There are some character designs that are truly unforgettable. They not only look good, but also create an inescapable aura around the character. Spider-Man, Sauron, and Vegeta, are just some of the characters I can think of whose iconic designs perfectly match their personality and screen presence. However, perhaps there’s no one that proves this point quite like Darth Vader from Star Wars. The mask, the suit, the voice, the breathing, he has so many iconic features that fans can recognize him just from one of them. Every Star Wars fan feels a chill up their spine when they hear that eerie ventilator sound. 

When it comes to characters like Vader, artistic license becomes a bit more rigid. You can’t go around changing too much, because his features essentially have become trademarks at this point. Sure, there are animated and samurai versions of him, but that’s just looking at the character through a different lens, not changing anything about him. However, if you were to swap his cape with a poncho, that might be a bit too much – which is strange, because that’s exactly what this original Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back poster has done. 

Vintage Star Wars Poster Gave Darth Vader A Poncho For Some Reason

One fan showed off this poster on Reddit, and it appears to be one of the early promotional ones that studios would send to theatres. Since there’s no release date on it, it’s meant to be a teaser or a “coming soon” poster. Coming to the art, it has our three heroes, Luke, Leia, and Han, along with the two droids. There’s also a bunch of Stormtroopers and a very sassy looking Lando Calrissian. However, the bulk of the poster is taken up by an imposing figure of Darth Vader and his iconic red lightsaber… and what looks like a poncho. 

The artist clearly tried to add their own touch to Vader’s iconic appearance. While it does look like a poncho, it’s likely that they just wanted to show his cape wrapped around him. This was perhaps done to cover the little gadgets on his suit, as they might not have come out well in this hand-drawn style. Still, that’s not to say it looks funny or bad. Darth Vader still looks as menacing as ever, and easily pulls off this style of wearing his cape. Evidently, Anakin lost his way, but not his style. 

It’s pretty rare to see the studio take even this slightly different approach to their most iconic character, even more so after Disney took over. At a time when corporations and suits control every minor aspect of the franchise, it’s nice to look back at an era when an artist could add their own interpretation to the Sith Lord’s design, even if it’s just a minor change.

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