Fan Friday: Is Supreme Leader Snoke Actually Darth Vader?

In a twist that would blindside many, is it possible that the “big bad” of Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens is in fact a villain that we’re quite familiar with at this point? A rumor has been rumbling that the ominously massive Supreme Leader Snoke, the puppet master of both Kylo Ren and the First Order, may in fact be none other than the first Sith audiences came to know, Darth Vader! While there have been a number of rumors ranging from Snoke being Darth Plagueis, master of the Darth Sidious, aka Emperor Palpatine, could it be possible that Snoke is a revived Anakin Skywalker, returning from the grave to try once again to “bring balance to the Force”? Snoke is still one of the biggest mysteries surrounding The Force Awakens, but some new evidence has come to light perhaps pointing in the direction of him being the father of Luke and Leia Skywalker, and mentor to the Dark Side tempted Ben Solo.

The biggest piece of evidence we are witness to are the scars on Supreme Leader Snoke’s head and face, pointed out to us by fan Joey Garza. Snoke is humanoid, albeit a completely computer generated creation for the film, but seemingly has scars and wounds that are almost identical to the ones that Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker had underneath his mask and helmet, revealed during the finale of Return of the Jedi. Obviously, we know how Anakin received his scars, but we have no clue as to what happened with Snoke. Their placement and appearance is downright shockingly identical to the ones found on Vader, and it certainly is the biggest hint that Snoke could in fact be Vader back from the dead.

While Snoke and Vader’s scars are similar, it could also be a method used by Snoke in order to have gotten closer to Ben Solo, eventually turning him into the monster that is Kylo Ren. Rather than actually being Vader, Snoke could have modeled his appearance after Vader’s to play on the young, inexperienced force wielder’s admiration for Anakin Skywalker, playing him right into the leader of the First Order’s hands. Still, death is something that can be overcome in the Star Wars universe, so Darth Vader could potentially have come back, leading a new empire to finish what Palpatine had started in the original trilogy. The Plagueis story in the prequels leads credence to Vader returning from the grave, though his mannerisms and voice are apparently far different. This is however 30 years after the original trilogy, and Vader was looking quite worse for wear when all was said and done then, imagine how he’d look now and you might think of a figure close to Supreme Leader Snoke.

Kylo Ren’s devotion to both Darth Vader and Supreme Leader Snoke would also lead to the idea that they were one in the same, as well as their positions in the universe and power. During all the events of the original trilogy, there was never even a hint that there was some older Sith who was biding his time, so the idea that Snoke is an already existing character isn’t a fantastical one to be sure. If Vader would be any existing character, outside of say Darth Plagueis, a resurrected Darth Vader may be at the top of the list.

So what do you think ComicBook.com readers? Could it happen?

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