Despite opinions of the sequel trilogy, a common agreement is that Adam Driver’s portrayal of Kylo Ren was a highlight and a fan favorite. Yet, even with the positives, the character still died at the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, leaving fans wanting more. There’s plenty of backstory for Kylo still left untold, and there could even be more story in his future if Disney wanted to go that route. But it begs the question of whether Kylo Ren should actually return or just be left at peace?
At the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Rey uses the last of her strength to defeat Palpatine once and for all, with the effort claiming her life. A newly reformed Ben Solo finds Rey and gives up his life force to bring her back, sacrificing himself. Though a touching and redeeming moment for the character, it feels quite abrupt considering how Ben Solo had only returned to the light side for the last act of the movie. And outside of a few Star Wars comic books, little has been revealed about Ben’s childhood and path to becoming Kylo Ren.
In the argument for bringing Ben Solo back, seeing the character’s transformation to the dark side in a movie would likely make the sequel trilogy more enjoyable, as audiences would have an even stronger connection to Kylo’s character. It could even fill in more of Snoke’s backstory, who was only vaguely explained as Palpatine’s puppet to control Kylo. And of course, Kylo returning would also give Adam Driver more time to show off his acting skills, which few would be opposed to.
Though it would be more controversial, Ben Solo could even return post-Rise of Skywalker. It may seem like he fully passed away, but Star Wars is no stranger to bringing back seemingly dead characters, such as Darth Maul. At the very end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Ben Solo doesn’t appear as a Force ghost to Rey, meaning he either never trained on how to become one or isn’t fully dead. Also, in Star Wars: Rebels, Jedi Ezra Bridger entered an area of the Force called The World Between Worlds, which showed the ability to alter time and prevent death. It would be a stretch, but Disney could go that route if they wanted to bring back the character in a way that somewhat makes sense.
As for the argument against bringing Kylo back, there’s a chance it would take away from Ben’s redemption and cheapen his death. In the moment, it’s easy to forget the billions of lives he ended with Starkiller base in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, so sacrificing himself for Rey feels like a fitting end. Also, a common Star Wars opinion is that now the sequel trilogy — and the Skywalker Saga as a whole — is over, and the focus should be on telling new stories with different characters rather than continually revisiting the same ones.
Either way, there’s been no mention or hint from Disney about the character’s return. But even if it would be a stretch to explain Ben Solo coming back, as Master Luke once said, “No one’s ever really gone.”
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