5 Star Wars Villains Who Have Only Gotten Better With Time

Since the days of the original trilogy, Star Wars has been about the fight between good and evil. When Star Wars: A New Hope kicked off, the Empire was the greatest threat, with arguably cinema’s most iconic villain, Darth Vader, being the face of the oppressive government. However, Vader couldn’t do it alone, so George Lucas and Co. introduced more bad guys as the Skywalker Saga continued, and for the most part, they hit the mark. From General Grievous to Cad Bane, each new adversary for the heroes of Star Wars felt like a worthwhile addition to a galaxy far, far away.

But just because a villain had a solid appearance or two doesn’t mean there wasn’t room for improvement. In fact, some of the most notable evildoers in Star Wars history got better as time went on, with the franchise fleshing them out and proving they’re so much more than their actions.

Boba Fett

There are few characters in Star Wars with as much aura as Boba Fett. He became so popular after his appearance in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back that the Mandalorian culture was built around his look. However, despite being influential, Boba leaves a lot to be desired early on.

The original trilogy shows Boba at his peak, taking on bounties and showing no mercy. There isn’t a lot of depth to his character, though, and projects like Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: The Clone Wars help explain where his ruthless nature comes from. All that work pays off when Boba returns in Star Wars: The Mandalorian and gets right back to wreaking havoc.

Kylo Ren

During the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren is nothing more than a whiny brat. He’s a Darth Vader wannabe who has enough daddy issues that he makes a deal with just the worst kind of person. Kylo’s so out of whack that, after killing his father, Han Solo, and eating a blast from Chewbacca’s bowcaster, he loses a fight to Rey, who has no experience with a lightsaber.

Things change drastically in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, though. Kylo still has little confidence, but the events of the movie point him in the right direction, and he caps things off by killing Supreme Leader Snoke and taking control of the First Order. While he redeems himself at the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, his time with the dark side is still pretty impactful.

Darth Maul

In Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Darth Maul is more of a physical threat than a mental one, being a puppet that Palpatine uses to announce the Sith’s return. Sure, he’s part of one of the greatest lightsaber fights ever, but he barely has any lines and fails to make much of an impact outside of killing a single Jedi.

Fortunately, Maul’s return in The Clone Wars and subsequent projects make up for The Phantom Menace‘s failures by giving the villain real motivation. He wants to get revenge by any means necessary, so he spends the next couple of decades influencing galactic events and causing trouble wherever he goes. By the end, he’s every bit the bad guy Darth Vader is.

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Emperor Palpatine

Emperor Palpatine in the original trilogy is the personification of evil. After all, the person running the Empire can’t have any redeeming qualities. But Palpatine’s first couple of appearances still don’t do the character any favors, with him never really leaving his chair in his throne room.

The prequels make it their mission to show Palpatine’s rise to power, and they do a pretty good job. While he’s still the worst of the worst, projects like Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and The Clone Wars show just how far the Dark Lord of the Sith will go to achieve his goals. Palpatine even returns for one last battle in The Rise of Skywalker, and it takes the entire galaxy coming together to stop him.

Count Dooku

As soon as Count Dooku pops up in Attack of the Clones, he’s as interesting as any other villain in the franchise. A former Jedi who abandons the Order, he tries to warn Obi-Wan Kenobi about his master’s plans before turning on his former allies completely. He outduels Obi-Wan and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, and looks to be on his way to becoming one of the all-time greats. Unfortunately, he dies only a few minutes into Revenge of the Sith.

While a lackluster death is a stain on Dooku’s legacy, The Clone Wars gives the Sith Lord more time to shine. The animated series reveals how Dooku makes life difficult for the Jedi during the titular conflict, even showing another fight between him and Anakin that once again proves the villain has no equal when it comes to lightsaber technique.

Do you think these Star Wars villains got better as the franchise went on? Who else would you put on this list? Let us know in the comments below!