There are just under two months left before the eighth entry in the Star Wars saga hits theatres, which means we still have plenty of time to speculate before getting any answers.
One of the biggest questions that fans have heading into the movie concerns the last Jedi himself, Luke Skywalker. While Luke made an appearance in The Force Awakens, the audience still wasn’t given much information about how the character has changed since Return of the Jedi. This has lead to a ton of fan theories being tossed around the internet over the last two years.
Earlier this month, Comicbookmovie.com reported how the new IMAX standee for the movie shows Luke on both the light and dark sides of the Force, and now with the release of the official poster for The Last Jedi, the theory that Luke has turned to the dark side has gained some more traction.
Some keen fans on the Star Wars subreddit have pointed out how the film's villain always looms at the back of a Star Wars poster—the spot Luke happens to fill. On the Episode I poster, Darth Maul looms at the back. With Episodes III, IV, V and VI it’s Darth Vader, and with Episode VII it’s Kylo Ren.
Mark Hamill has since used this popular theory to troll fans on Twitter:
While Hamill is famous for messing with his fans, his suggestion that Luke isn’t necessarily a hero might be more than just a joke. Some fans have theorized that Luke is becoming a Gray Jedi, a Force-user who operates in between the light and dark sides of the Force. Luke’s position in the center of the poster might represent just this.
Of course, we’ll have to wait a couple months to find out the truth, when Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theatres in December.