Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Licensing Image Provides New Look at Kylo Ren's Repaired Helmet

When audiences first met Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, his visage was obscured by a helmet that resembled his grandfather Darth Vader's, only for the film to reveal that it was merely an aesthetic decision. In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, audiences witnessed the Sith seek to destroy his past and the ways in which he honored his legacy, opting to smash the helmet during an outburst following a fateful encounter with Supreme Leader Snoke. The debut of the first teaser for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker offered us a look at someone repairing the helmet, with a new photo from the Licensing Expo currently underway in Las Vegas giving us a clearer shot of the repaired armor.

licensingexpoとかいろんなイベントやっててきになるマン pic.twitter.com/aXZKygRB4g

— 寺田てら (@trcoot) June 4, 2019

The above image confirms that the helmet was repaired with a red substance and seemingly is utilized by Kylo Ren. These details might seem innocuous, but it does raise a number of questions.

Our first look at the helmet in the teaser for The Rise of Skywalker didn't initially seem strange, though upon further inspection, it was clear that, rather than being repaired by Kylo himself, some sort of creature with furry arms was the one making the necessary repairs.

What complicates this narrative detail is the fact that Kylo intentionally shattered the helmet in order to distance himself from the past, which would make it seem unlikely that he would be the one to want to put the item back together. In a logistical sense, one would think that, were Kylo to ever want to use his helmet again, he likely would have had a backup or could easily have a new one created, given that it wasn't anything other than a tool used to intimidate his enemies.

Another possibility after the release of the first teaser is that it wasn't Kylo who wanted the mask repaired, but someone else, which may have even been the Knights of Ren. Audiences know very little about the upcoming film's plot, though we do know the Knights of Ren would make their first appearance since The Force Awakens, with theories emerging that they were somehow in search of the helmet.

The Licensing Expo photo depicts the wearer to have Kylo's lightsaber, so we're at a loss as to why he is wearing his helmet again and why this specific helmet has to be repaired in such a way.

Audiences are likely to get answers when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker lands in theaters on December 20th.

What do you think about this new image? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!