Of all the characters introduced in the Star Wars prequel movies, Count Dooku was one of the most intriguing. The Sith Lord and apprentice of Darth Sidious kind of appeared out of the left field with little explanation or backstory. But the iconic Christopher Lee’s incredible performance definitely helped people become fans of the character. And no one was complaining about seeing more of him in The Clone Wars.
Like Darth Vader before him, Count Dooku became the kind of villain fans just love to hate, and rightfully so. He was one of the brightest parts of the Clone Wars era of Star Wars, and has more of a story to tell.
10 A Prominent Fallen Jedi
Like many Sith Lords, Dooku started out as a Jedi. While little is known about what he was like in those days, it has been heavily implied that he was quite powerful and was highly respected. Then came the fall.
At some point, Dooku was corrupted by the Dark Side of the Force and pledged his allegiance to Darth Sidious. But even as a villain, he still had an air of dignity and respect around him, which is more than can be said about other Sith like Maul.
9 His Relationship With Yoda was intriguing
Dooku was a Padawan for many years, just like every Jedi who came before him. But he kind of hit the lottery when he ended up with Yoda as his master, one of the greatest Jedi who has ever lived. Other Jedi were probably envious of this.
Their relationship as depicted throughout The Clone Wars and the prequel films was contentious at best. Still, fans got glimpses into what their more cooperative relationship would have been like, which was intriguing, to say the least.
8 Constantly Tormenting Obi-Wan Kenobi
When it comes to legendary Jedi in the minds of fans, few names top Obi-Wan Kenobi’s. He was a highly respected lightsaber duelist and had an innate understanding of the Force that few Jedi had. Plus, he really thought he was funny, not that Anakin agreed.
All of that being said, Obi-Wan could be insufferable and condescending at times. Watching Dooku needle him over the years was actually a lot of fun for fans, adding another dimension to his character. If he had remained a Jedi, Dooku still probably wouldn’t have liked Kenobi.
7 Amazing With A Lightsaber
Count Dooku was obviously quite powerful with the dark side of the Force. He was exceptionally knowledgeable and trained in its various uses, including tossing Force lightning around like it was going out of style. Which it never will.
But Dooku’s greatest strength has always been with a lightsaber. This man has taken on Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker single-handedly, and come out on top. It’s hard not to be impressed by him as a proficient duelist.
6 Punking Out General Grievous
The Separatist forces had a number of unique and interesting leaders, including General Grievous. This warlord-turned-cyborg killing machine became the Supreme Commander of the Separatist Droid Army, serving directly under the command of Count Dooku.
Grievous was intimidating and a skilled fighter, but he was also incredibly annoying. Dooku gave the impression that he was not the biggest fan of the General and was constantly cutting him down to size. It’s good that someone was doing that as it took Kenobi forever to finally kill him.
5 He was Calm & More Reserved
Sith Lords seem to be an excitable bunch. One moment they are all calm and menacing, the next moment they’re flying across the room while swinging lightsabers and blasting Force lightning everywhere. They’re a real nuisance at parties.
Count Dooku, on the other hand, has always been the cool and collected type. He rarely flies off the handle, and always tries to bait his opponents into defeating themselves before he swings his lightsaber for the first time. It makes for interesting lightsaber duels.
4 He’s Much Different From Maul
In particular, Count Dooku and the Sith Lord formerly known as Darth Maul could not be more different from each other. Dooku has that cautious, reserved vibe to him while Maul is more of a superpowered ninja. Plus, Maul has some real rage issues to work out.
It’s possible that Palpatine was looking for more seasoned leadership from his second apprentice. Oddly enough, Maul became more thoughtful and reserved as he aged, particularly after the establishment of the Empire and the fall of the Republic.
3 Annoyed By Anakin
For the most part, Anakin Skywalker was depicted as a whiny wiener who wanted to run before he could walk as a Jedi. That was mostly in the movies as the animated version of the character was a lot more tolerable in comparison.
One of Count Dooku’s most endearing qualities is the fact that he does not suffer fools. And he found Anakin to be the biggest fool he knew. It’s possible that he realized on some level that Sidious was lining Skywalker up to be his replacement. But Dooku probably just hated the whininess.
2 Not As Evil As He Seemed
As odd as this seems, Count Dooku wasn’t as evil as he initially appeared. While he did betray the Jedi and chose to side with the Sith, his motivations for doing so are largely unknown. And there have been some interesting theories as to why he did.
There is a contingent of Star Wars fans who have theorized that Dooku was some sort of double agent who was, in fact, still working for the Jedi on some level. This might have been the reason why Sidious decided to replace him with Anakin Skywalker.
1 Realizing The Truth Too Late
Count Dooku came to a rather unfortunate end. Palpatine set up his demise at the hands of Anakin Skywalker, one of the final steps in pushing the young Jedi over the edge to the dark side of the Force. Dooku was a pawn Sidious sacrificed to his greater plan.
In his final moments, Dooku realized that this was Palpatine’s intent the entire time. Then, Anakin cut his head off. The strange thing about this moment was that it actually made him a more relatable character. Being utterly betrayed by his employer is an experience a lot of people have had.
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