I cannot stress this enough, there will be
possible major spoilers discussed in this editorial. If you want to go into J.J. Abrams'
Star Wars: The Force Awakens with a clean slate, you should pull out. However, if you too are wondering who the heck Max von Sydow is playing in this upcoming film, stay on target with this editorial and be brought up to speed on what I am about to discuss by reading the supposed leaks
here.
In the 4chan report, it was said that Max von Sydow would be portraying a "
...broken man from the prequel area that has become mostly cyborg. He is not force sensitive and for some reason collects artifacts that we've seen at critical points during the previous films, particularly ones relating to the Jedi and the Sith." The report goes on to further describe his current state. "
Sydow is a sort of mentor to Kira [Daisy Ridley]
, and apparently his true identity is an Act III revelation that will surprise a lot of people. The contention is that he is an existing character from the prequel films, and the revelation of his identity will shock viewers...Sydow's character is "not overtly" a villain, but has some sort of Sith connection...Sydow's "hideout" is a downed AT-AT. Relics of the war are everywhere in the film; there is a real feeling that the entire galaxy is sick of the deadlock."
Okay, he's a broken man from the Prequels, he's not force sensitive, he has an obsession with the Jedi and Sith, has some sort of relation with the Sith, his true identity will shock Star Wars fans, and he's not overtly a villain. Who are we left with...
Raymus Antilles
While this may seem like a strange conclusion, why is it entirely impossible? Sure, maybe he died, but did he actually die?
Last we saw of Captain Antilles, he was being interrogated by the ruthless Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader. Not giving him the answer he wanted, Vader broke his neck with one hand and threw him into the wall. Pretty morbid death, right? Or maybe, just a terrible handicap to live with.
It would appear, based on the concept art, that Sydow's character has some sort of robot neck, or neck brace, to keep his head up. To add even more injury, the further sacking of the Rebel Blockade Runner and currently unverified canon circumstances probably left the Captain seriously injured and near death. Think about it, the Dark Lord of the Sith nearly kills you, and you're left more machine than man, wouldn't you be obsessed with this man (Vader's helmet), his religion (Jedi obsession), his family (Luke's lightsaber from
A New Hope, previously wieled by his maimer)?
Boba Fett
Yes, Boba Fett did
not die in
Return of the Jedi. You can read confirmation of that for yourself
here.
Since Boba's escape from the Pit of Carkoon is now a given, I'm sure that being in the belly of something that will slowly digest you for a thousand years can certainly damage your body, inflict massive amounts of pain, and result in some serious psychological damage. Assuming the desert planet in
The Force Awakens is Tatooine (which I personally doubt), perhaps Boba escaped with massive injuries/was rescued, had his body repaired, and then stayed on the planet where he conquered death, probably out of pride or maybe even anger.
His obsession with the Jedi and Sith could be explained in that a Jedi took his father's life, a Sith screwed him over when he plotted revenge on his father's killer, and a Jedi destroyed his body and left him to suffer a horrible death. This also makes him a broken man from the Prequels and not a complete or obvious villain.
Zett Jukassa
Who is this little kid, you may ask? Well, to make it real simple and canon, he basically died in
Revenge of the Sith when Bail Organa was investigating the destruction of the Jedi Temple.
(his death can be seen at 4:00)
While it may certainly be a long shot, considering Zett is force sensitive (contradicting the 4chan leak), his resemblance to the talented Sydow is uncanny.
Just for the sake of discussion, let's pretend "SpoilerMan" was wrong about Max not being force sensitive and that maybe Max's character just keeps his force sensitivity a secret. At the same time, he would also obsess over his dead religion by collecting artifacts and obsess over the Sith because of his machine body, a result of the blaster injuries suffered during Order 66.
In conclusion, the rumors suggest Max von Sydow's character to be a broken man from the Prequels, not force sensitive, has an obsession with the Jedi and Sith, has some sort of relation with the Sith, has an identity that will shock Star Wars fans, and is not overtly a villain. Do you agree with any of my thoughts? Where do you disagree? Do you think "SpoilerMan"'s leaks sounds exciting (assuming they are true)? As always, leave your thoughts in the comments section below and let us know what you think.
Set 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens continues the story of our favorite band of heroes and villains, while also introducing new faces to the saga. Directed by J.J. Abrams, written by J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, with music by John Willaims, creative consultant George Lucas, and starring Oscar Isaac, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Andy Serkis, Gwendoline Christie, Harrison Ford, Domhnall Gleeson, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Peter Mayhew, Daisy Ridley, Lupita Nyong'o, Kenny Baker, Max von Sydow, Warwick Davis, Anthony Daniels, Christina Chong, Pip Andersen, Dixie Arnold, and Crystal Clarke, Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens is set for release on December 18, 2015.