Star Wars has become one of the most beloved sci-fi franchises in history. Writer/director George Lucas’s story of good versus evil in a galaxy far, far away introduced fans to some of the greatest heroes and villains in the history of cinema, including the Jedi and the Sith, rival Force-using sects whose trials and tribulations defined who would holds power in the galaxy. Fans have always loved the Jedi, but the Sith have their fans as well. The mighty Sith Lords have a rich history whether it be the current Disney-controlled canon or the Legends canon, the expanded universe of lore created through books, comics, video games, and more from the ’90s to Disney’s 2012 purchase of the franchise.
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As potent a force as the Jedi could be, the Sith often were able to overwhelm them with sheer power. The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many powers, and fans have seen some ridiculously powerful Sith Lords in canon and Legends. These ten Sith Lords are the most powerful, their Force powers allowing them to do amazing things.
10) Darth Malak
Knight of the Old Republic is a beloved game. Not only did it redefine what could be done in an RPG, but it introduced fans to many great new characters, including two Sith Lords that will be on this list. The first is Darth Malak. Malak was the Padawan of Revan, and the two spearheaded the Jedi during the Mandalorian Wars. After the war, they disappeared into the galaxy, finding the lost Sith Empire and becoming Dark Lords themselves to prepare the known galaxy for a war against the Sith. Revan was the more powerful of the two, but Malak was no slouch, and even mastered the art of draining a subject’s life force to enhance his Force powers. He was a potent Sith Lord who almost succeeded at defeating the Jedi after Revan was taken from him.
9) Darth Vader
Darth Vader is Star Wars’s most storied character. He was the most important character in the original and prequel trilogies, and his tragedy remains a formative part of Star Wars lore. Anakin Skywalker was a vergence in the Force, created by the dark side experiments of Darth Sidious, and had the highest recorded midi-chlorian count on record. Sidious made it his life’s work to turn the young Jedi, and was able to use the chaos of the Clone Wars to lead Anakin to destroy his own life, and fall to the dark side. Vader never reached the heights of power that he could have; Sidious only taught him so much, preferring him to be a powerful enforcer rather than a true partner. However, the brute strength of Vader’s Force power was legendary, and he was one of the most accomplished lightsaber duelists ever.
8) Darth Traya
Darth Traya was the leading member of the Sith Triumverate from the Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, a game that was rushed out and never actually finished. However, she would go down as one of the most memorable, and powerful, Sith Lords ever. Traya wanted to destroy both the Jedi and the Sith. She believed that they caged the Force with their power and their vendetta, and the only way to free the Force was for both sides to die. While she wasn’t the most powerful member of the Triumverate, she was the most skilled, and could manipulate anyone. Her Force telekinesis was extremely powerful, and she dueled by using it to control her sabers. She’s not a powerhouse Sith, but one who had such mastery that few could match her.
7) Darth Bane
Darth Bane is an interesting example of a Sith Lord that is both in canon and Legends, which is more rare than you’d think. However, we know next to nothing about canon Bane, other than he started the Rule of Two. Legends Bane got a whole book trilogy and comic miniseries devoted to him, and he proved to be ridiculously powerful. He joined Lord Kaan’s Brotherhood of Darkness, but found their ways weak and antithetical to the dark side, so he hunted down as much Sith lore as he could. He became an expert lighsaber duelist, wielded dark energies with the best of them, and brought back the practice of Sith sorcery. He has more Force user kills than just about anyone other than Darth Vader, and if you count him tricking Lord Kaan into using the thought bomb that killed the Jedi and the Sith at the Battle of Ruusan, he easily beats Vader.
6) Darth Revan
Darth Revan was the most gifted Force user of his generation. As a Jedi, the entire order respected him so much that he was able to lead them into war with the Mandalorians, and when he returned from his sojourn with Malak as a Sith, many joined him. Revan was an extremely gifted Force user, and his skills became even greater once he tapped into the dark side with reckless abandon. Revan ended up getting mindwiped by the Jedi, but for the short time he was a Sith, he did tremendous damage to the galaxy and the Jedi. He proved to be a masterful user of the Force, learning any skill put in front of him with aplomb.
5) Darth Sidious
Darth Sidious is often considered the most powerful Sith, and there’s something to that. He was able to manipulate the entire galaxy to do his bidding, hiding his dark side powers from the Jedi right under their noses. He created life in the form of Anakin Skywalker, and was a master of Sith Battle Meditation. He even survived death, his spirit fleeing the destruction of the second Death Star. Immortality and unlimited power was his greatest goal, and he would have reached that goal if it wasn’t for the Skywalker clan. Sidious did create one of the greatest libraries of Sith lore ever, though, and was a master of many dark side disciplines. However, as powerful as he is, his feats are pretty standard compared to the Sith coming next.
4) Darth Plagueis
Much like Bane, there is a canon and Legends version of Darth Plagueis, but we know next to nothing about the canon version (and thanks to Star Wars: The Acolyte being cancelled, we’ll have to wait for a long time to learn anything). In Legends, the Muun Sith got his own novel, and we learned just how powerful he was. Plagueis was obsessed with Sith sorcery, defeating death, and creating life. He was constantly experimenting, dipping into the various Sith Holocrons to lean more. His Force mastery and lightsaber skills were of the highest level, and the only reason Sidious was able to defeat him was because Plagueis basically got drunk and passed out while they were celebrating Sidious being made Supreme Chancellor. He taught his apprentice much, but also held much back, ensuring that Sidious would never be as powerful as he was.
3) Darth Caedus
In Legends, Han Solo and Princess Leia had twin children, Jacen and Jaina. Jacen was the more Force-oriented of the two, and would leave on a journey of discovery after helping to win the Yuuzhan Vong War, studying the Force disciplines of various species. Eventually, he returned and was manipulated into becoming a Sith by Lumiya, a former apprentice of Jacen’s grandfather Vader. He would end up killing his aunt Mara Jade and became Darth Caedus. Caedus was a master of nearly every Force power ever, from the shatterpoint to flow-walking, which allowed him to look backwards and forward through time. He had mastered transforming pain and rage into power, and was an extremely skilled fighter. He eventually lost an arm in battle with Jaina and a group of Mandalorians, and the lost limb would come back to haunt him in his final battle with his sister. However, on sheer power, he was the equal of Luke Skywalker, which in Legends is saying something.
2) Darth Nihilus
Darth Nihilus wasn’t the leader of the Sith Triumverate from Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, but he was easily the most powerful in the Force. The Battle of Malachor V transformed him into a void in the Force, allowing him to absorb the Force energy of anything around him. He was able to devour the Force energy of entire planets, making him one of the most dangerous Sith to ever exist. He was a walking extinction level event that also carried a lightsaber because overkill is a thing even in the Star Wars Universe. Nihilus only lost because he was honestly kind of dumb; he was so obsessed with absorbing more power, that he never used his abilities to their utmost extent. He had power that most Sith could only dream of, though, and was a titan of the dark side.
1) Vitiate
Vitiate is the greatest Sith in the history of Legends. He was the Emperor of the Sith Empire, and was the greatest master of the dark side ever. He had mastered immortality; much like Darth Nihilus, Vitiate was able to drain the Force energy from beings around him, learning to use the energy to refresh his body and make him young again. The Sith Emperor could use this power on a planet, killing everyone there with a thought and becoming overwhelmingly powerful. It was the threat of Vitiate that convinced Revan and Malak to turn to the dark side, as they believed that only the power of the dark side could defeat him. He was nearly a Force-wielding god, and could have taken over the galaxy if it wasn’t for a desperate alliance of Jedi and Sith.
What Sith Lord do you think are the most powerful? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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