Mark Hamill Is Happy To Toy With Your Luke Skywalker Villain Theories

Luke in The Last Jedi

We're just a few months away from the next Star Wars movie, which means the generations of fandoms are just about losing their minds in anticipation. Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi will continue the main narrative of the franchise, picking up shortly after the events of The Force Awakens. The limited trailers and posters have been meticulously combed over since their release, and the latest poster has caused the fandom some alarm. In it, Luke Skywalker is looming in the background, leading many to wonder if he's the villain. Historically, the main villains of each film are in that position for the poster. Mark Hamill himself has since responded, essentially fanning the flames and messing with the fandom that has always supported him. Check it out.

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Of course, Mark Hamill is also teasing the audience with the possibility that Luke will be a villain in the future of the franchise. While all but completely absent in The Force Awakens, Luke will return properly for The Last Jedi-- and he doesn't look great. He's become jaded and secluded since his nephew Kylo Ren went to the Dark Side and killed his other Padawans, and it seems he's ready for the Jedi line to finally end. If his guilt and anger are able to truly take him over, then it would make sense that Luke may be tempted by the Dark Side. After all, rage is what they're all about.

There's also plenty of evidence around to refute the fan theory, especially when it comes to posters from Star Wars' long tenure. Because while the majority of the posters do have a villain in the background, it's moreso a Darth Vader focus than a set in stone rule. Vader is the franchise's mascot, so it is logical that he'd be a major presence in the majority of the marketing. From Revenge of the Sith until The Return of the Jedi, Darth Vader was the big bad, and he therefore is featured prominently on the posters. The Phantom Menace subbed in fan favorite villain Darth Maul, but kept him similarly looming in the background.

Attack of the Clones is a major exception to this rule, as only the heroes are on the poster. The Force Awakens doesn't exactly support the fan theory either, as Kylo Ren isn't looming in the background, but one of the most prominent characters in the forefront.

While it's possible that Luke will turn to the dark side, his place in The Last Jedi's poster most likely has a more logical explanation. For one, the film is named after him, so it would make sense that he'd be a looming presence in the posters. Additionally, many fans were tiffed that Luke was barely in The Force Awakens, so having him finally apart of the trailers and posters is a smart way to get the fans hyped up.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi will arrive in theaters on December 15th, 2017. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.