When it comes to the "Star Wars" galaxy, things are usually black and white. Literally. The bad guys (Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, etc.) wear black and the good guys wear white (Luke Skywalker in "A New Hope"). Beyond that, there are other clear indications of where a character's allegiance lies. A red lightsaber and a creepy mask have typically been used to denote the Dark Side. As such, fans have long assumed that Adam Driver's Kylo Ren is the primary villain of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
However, could there be more to him than just a general sense of evil-doing? Though it took a long time, audiences were finally able to somewhat understand Anakin Skywalker's turn to the Dark Side. Throughout the course of six films, his motivations and choices were explored in detail.
Cinema Blend recently sat down with Driver and asked him how viewers will see his character in "The Force Awakens." He noted that while he won't know an outsider's perspective, it was important to him to view Kylo Ren as the good guy of the story.
"Well, I don't know," Driver said. "I certainly didn't think of him that way in playing him, that he is doing anything villainous. It's more if he thinks what he is doing is right, and being justified by it. And then trying to tell the story of why - making it a person as much as possible."
As Driver attempts to slightly humanize Kylo Ren, his character could become more relatable to movie-goers. However, Driver also feels that it is important to maintain his sense of menace to ensure that audiences still find his character threatening. It's a careful balancing act.
"I think that when people feel they're morally justified, to me it feels more dangerous," he said.
It will be interesting to see what his ultimate goal is and why he believes it is the ethically sound path. Perhaps there will be greater shades of morality than the black and white we've become accustomed to.
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" will hit theaters on Dec. 18.
