Why I love Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

There are many reasons why I love this character so much, and I'm going to detail them all on this page.

Some of these are based on my own analysis of the character, so there's definitely a degree of subjectivity. But that's why this is a fan shrine; I never claimed objectivity now, did I?

"Cool evil guy with cool helmet and cool sword"

Yes, it's true, and I also agree - Darth Vader just oozes "cool". He is tall, intimidating, with a deep voice and an impressive appearance. His harness is indeed extremely cool; I love the combination of the black harness and red lightsaber (I happen to love the combination of black and red in general). It's such a classic "evil" look that just works. He is also utterly ruthless when you cross his path, slaughtering you without any form of mercy. Whether it's with his lightsaber or through Force-choking, you will be dead. And remember, he's essentially the strongest Force user in the entire galaxy. The fact that he does all of this with a stoic demeanor makes him even scarier. Be afraid! Be very afraid!

The tragedy underneath

But that's just the surface of Darth Vader. The truth is, underneath that "cool" exterior is a sad, broken man. Broken by his own terrible decisions of which he was convinced that they were the right things to do. By trying to save the ones he loved, he ended up losing them forever. He even turned to the Dark Side because he hoped he could save them. And then... it was too late.

His losses have scarred him both physically and mentally. To me, it seems quite clear that vader became so distant, stoic and ruthless in part to not get attached to anyone ever again. Yes, the other part is because they're usually orders from Palpatine, but that's not all there is to it. The reason he follows those orders in the first place is because Palpatine is all he has anymore. And it's all his own fault. And he knows this. And it hurts him.

Due to all of this, he has become misguided. He has become convinced that the Dark Side is the "good side". It isn't, and deep inside he has an inkling that no, what he's doing is wrong - but no, he has to obey his Master, in order to maintain order in the Galaxy. He doesn't do it purely for power, unlike Sidious - order in the Galaxy is Vader's idea of "peace".

It makes sense when you realize that Anakin grew up as a slave. His home planet of Tatooine was reigned by criminals at the time, with no semblance of a proper government. The criminals had free reign and nobody held them accountable, because Tatooine was out of the Republic's reach. Even before his turn to the Dark Side, Anakin already held dictatorial and authoritarian views because of this. He wanted the people to be kept "in check" by a strong, orderly government. This is also part of the reason why he was so receptive towards Sidious' manipulations.

He loved "too much"

Love and loss are often inherently related to one another. The large majority of people are sad when they lose a loved one, whether a family member, a romantic partner, a good friend, or even a pet. This is of course a completely natural feeling. But Anakin was never able to truly "let go" until the very end. Most people go through the five stages of grief, and the final stage is "acceptance". But Anakin's fatal flaw was the fact that he never truly achieved acceptance until he sacrificed his own life to save his son.

Even the ruthless, sadistic Darth Vader, who slaughters everyone on his path with a stoic demeanor, was only this way because he intentionally kept people at a distance. Because love had hurt him in the past, and he didn't want to go through that pain again. Granted, the pain was his own fault, but that's also why he hated himself - he knew this. He loved so intensely to the point of pushing away the feeling altogether, whereas the healthy way would be to embrace love, but loss as well. Part of loving is letting go; you can't have someone around forever. Wanting those things is selfish. Yes, loss is sad, but acceptance is part of it.

"A new hope"

Aside from being the title of the very first Star Wars movie, the "new hope" in Vader's life was his own son, Luke. Luke made it clear that he had no intention of killing his own father; instead, he showed him that what Vader feared the most - love. Luke could tell that his father still had good in him and that he wasn't entirely evil. Because of this, he refused to kill him, and instead "defeated" him with forgiveness and kindness.

The familial love was definitely mutual. As soon as Vader found out that his son was alive, he realized two things:

1. He did not, in fact, kill Padmé. The Emperor had lied to him. She had in fact lived long enough to give birth.
2. There was still someone out there who meant something to Vader. Not everyone that he cared for was dead.

These two things gave Vader hope. Of course, he was still in Sidious' grasp, and as a result it was initially his goal to turn Luke to the Dark Side, because he still believed the Dark Side was "right". But this idea soon started to show its cracks, as it was Luke who showed him love and forgiveness, whereas Sidious was just a lying fraud. But Vader still had doubts as to whether he could truly be "saved", which is why he initially refused to be.

But seeing his son get almost killed by Palpatine... His own son, who had shown him the power of love and forgiveness... That's when his own love won out, and he saved Luke's life along with that of the entire Galaxy. And with that, he truly was the "Chosen One" as had been foretold.

Not only that, but finally Anakin Skywalker was able to "let go". He knew that saving his son's life would cost him his own, and he was okay with that. All he wanted was for his son to live; for once, his own desires, wants and needs didn't matter anymore. Anakin Skywalker was finally at peace.

The tragedy of Anakin Skywalker is the main reason as to why I love this character so much. But there's of course more to it than that; some reasons are a bit more light-hearted. We already talked about Vader's "coolness", so let's talk about something that's somewhat related.

Sex appeal

Darth Vader's "coolness" is inherently linked to his sex appeal, in my opinion. I happen to find the color black very attractive on men, especially on combination with red. Combine that with the fact that Vader is tall and intimidating with a deep voice, and yes, he makes me squeal. I love me a ruthless, "scary" man who is "in charge".

But the aforementioned tragedy also definitely adds to his attractiveness, in my opinion. It makes me even more attached to the character beyond his initial "coolness". It makes you care about him beyond superficial things. And that's another reason why I love this character so deeply, and why he's definitely a fictional crush of mine. He makes me feel very intense, passionate feelings, from "dang, that was awesome!" to immense sadness to... anything, really.

Notice how I haven't even brought up young man Anakin yet. That's because suited Vader in and of itself is already extremely attractive to me. But yes, Anakin was indeed a very handsome young man.

Anakin was a very "classically beautiful" young man. Combine that with his passionate feelings and ideals, and you get a very attractive character. It's a known fact that many women like men who are passionate, and I am no exception in that regard. The fact that he's very attached to the women in his life (his mother and his wife) definitely adds to the attractiveness. Many women like a man who will do anything for those he loves, even if some of it might come off as extreme. I am not saying that's necessarily healthy, but we already knew that. It definitely wasn't for Anakin, either. (Let's just find solace in the fact that he's fictional.)

But another thing I love about Anakin looks-wise is his "tarnished beauty". While he was already attractive, in "Revenge of the Sith" he has a mechanical arm and a scar on his face. Combine those two things with a classically beautiful man, and yes, I happen to find that very attractive. It makes him somewhat "rugged" and shows that he's been "through things", that he's willing to fight for what's right and protect the ones he loves.

Not only that, but even Anakin has a bit of a "dark quality" to him. As if he's somewhat dangerous, "forbidden". The fact that he's extremely powerful also adds to that. This also adds to the fact as to why I find him so attractive.

Overall, those qualities are why Anakin/Vader has such immense sex appeal to me, and also adds to why I love him so much. But sex appeal alone never cuts it for me; there have been times where I found a male character physically attractive, but he'd be such a prick that I couldn't love him like I love Anakin/Vader. Oftentimes, the problem is that the bad behavior gets glorified and/or excused; but with Anakin, this is never the case. His tendency to become overly attached to those he loves is consistently treated as a bad thing, as it should be. And that's also a reason why I love this character so much.

But another aspect that I haven't mentioned yet is that Anakin could be very endearing. His awkwardness at times is very cute, and make him more approachable despite everything else.

Conclusion

Anakin/Vader is a cool, scary, tragic, attractive character; these traits draw me in and intrigue me. He's someone who is definitely well-intentioned, but very misguided. He doesn't long for power for power's sake, but because of a misguided vision on what's beneficial to the Galaxy. The feelings he awakens within me are very intense as a result. Combine all that with an attractive appearance (as both Vader and Anakin) and you have a character that will never leave your mind ever again.

That's all for now. May the Force be with you always.

~ Darth Cuddles