Darth Vader is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. The character is a primary antagonist in the original trilogy and a primary protagonist in the prequel trilogy. Star Wars creator George Lucas has collectively referred to the first six episodic films of the franchise as the tragedy of Darth Vader.[3]

Originally a slave on Tatooine, Anakin Skywalker is a Jedi prophesied to bring balance to the Force. He is lured to the dark side of the Force by Palpatine and becomes a Sith lord. After a lightsaber battle with his former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi, in which he is severely injured, Vader is transformed into a cyborg. He then serves the Galactic Empire as its chief enforcer until he ultimately redeems himself by saving his son, Luke Skywalker, and killing Palpatine, sacrificing his own life in the process.[4] He is also the secret husband of Padmé Amidala, father of Princess Leia, and grandfather of Kylo Ren.

The character has been portrayed by numerous actors: David Prowse physically portrayed Vader while James Earl Jones voiced him in the original trilogy, and Sebastian Shaw portrayed the unmasked Anakin in Return of the Jedi, as well as the character's spirit in the original release of that film. Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen played the character in the prequel trilogy in the first and next two films, respectively, and the latter also replaced Shaw as Anakin's spirit with the 2004 re-release of Return of the Jedi. His cinematic appearances span the first six Star Wars films, as well as Rogue One. He is referenced in both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, and makes vocal cameos as both Vader and Anakin in The Rise of Skywalker. He also appears in television series (most substantially The Clone Wars) and numerous iterations of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, including video games, novels, and comic books.

Darth Vader has become one of the most iconic villains in popular culture, and has been listed among the greatest villains and fictional characters ever.[5][6] The American Film Institute listed him as the third greatest movie villain in cinema history on 100 Years...