Darth Vader
Star Wars character
Why this is trending
Interest in “Darth Vader” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-07-20.
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Key Takeaways
- Darth Vader ( ) is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise.
- He is a leader of the Galactic Empire, and is one of the two major villains in the original film trilogy.
- His metamorphosis begins when he is lured to the dark side of the Force by Chancellor Palpatine, who later becomes the Galactic Emperor.
- He serves Palpatine for over two decades, hunting down the remaining Jedi and attempting to crush the Rebel Alliance.
- Vader is the husband of Padmé Amidala, the father of Luke and his twin sister Leia Organa, and the maternal grandfather of Ben Solo (later known as Kylo Ren).
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Source summary
WikipediaDarth Vader () is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He first appeared in the original Star Wars film (1977) and its novelization (1976). He is a leader of the Galactic Empire, and is one of the two major villains in the original film trilogy. In the prequel trilogy, he transforms from the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker into the Sith Lord Darth Vader. His metamorphosis begins when he is lured to the dark side of the Force by Chancellor Palpatine, who later becomes the Galactic Emperor. After a lightsaber battle with his former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi, Vader is severely injured and is transformed into a cyborg. He serves Palpatine for over two decades, hunting down the remaining Jedi and attempting to crush the Rebel Alliance. When Palpatine tries to kill Vader's son, Luke Skywalker, Vader turns against Palpatine and kills him. Vader is the husband of Padmé Amidala, the father of Luke and his twin sister Leia Organa, and the maternal grandfather of Ben Solo (later known as Kylo Ren).
David Prowse physically portrays Vader in the original trilogy, while James Earl Jones provides his voice in all of the films and in other media. Sebastian Shaw portrays Anakin unmasked and as a ghost in Return of the Jedi (1983), while Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen portray Anakin in the prequel trilogy, with Christensen reprising the role in the series Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) and Ahsoka (2023). In the standalone film Rogue One (2016), Vader is portrayed by Spencer Wilding and Daniel Naprous. Vader also appears in novels, comics, and video games, and has become an iconic character in popular culture.
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