Star Wars is a franchise that is replete with icons. Not only has this galaxy far, far away only continued to expand over its more than four decades of existence, but it is constantly introducing new, fascinating characters who are instantly recognizable. From new leads in film, TV, and cartoons, to wonderful side characters, each new installment seems to bring forth a new character to latch onto and learn all about. However, while most Star Wars fans love and respect characters like Rey and Kylo or Din Djarin and Grogu, there is no character more iconic than the one and only Darth Vader. There had been other paragons of evil in cinema before him, and there have been plenty since, but no one has had quite the impact as this dark lord of the Sith.
What could have been a one-note space opera baddie relegated to discount toy bins everywhere, has only grown in his status as the one villain to rule them all. He looks cool, he sounds cool, and he even acts cool. That goes a long way in making him memorable, but the fact that we’ve been able to see so many iterations of him keeps our view of him fresh. Most of the time, when you encounter such a mysterious and menacing character too often, they run the risk of becoming less interesting. We now know almost every aspect of this man’s tortured life and the series continues to keep him interesting by giving us information that asks just as many questions as they answer. Just in case you’ve lost your perspective a little bit, though, and need a reminder of just how engaging this dude is, the fight scenes discussed below should help get you back on track.
6 Master and Apprentice
Disney/Lucasfilm
There’s another pretty good fight in Star Wars Rebels we could have gone with that featured Vader owning Ezra and Kanan, but that doesn’t hold a candle to this one. Season two of the animated series came to an explosive close when Vader came face to face with Ahsoka, the Padawan he failed when turning to the dark side. It’s incredible because he enters the fight riding on top of his TIE fighter. He proceeds to attack Ezra before Ahsoka arrives. They indulge in some typical Star Wars battle banter before the proper fight officially begins — and it is brutal. At one point, Ahsoka slashes his mask, revealing a glimpse of Anakin’s tortured, mangled face. Just when you think we might see the good in him, he ignores his pain, gets back up, and keeps fighting. He should be doubled over in agony right now, but his hate is so powerful he just pushes forward — like a boss.
5 Taunting Luke in the Throne Room
20th Century Fox
It’s easy to forget just how twisted and manipulative Vader was right to the very end. Sure, we all remember the moment in Return of the Jedi when Vader decides to save his son and destroy the Emperor (temporarily, at least), thus redeeming some of himself. Before that, though, he was battling his own son and doing whatever he could to make Luke give in to his hatred and join him on the dark side. As Luke hides in the shadows, calling upon all his Jedi training to remain stoic as his father hunts for him, Vader taunts him. The guy is mere moments from redemption, and he is just dripping with evil and menace. He even goes so far as to threaten Luke’s sister, the identity of whom is still a mystery to Darth. That’s the thing that brings Luke out of hiding and almost pushes him over the edge. That’s how experienced Vader is at pushing your buttons: he will search and search until he finds the one thing that will drive you mad, and he leans into it with all his might.
4 Reva Vs. Vader
Lucasfilm/Disney+
In the series Obi-Wan Kenobi, Vader is solely motivated by his need to make his old master pay for the anguish he suffered on Mustafar at the end of Revenge of the Sith. So, when Reva, the newly appointed Grand Inquisitor, informs him that Kenobi is in a cave she and her forces just infiltrated, he is eager to go in and pull Obi-Wan out himself. Upon entering, he finds a ship trying to flee. He then pulls it out of the sky with the force, brings it back to the ground, and tears it open out of rage. That is enough of a boss move to make it on the list, but then he fights Reva who was trying to catch him off guard. Their fight consists of her giving everything she has into trying to take him down while Vader barely moves, mostly relying on force to continuously knock her down. Even if Vader was capable of perspiring, he wouldn’t have done enough in that fight to break a sweat.
3 Dragging Obi-Wan through fire
In the third episode of the Obi-Wan series, the titular character is forced to confront the monster he helped create when Vader finally tracks him down. This is a battle we’ve been waiting to see ever since Revenge of the Sith, and it didn’t disappoint. While the previous fight was more visually striking with all that lava and acrobatics, this is far more intense because of its intimate nature. There’s no need for jumps and flips because Vader isn’t interested in showing off. Instead, all he wants to do is inflict pain. Knocking Ob-Wan down isn’t enough, he has to set the ground on fire and drag his old master through it, so he can experience the smallest fraction of what he went through that fateful day all those years ago. It’s a rare occasion where the character’s psychology is on full display. Since we have a history with these characters, we know what each one must be feeling and Vader is making no secret of it. He is furious, and he’s letting Obi-Wan know just how bitter and betrayed he still feels.
2 Dueling Luke in Bespin
All of Vader’s most villainous qualities come out to play during this exhausting fight in The Empire Strikes Back. You have to remember that Luke thinks this guy killed his father and he witnessed him kill Obi-Wan, so he is out for blood. On the other side, Vader now knows that this brat who blew up the Death Star is actually his long, lost son. So, while he is incredibly menacing, he’s also just trying to test Luke to find out how powerful he is. Like the fight with Reva, Vader is toying with Luke a little bit here. While the aspiring Jedi Knight struggles to maintain his composure, this Sith Lord doesn’t stop coming for him. He is absolutely relentless: he taunts Luke, goads him into losing his cool, and he even removes pieces from the wall and just hammers Luke with them. Sure, the younger Skywalker gets a few good hits, but Vader is pretty much in control the entire time. He cuts his son’s hand off for crying out loud! Vader doesn’t mess around.
1 The Rogue One Massacre
Lucasfilm/Disney
No other scene in Star Wars personifies just what a boss Vader is then the rebel slaughter at the end of Rogue One. While it’s true that the film gave us one of the more well-received series in the Star Wars canon (Andor), it also gave us one of the most intense, horrific, and dazzling scenes of violence in the franchise’s history. Vader cuts through a hallway full of rebels with such cruel, emotionless efficiency that it’s more of a slaughter than a fight. He is so thorough with his methods of slicing, dicing, chopping, and obliterating these people that he almost feels like Jason Voorhees from a Friday the 13th film. This scene is for anyone who thinks Vader couldn’t possibly be scary again after the prequels and The Clone Wars. Look at the destruction he causes and the terror on the faces of those men, and you’ll remember why you were afraid of him in the first place.
