Star Wars Just Fixed A Big Kylo Ren Issue I've Had Since The Rise Of Skywalker

Almost 10 years ago exactly, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released in theaters to kick off the Sequel Trilogy and, as we later learned, herald the beginning of the end of the Skywalker Saga. Adam Driver’s Ben Solo, a.k.a. Kylo Ren, served as the main antagonist of this trilogy, although, just like his paternal grandfather, he ultimately redeemed himself before dying. And yet, there have been a few loose ends concerning the character, although thankfully, Star Wars has fixed one particular issue with him that I’ve had since The Rise of Skywalker.

Considering what a big deal it was when Kylo Ren destroyed his mask in The Last Jedi after Snoke mocked him for it, I found it a little strange that he went to the effort of reforging it in The Rise of Skywalker, even if was a nice nod to Japanese culture. Well, the 11th issue of the Marvel Comics series Star Wars: Legacy of Vader, written by Charles Soule and illustrated by Luke Ross, helps reframe that decision in a way that makes more sense, as well as provided more context for when Kylo talked about continuing Darth Vader’s mission in The Force Awakens. It all stems from how Kylo Ren is nearly turned into a Vader replacement… literally!

Taking place between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, Legacy of Vader has shown Kylo Ren meeting Vanée, Darth Vader’s manservant (as seen in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), and learning about his grandfather’s origins. But Vanée is also still obsessed with Vader decades after his death and has been enacting a plan to transform Kylo into a new version of the Sith Lord, to the point he submerges him in the lava of Mustafar and put a Vader helmet on him. This comes to a head in the latest issue (via Comicbook), where, unsurprisingly, Kylo resists Vanée’s efforts and proclaims that he’s finally his own man, telling him, “I am already everything I need to be.”

There’s still one issue left to go in Star Wars: Legacy of Vader, but what went down in Issue #11 at least effectively lays the groundwork for Kylo Ren re-donning his mask in The Rise of Skywalker. He’s no longer desperate to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps, but he’s also going to let Snoke’s lingering influence inform his actions either, as if that hadn’t already been made clear when he killed his master. He’s in a comfortable enough place that he can truly embrace charting his own path as Kylo Ren, and repairing his mask demonstrates that.

Of course, we know that Kylo Ren doesn’t entirety escape Darth Vader’s shadow, as he enters into an alliance with the still-alive Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker. But, as mentioned earlier, Ben Solo died after finally rejecting the dark side, and you’re welcome revisit that scene and other big moments of his by streaming Star Wars’ Sequel Trilogy with your Disney+ subscription. While you’re at it, maybe cross your fingers that Lucasfilm will change its mind about making the post-Rise of Skywalker-set movie The Hunt for Ben Solo.