Star Wars: The Force Awaken's Kylo Ren Is Not A Sith

08/25/2015 10:58 am EDT

Call him a villain. Call him a jerk. Call him Darth Vader's number-one fan, if you want.

But don't call Kylo Ren a Sith.

The cross guard lightsaber-wielding bad guy heading to Star Wars: The Force Awakens is not a member of the Sith; the evil cult that embraced the Dark Side of the Force and terrorized the galaxy through the first six Star Wars films. As director J.J. Abrams confirmed with Empire Magazine, the new villain is more of an agent for an even bigger bad guy, much like Darth Vader was a faithful servant to the Emperor.

"Kylo Ren is not a Sith," Abrams revealed. "He works under Supreme Leader Snoke, who is a powerful figure on the Dark Side of the Force."

Snoke, for those who don't know, is that gravely voice narrating The Force Awakens' first trailer from November 2014. According to Empire, the character is a performance-captured digital one, performed by actor Andy Serkis.

So if Ren isn't a Sith, what exactly is he? Aas Abrams revealed earlier this month to Entertainment Weekly, Adam Driver's character belongs to a new and mysterious group known as The Knights of Ren. How Kylo transitioned from this cultish group into the First Order is unknown for now, but expect details to come as The Force Awakens nears its release.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens on December 18. And to see when Star Wars' other installments hit theaters, head to ComicBook.com's Franchise Movie Release Schedule.

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