Adam Driver made Kylo Ren a fearsome and troubled Sith Lord in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. His character is the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa Skywalker. His uncle Luke Skywalker trained him to become a Jedi until Supreme Leader Snoke entices him to join the dark side. Being the grandson of one of the most feared Sith Lords in the galaxy, Anakin Skywalker alias Darth Vader, Kylo Ren aspires to become a great proponent and ruler of the dark side of the Force.

The militant background of Driver, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, catered to his performance. He carried the franchise with masked feelings except for his unchecked hurt and anger. His story as Kylo Ren is one of ruthlessness and redemption, a powerful character, and a worthy addition to the Star Wars mythos. It’s hard to think of any other actor replacing Adam Driver for the role of Kylo Ren, but in a galaxy of talent and possibilities, the epic space opera continues.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

8 Dev Patel

     A24

Dev Patel is best known for his breakout role as Jamil Malik in Slumdog Millionaire. Since then, the British actor has made a name for himself in comedies and dramas. The biographical drama Lion had Patel portray Saroo Brierley, who was separated from his family at the age of five and searched for them 25 years later. He has been cast as Indian characters, dealing with tragedies in his films. Patel does not suffer the fate of typecasting, however. Beyond having similar characteristics, Patel grew up with a background in drama, and his energetic young-at-heart portrayals are informed and sincere. To see Patel take his determination to rise above his circumstances and succeed as a Sith instead of an underdog would be an interesting and easy transformation.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

7 Evan Peters

     Netflix

Evan Peters has steeped himself in science fiction and drama. Whether it’s as Quicksilver in X-Men or Detective Colin Zabel in Mare of Easttown, for which he won a Daytime Emmy, Peters transforms into the mind and body of each of his characters. His more recent and controversial portrayal of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in the Netflix series Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is exactly the kind of twisted devotion a Sith would have. The absence of a conscience, pent-up rage, and an unhinged sense of power is all Evan Peters needs.

6 Jake Gyllenhaal

     Open Road Films

Jake Gyllenhaal is best known for his childhood roles in October Sky and Donnie Darko. He played a respectable, hardworking teenager in the first film and a troubled teenager in the latter. The yin and yang range of Gyllenhaal is off-beat and unpredictable, just like his performance in Nightcrawler. In the film, Gyllenhaal plays a freelance journalist who records crimes in-progress and sells the footage to news stations. A desperate need for control and a reckless abandon of morality is enough motivation to become Kylo Ren.

5 Keanu Reeves

     Warner Bros. Pictures

Keanu Reeves is an intense actor thanks to his subtlety. He was Ted in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Neo in The Matrix, a letter-writing, time-traveling architect in love in Lake House. Reeves has the action, science fiction, and drama genres down pat. He skirts the line between good and bad as John Wick and Constantine, too. The absurdity of how theatrical Star Wars is matches the serious tone and appearance of Reeves.

4 Michael B. Jordan

Michael B. Jordan has an imposing, bulky, and thoughtful charisma that dominates the screen. He already has the fighting chops as the son of Apollo Creed. He knows what it’s like to live at a disadvantage portraying Oscar Grant in Fruitvale Station. Jordan also has played the hunter and mercenary super villain, Erik Killmonger in Black Panther. He has what it takes to be a real threat to the Rebel Alliance.

3 Steven Yeun

     AMC Networks

Steven Yeun is a South Korean-American actor best known as the zombie apocalypse survivor Glenn Rhee in The Walking Dead. He has starred in dramas and science fiction films, such as Minari, the story of a South Korean immigrant family fresh off the boat in 1980s America, and Nope, where he uses the local myth of aliens for profit in his ranch show and tourist attraction. Yeun can go from docile to hostile as Kylo Ren or Kylo Glenn.

2 Timothée Chalamet

Timothée Chalamet has his youth and would have the sadistic strength of a Johnny Lawrence, leading the Galactic Empire. His roles paint him as a coming-of-age underdog. In the science fiction epic Dune, he plays Paul Atreides, a freedom fighter for his planet Arrakis. In the biographical drama Beautiful Boy, he plays Nic Sheff, a drug-addict teen. In Bones and All, he plays a cannibal teen. The next stage for Chalamet is to become an unforgiving Sith Lord.

1 Tom Hiddleston

     Universal Pictures

Tom Hiddleston played Loki, the God of Mischief in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He has enough energy to fuel the dark side. His Shakespearean roots also favor the grand stage of a Sith Lord. His critical thinking from High-Rise and his gothic presence in Crimson Peak compliment the role of Kylo Ren.