Kylo Ren Stole Design From Forgotten Luke Skywalker Star Wars Story?
Over the course of the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Kylo Ren went through quite a few fashion tweaks, and it’s obvious how his different looks were inspired by Darth Vader and other evil characters from the franchise. However, at least one version of this villain’s look may have been inspired by the greatest Star Wars hero of them all. Look at the images side by side and the Kylo Ren from The Last Jedi looks a lot like Luke Skywalker from the Dark Empire comics.
Star Wars: Dark Empire
Now, before we dive into the Kylo Ren fashion hour, some fans (especially younger ones) may need a refresher on what, exactly, Dark Empire is. This was a 1992 comic series written by Tom Veitch and illustrated by Cam Kennedy, and it helped to reignite the popularity of Star Wars in the ‘90s before the Special Editions and the Prequel Trilogy arrived.
Its influence helped to turn the Star Wars Expanded Universe into the most ambitious genre literary project ever undertaken.
What Happens In Dark Empire
But what does Kylo Ren have to do with Dark Empire, especially because he wasn’t created until Disney dissolved the EU with all the casual cruelty of Palpatine dissolving the Senate? Basically, a major plot point of Dark Empire is that Palpatine returns in a clone body and tempts Luke Skywalker to embrace the Dark Side.
By the time it’s over, Luke has unsurprisingly defeated the Emperor once again, but as part of the story exploring this Jedi Master’s inner darkness, the comic gave him a cool outfit that he might as well have bought at a store called Siths-R-Us.
Kylo And Dark Empire Luke Look A Lot Alike
It seems like Disney agreed because they made Kylo Ren look quite a bit like Luke Skywalker in Dark Empire. In addition to the obvious black coloration, Kylo’s outfit has a kind of “ruffled” look for his tunic, one that matches the ruffles Luke has all over.
While Luke doesn’t have ruffled upper sleeves, he does have gauntlets that seem to have inspired the look of Kylo’s arms, and both characters tie their outfits together with a big, black belt and cloak.
Disney’s Taken Plenty From The EU
Now, some would say we are reaching by comparing Kylo Ren to Luke’s look in Dark Empire—after all, there are only so many combinations of ominous black clothing that these characters could ever rock.
However, the Disney era of Star Wars notably stole many things from the EU, including Grand Admiral Thrawn and Leia giving birth to a future Sith Lord. It wouldn’t really be a surprise if the House of Mouse was stealing the aesthetics of these classic stories as well as their narrative content.
Clones And Wardrobes
However, don’t mistake our noting the similarities between Kylo Ren and Dark Empire Luke Skywalker as a complaint, exactly—those comics were nothing less than iconic, and if Disney had to steal a look for their new bad guy, we’re glad they stole from the best.
It didn’t stop there, of course—the whole idea of bringing Palpatine back as a clone in the sequels was stolen directly from Dark Empire as well. If only JJ Abrams and the rest of the crew had gone the extra step and stolen a good ending for the Sequel Trilogy while they were at it, Star Wars might not be in such a messy current state.
