From his introduction in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, General Hux was portrayed as a weak but terrifying leader of the First Order. Yet despite being incredibly dedicated to his beliefs, he ended up betraying the First Order by giving away information to the Resistance. The traitorous act led to his demise, but many fans were left wondering what caused this sudden change in character.
Despite his young age, Hux was one of the highest-ranking officials in the First Order. While his usual stature wasn’t the most intimidating, he gave an impressive speech as Starkiller Base destroyed the New Republic, revealing his commanding presence and passion for the cause. And everything he did, he did to impress Supreme Leader Snoke, despite his constant bullying.
In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Snoke revealed exactly why he kept Hux around, explaining, “You wonder why I keep a rabid cur in such a place of power? A cur’s weakness, properly manipulated, can be a sharp tool.” This shows that Hux was nothing more than a puppet who wanted to impress. It also explains why the vast majority of First Order officers were far younger than those seen in the Empire.
While Hux proudly served Snoke, he held a long rivalry with his apprentice — Kylo Ren. It’s unknown when exactly their rivalry began, but from their very first interaction in The Force Awakens, there was clearly tension between the two. After Finn and Poe Dameron escaped the First Order, Kylo questioned whether they should switch to using a clone army. Hux took offense to this, snapping back, “My men are exceptionally trained, programmed from birth.”
This back and forth continued throughout the Star Wars sequel trilogy, with Hux being one of the few people to ever talk back to Kylo. Even when the map to Luke Skywalker was lost, he confronted Kylo in front of Snoke, saying that Kylo failed and let it get away. And while their rivalry could often feel petty, it was actually quite impressive that Hux wasn’t afraid to belittle someone who could easily kill him.
Hux was likely jealous of Kylo for being so close to Snoke, or perhaps he saw Kylo’s inner conflict as pathetic. But either way, everything changed after the Supreme Leader was killed. In the aftermath of Kylo and Rey’s fight and the destruction of their capital ship, Hux arrived to find Snoke’s body in the rubble. With Kylo laying on the floor, he even went as far as reaching for his blaster, presumably to execute Kylo before he woke.
But with Kylo rising up, he commanded Hux to start the ground assault on Crait, with him yelling back, “Who do you think you’re talking to? You presume to command my army?” But Hux’s worst fears had come to fruition, as he was Force-choked into submission and had to accept Kylo as the new Supreme Leader.
Then in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, it was clear Hux was far from happy with the situation. Not only was Kylo in charge, but their new goal revolved around aiding the Sith, whereas Hux only ever cared about the First Order becoming the new Empire. And to top off his misery, Allegiant General Pryde now held more control over the Order, with Hux giving him stern looks throughout their meeting.
In short, Hux lost everything, and all that was left was his rivalry with Kylo. And so, as a final act of defiance, he began feeding information to the resistance in the hope that they would destroy the current First Order leadership. Once revealed as the spy, Hux’s line perfectly sums up his character, saying, “I don’t care if you win. I need Kylo Ren to lose.” But still, after he let the rebels escape, it became obvious to Pryde that he was the spy, and he met a quick end.
While Hux’s death feels somewhat rushed for how prevalent he was in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, the betrayal was still in line with his character. In The Force Awakens, it seemed as though Hux was the most dedicated member of the First Order. But after Snoke’s death, the Order was no longer what he wanted it to be, and his hatred for Kylo far outweighed his loyalty to the changing cause.
