Warning: Minor spoilers for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
J.J. Abrams' "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" was a blast of enjoyable nostalgia. Lifelong fans got to reunite with their favorite original trilogy characters such as Han Solo, Leia, C3P-O and more. However, one character who did not make a comeback was Darth Vader. Though his presence was felt - Kylo Ren drew inspiration from the former Sith Lord - he never actually appeared in the film. However, that may not have always been the plan.
ComicBook.com reveals that original concept art for "The Force Awakens" featured the Force ghost of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christiansen). The images are so striking and potent that it is more than possible they could be incorporated in future films. In fact, rumors did crop up a few months ago that Christiansen may appear in some form in Rian Johnson's "Star Wars: Episode VIII."
What immediately jumps out about the concept art is the scorched appearance of Anakin. This would suggest that, even in the afterlife, he has not completely purged himself of Darth Vader. One of the images even shows a fusion of metal and skin, similar to Doctor Doom in this summer's poorly received "Fan4stic."
We all know this wouldn't be the first time a version of Anakin Skywalker has appeared from the Great Beyond. George Lucas infamously ret-conned the conclusion of "Return of the Jedi" to replace Sebastian Shaw's Anakin Force ghost with Christiansen. However, that version did not include any of the physical damage the character had incurred since "Revenge of the Sith."
Disney and Lucasfilm were right to distance themselves from the much-maligned prequels, but pretending that they don't even exist would be a mistake. "The Force Awakens" featured a brief voiceover cameo by actor Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi during Rey's vision as well as Frank Oz as Yoda. Though Christiansen's performance left a lot to be desired, all "Star Wars" fans would be lying if they said they didn't want at least a passing nod to the character he embodied. Abrams made the right choice when he put the majority of focus on the new generation of characters. But, somewhere down the line, we wouldn't mind a brief Vader comeback. You know, if only for nostalgia's sake.
Johnson's "Star Wars: Episode VIII" is due out in May of 2017. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is now in theaters.
