What If Luke Skywalker Was Really Kylo Ren? This Dark Sequel Trilogy Theory Would've Made So Much Sense

One prominent Star Wars theory prior to the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens was that Luke Skywalker was the true face under the Kylo Ren mask—and that would have radically changed Star Wars movies and TV shows. The treatment of Luke Skywalker’s character in the sequel movies, The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi in particular, was one of the most controversial aspects of the trilogy. For many, seeing such a massive shift in Luke’s character from Return of the Jedi to The Force Awakens was just too jarring.

In fact, for those who feel that the sequels are among Star Wars’ worst movies, Luke Skywalker’s narrative arc in the trilogy is usually high on the list of reasons. While there were undoubtedly issues with the sequel trilogy, though, the grass isn’t always greener. After all, many believed the sequel trilogy would reveal Luke Skywalker’s turn to the dark side of the Force, and that would have been a much more radical departure from the Luke shown on screen—but would that have been better?

Many Fans Thought Luke Skywalker Was Really Kylo Ren

Although this notably changed over the course of the sequels, initially, it seemed Kylo Ren was primed to be the newest ‘big bad’ in the Star Wars franchise. He was quite clearly modeled off of Darth Vader, with his intimidating mask and modulated voice (and his desire to rule the galaxy), but it remained a mystery who was really beneath the mask. Eventually, it was of course revealed that Kylo Ren was really Ben Solo, the fallen son of Leia Organa and Han Solo. However, before this reveal, many suspected that it was Luke Skywalker himself.

This made sense for a number of reasons. For one, Luke was almost entirely absent from the movie otherwise, which even the trailers for The Force Awakens made clear. His absence was difficult to imagine in light of all that was clearly going wrong in the galaxy, and many had been expecting Luke to be leading his own Jedi Order at that point. Given that, it was reasonable to theorize that Luke wasn’t leading a Jedi Order or helping the Resistance because he was working for the other side.

Moreover, Kylo Ren seemed to be the newest Sith Lord in Star Wars, given that he wielded both the Force and a red lightsaber. In the end, the sequels revealed that Kylo Ren technically wasn’t a Sith, but, especially in promotional material for The Force Awakens, that seemed to be a safe bet. Because of that, theories began running rampant—after all, who could make a more terrifying Sith Lord in that era than Luke Skywalker?

Luke’s Fate Would’ve Paid Off Some Chilling George Lucas Ideas

The Force Awakens ultimately revealed that Luke’s absence was instead due to a loss of faith in the Jedi and the galaxy, resulting in his exile on Ahch-To. However, had Luke Skywalker been Kylo Ren, it would have made good on one idea George Lucas toyed with in Return of the Jedi. Specifically, Lucas considered having Luke fall to the Dark side in Return of the Jedi, becoming the next Darth Vader.

This would have made even more sense given Kylo Ren’s stylization. In that case, Kylo Ren’s mask would have represented Luke effectively usurping Darth Vader’s role, rather than Ben Solo/Kylo Ren adopting his grandfather’s style as a means of legitimizing his power. This is also interesting, as this turn for Luke’s story would very likely have been highly controversial in the franchise, yet it is a storyline George Lucas himself almost created.

What Could Rey’s Role Have Been In This Dark Star Wars Timeline?

Had Luke been Kylo Ren, this would have had interesting implications for Rey’s role in the sequels. Presumably, Rey still would have been a Jedi in the movies, but with Luke on the dark side, she would have lost her first Jedi Master and the mentor who really saw her step into her own. It’s unclear who would have trained Rey in that case. Perhaps, this would have meant Leia training Rey sooner, or, Ben Solo may have remained on the light side of the Force and become Rey’s Jedi Master.

Of course, there’s also the possibility that Luke being Kylo Ren would have led to another prominent Star Wars sequels theory coming true. Namely, Rey could have been the daughter of Luke Skywalker. With Rey’s origins being such a mystery in The Force Awakens, theories about who her parents were ran rampant. Two of the most popular theories were that Rey was a Skywalker or that Rey was a Kenobi. In this different, darker sequel trilogy storyline, perhaps she really would have been Luke’s abandoned daughter.

How Would Fans Have Reacted To Luke As The Main Villain Of The Sequels?

While it might be difficult to say for certain how this storyline would have gone over with the franchise, Star Wars history and the response to the sequel trilogy as it was suggest that this would not have been a popular choice. Many viewers took issue with Luke’s exile in The Force Awakens because it deviated so much from the Jedi he had been in the original trilogy. After all, Luke was the titular ‘hope’ of A New Hope, and he had enough faith in others that he saw the best even in the Sith Lord Darth Vader.

For Luke to have abandoned that hope and the galaxy in The Force Awakens felt like an offense to many (and, it should be acknowledged, seemingly to Mark Hamill himself, who has made a number of comments revealing his disappointment with Luke’s sequel trilogy arc). Presumably, then, having Luke turn fully to the dark side would have been even worse than Luke going into exile. Moreover, having Luke become the new Darth Vader may have only increased the accusations the sequels faced about copying the original trilogy.

On the other hand, perhaps leaning fully into this turn for Luke would have been compelling. Particularly given Luke’s incredible power in the Force, he almost certainly would have become one of Star Wars’ most powerful Sith, and it no doubt would have been thrilling to see Luke tap into his anger and full power. In the end, though, the Star Wars sequel trilogy opted for a different story, revealing Kylo Ren to be Ben Solo rather than Luke Skywalker.