explains why bringing Christensen is so crucial — we’re seeing Anakin in the little-known transition from the young upstart Sith to the dying man we see in Return of the Jedi.
A glimpse at the man behind the mask may be in the cards for Obi-Wan Kenobi.
But that’s not all: There also is concept art showing a large bacta tank (click through to see that), not unlike the ones seen in The Mandalorian, containing Proto-Snokes. Could we see Anakin — or rather Darth Vader — in his private residence, floating in his bacta tank and meditating on his lost “brother”?
While not literal brothers, Anakin and Obi-Wan possessed a strong bond.
These leaked images are so exciting because they promise something fans have been clamoring for decades: a more emotional, humanizing look at Vader in between his two known forms.
Much like Obi-Wan going from newly minted Jedi to desert planet hermit, Anakin goes from the biggest loss suffered by the Jedi to the greatest asset of the Sith, with a huge gap between the points in his life. It looks like this series could flesh out those missing chapters in Anakin/Darth Vader’s life.
Anakin’s resurgence will force Obi-Wan to revisit his greatest trauma.
So finally, the answer to the most burning question about Obi-Wan Kenobi is answered:
Hayden Christensen will reprise his role where he left off, with a post-Mustafar Vader he must reckon with. This doesn’t mean we’ll see Anakin Classic in other scenes, especially considering the series will follow Obi-Wan as he grapples with his guilt.
But regardless of how he appears, a look inside Darth Vader’s helmet is incredibly exciting for any Star Wars fan, especially one portrayed by the Anakin the fandom grew to know, love, and eventually hate.
Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres on Disney+ in 2022.
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