With now just one month to go until Star Wars: The Acolyte premieres on Disney+, a new banner has surfaced (via SFFGazette.com) highlighting the show's leads...and potentially its mysterious villain!
Mae, Sol, Venestra, Jecki, Indara, Yord, Kelnacca and Mother Aniseya are among those featured, but to the right of Sol is a mysterious figure clad in all black and wielding the red lightsaber we're betting is the same one featured in the trailers. Could this be our first look at The Acolyte's Sith baddie?
It seems likely, particularly with a helmet that instantly brings up memories of Darth Vader and the Sith Inquisitors. In fact, on closer inspection, it almost seems to boast a toothy grin, a sign perhaps that whoever is beneath the mask has a monstrous side.
With this series playing out roughly 100 years before The Phantom Menace, this could be Darth Plagueis or even his Master, Darth Tenebrous.
"If Star Wars is about the underdog versus the institution, [in The Acolyte] the Jedi are the institution," The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland previously said of its mysterious villain. "I was so interested in a storyline where the Jedi were at the height of their power - and I don’t mean The Phantom Menace, because at that point, there’s a Sith Lord in the Senate that they’re not picking up on."
Talking about the Sith, she added, "Like it’s a thing I’ve heard of, but it’s not a thing that you would ever consider you’d be interacting with. If the bad guys are actually the underdog, it just seemed like a cool reversal."
Take a closer look at this new banner for The Acolyte below and let us know your theories on who that character might be in the comments section.
In The Acolyte, an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems...
The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.
The Acolyte comes from creator and showrunner Leslye Headland (Russian Doll), who also serves as executive producer alongside Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King, and Jason Micallef. Charmaine DeGraté and Kor Adana are the co-executive producers, and Rayne Roberts and Damian Anderson are producing.
The next Star Wars TV series will premiere on Disney+ on June 4.