STAR WARS EPISODE 7- POSSIBLE VILLAINS
In honor of the very new rumor about Dooku's family line being the villains in the new film, here are some other popular Star Wars Episode 7 villain in circulation.
DARTH VADER
The Theory: The theory here is that ever-popular Darth Vader will return in the new film. There are very few ideas on how he may be returning (you know—because last we saw him his son was burning his body) but most of them including cloning, perhaps by the Kamino facilities, who again work with other baddies to raise one of the most feared Sith Lords. Some theorize that there may even be multiple Darth Vader clones….what a thought!
Likelihood: Very Low
Why: What kind of writer would undermine the character arc for the first trilogy by bringing back Vader after he turned good? You are just looking to be hung by the fan base. Also the cloning of old baddies is an age-old tradition by expanded universes of various franchises. It’s pretty much the most unoriginal route they could take. Therefore, I can’t see J.J Abrams going with it and it is very unlikely that the character will be back in a main villainous role. However, there is a chance we might see him in a flashback of somesort.
THE EMPEROR/ DARTH SIDIOUS
The Theory: this one is not too different from the one above. Some believe that he too will be cloned and return to plague whatever jedi order Luke has created. Others think he might not have died when he fell down the shaft at the end of Return of the Jedi. After all, Darth Maul survived being sliced and half and returned in The Clone Wars, so why couldn’t his master come back. The final idea is that he comes back as a force ghost and trains more sith while pulling strings in the afterlife. Now there is a scary idea!
Likelihood: Low
Why: The cloning of the emperor is about as likely as Darth Vader being cloned, and the reasoning is mostly the same. Alternately, it seems highly unlikely that Sidious survived his fall to death. At least Maul was an alien species with an anatomy we didn’t fully comprehend. The Emperor was human (as far as we know) and after he fell there was a pretty impressive explosion…kind of hard to get out of that one. The most likely idea is that he returns as a force ghost. But as The Clone Wars finale showed us, Yoda learned how to become a force ghost from Qui-Gon Gin, part of it involved defeating his dark half. Yoda then, likely, taught this too Obi-Wan who taught Anakin before he turned to the dark side. It’s unlikely Sideous learned how to do this, and if he did, how would he conquer his “dark self” when he is basically the embodiment of all evil? Also the actor, Ian McDiarmid, has claimed he has no involvement in the film at this time…though, granted, he could be lying.
THRAWN
Theory: perhaps this is not so much a theory as a hope from many fans. Thrawn is one of the most popular villains from the expanded universe. He was a genius who shortly after the fall of the empire, resurrected it again. He is someone who is so smart and ahead of the game that he is near impossible to catch and impossible to best in battles. Many fans hope the sequels might utilize him in some manner.
Liklihood- Low
Why: There is no reason why he couldn’t work for the story. He’s a great character and he would work well, especially with the rumor that the empire didn’t really fall at the end of Return of the Jedi. There are two reasons why this is unlikely. First, it seems doubtful that the writers would want to undermine the ending to the original trilogy by allowing the empire to still be around. Secondly there has been absolutely no news to support this theory.
ASAJ VENTRESS & THE NIGHTSISTERS
Theory: Asaj Ventress has been a long developed villain by both the expanded universe and the two Clone Wars tv shows. Perhaps the writers of episode 7 have finally decided to give her, and her mysteries sisterhood a chance on the big screen. Having been prevolant in the animated world and her story inconclusive, a continuation of her story might be in order. She would be easy enough to introduce without viewers needing any prior knowledge of her. Some even theorize that actress Lupita Nyong’o may be portraying her. Though the character has chalk white and purple skin in other media, Nyong’o might be using makeup as she has a very similar build, facial structure, and voice to the character in the animated series.
Liklihood: Medium
Why: Rumors were circulating a while back that someone had gotten hold of the script and the Nightsisters were in it. The nightsisters are formidable and mysterious enough to pose a threat to Jedi. They have strange powers that they refer to as “magic”, though we all know that it isn’t that simple, which would be entertaining to see pitted against the jedi. Ventress began as a kind of boring one note character but the Clone Wars series evolved her into an interesting anti-hero worth revisiting. However, besides that short-lived rumor, there has been nothing to really confirm this in either the set footage or from writers, directors, actors, or producers.
Liklihood: High
Why: I think we can all hope for an injection of originality in this new series and hopefully J.J. Abrams delivered on that front. By going with a completely original character it makes the writers free from any issues of continuity and lets them do whatever they want with the script. Also if the rumored photo that got "leaked" (above) is to be believed, we have never seen that person before. Could he be a past Inquisitor or Jedi Hunter? Sure! But he could just as easily be someone completely new as well, with a back-story we have yet to discover. Speaking of Inquisitors and Jedi Hunters....
THE INQUISITORS
Theory: this one probably has the most traction, again due to the recently started rumor that the Inquisitors, who will be making their first canon appearance in Star Wars Rebels (as a group founded by Darth Vader) will have become Jedi Hunters who are tracking down the members of the order created by Luke, and forcing him into hiding.
Likelihood: High
Why: So far, out of everything we have heard, this fits the most with what we know. Luke is supposedly been missing and these villains would make a logical reason why. When Disney took over LucasFilms, they claimed that they established a group to manage all continuity and build the universe within itself. This would make sense with the new Star Wars Rebels, which features a character called "the Inquisitor" as a main antagonists, possibly setting up his organization as the villains for the future films.
Also, if you feel like it, check out the previous Popular Rumors- What's Up With Trevor....in case you are wondering, I got that one right.