Hayden Christensen’s Vader Will Take His Helmet Off In Obi-Wan Kenobi Series
Hayden Christensen is back as Darth Vader, and we'll see him without his iconic helmet on.
This article is more than 2 years old
Hayden Christensen has been confirmed to be returning to the world of Star Wars in the upcoming streaming series Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+. Fans are already buzzing about the news, but it has also gotten the speculation mill grinding away. One big question has been what kind of presence Christensen would have in the series. Would he mostly be providing vocal work for Darth Vader? Or would we see the man inside the suit, Anakin Skywalker?
Bounding Into Comics claims to have the answer. According to a source close to them, we will get to see Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader but also without his iconic mask. The rumor does not clarify if this means we will only see Christensen as Vader after the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, or if we might see flashbacks or dream versions of Anakin Skywalker before he became permanently scarred. However, it does sound like Christensen will have more than just a vocal presence as Darth Vader.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is set ten years after the ending of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has promised that Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi will meet and battle once more in the upcoming series. Exactly how that will line up with the canon we see in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope remains to be seen. And we don’t know if Hayden Christensen will be showing his face in any scenes along with Ewan McGregor or not.
That would be a shame if Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor didn’t get to share a scene together face to face. Seeing the two actors reunited on-screen would be a big treat for long-time fans of Star Wars. If Obi-Wan Kenobi has to utilize some digital de-aging to deliver us a scene between young Anakin Skywalker and young Obi-Wan Kenobi, it would be welcome if just to see these two former friends in a flashback. It would certainly be one of the most newsworthy moments of that upcoming series.
But, it would be equally thrilling to see Hayden Christensen play the role of Darth Vader after he has been put into the robotic suit he is so known for. Seeing Vader with his mask off has only happened twice in the original series of films. Getting a peek at Vader during his most private moments could add a stronger context to the character. Even though he has functionally been gone from the Star Wars series, Darth Vader has remained one of the most intriguing and compelling characters in the entire franchise.
So getting to see Hayden Christensen play this side of Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker could turn Obi-Wan Kenobi into something of a dual-sided project. We expected it to fill in some of the story gaps for Obi-Wan between Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, but the news that Darth Vader will be back has us wondering if the show will give him some significant screen time. Will we get even more backstory for the Dark Lord of the Sith? Or will his involvement in Obi-Wan Kenobi amount to a single big appearance?
Regardless, it will be very rewarding to see Hayden Christensen back in Star Wars. Over the years, there has been a reappraisal of the actor’s work in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. And it will be interesting to see what kind of choices he decides to make now that he has another opportunity to play this defining role in his career. Again, we hope Christensen’s presence is prominent enough that we will get to see him really bring some new surprises to the character.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is set to go into production this March. Once they start spinning everything up, we are betting we will hear a lot more about Hayden Christensen’s specific part to play in the series. There is no doubt that this new series is going to be one of the most hotly anticipated Star Wars projects in the works. Get ready for a whole lot more Obi-Wan Kenobi news.
