Besides trying to decipher the parentage of Rey in the most recent chapter of the Star Wars saga, fans have been puzzled as to just who Supreme Leader Snoke is. Little is known about the character outside of him having suffered some grave injuries, his leadership of the First Order, and his training of Kylo Ren. One of the most popular theories prior to the film's release was that Snoke was really Darth Plagueis, the Sith Lord who trained Emperor Palpatine. The character is believed to be dead, murdered by Palpatine, but fans who held this theory claimed he must have survived with grave injuries. This certainly would have been an interesting path, tying the saga back to the much-maligned prequels in a way that helped to serve the story.
With The Force Awakens giving us no clear indication either way on Snoke's true identity, fan speculation has continued rampantly, despite denials from J.J. Abrams and Andy Serkis, who portrays the character via motion capture. Now, Pablo Hidalgo, who is the Creative Executive of the Lucasfilm Story Group, has engaged with some fans on Twitter and has seemingly shot down the rumour as false. "...he was said to possess the ability to keep loved ones from dying. Not himself. His apprentice killed him." Of course, there's always room for denial and misdirection when it comes to Star Wars; secrecy was a big deal when it came to stifling plot leaks from The Force Awakens. However, Hidalgo was pretty adamant that there is no misdirection when it comes to Plagueis. "I said Sidious killed Plagueis. He killed him. Killed. As in 'to kill'. Like, there was killing."
All in all, that seems pretty definitive. Do you think Snoke has a familiar identity, or is he just a new character with sinister motivations? Sound off with your speculation below!