Darth Vader’s iconic design is probably the most recognizable form in all of pop culture. But what if he were designed today, by modern artists? See for yourself with these 20 examples of Darth Vader reimagined.
Which one is your favorite?
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I actually think that a lot of these designs are pretty cool! I kind of like the Darth Malgus-ish look in a few of them. However, the original design is just so iconic now that it seems odd to call any of these Darth Vader.
I agree with you, Chris. Hey…what do you think of The Force Awaken 2nd trailer?
I say, number 13, because among other aspects, Anakin’s eyes’ should have been incinerated, as viewing John Byrne’s take on it, makes sense.
Darth Vader sodomized.
I actually looked at all of them. Let me do some counting:
# General Grievous’s/Stormtroopers: 1
# Darth Malguses: 6 (these are the worst. they show too much eyes or skull skin)
# non-humanoid aliens: 1 (there’s a fat one that look likes a Super Battle Droid? wut? He looks like he would never win a battle, ever. He looks just stupid, not scary, like he could be any Star Wars character EXCEPT a Sith Lord. He’d make a great Trash Can Shaped Alien or Droid)
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# Other Droids, like C-3PO (note: these, I actually like-ish) : 6 or 7ish?
# that look like actually modernized Darth Vaders: the rest- 4 or 5.
There are some important distinguishing qualities that make Darth Vader look like Darth Vader, even when you change him up for a fresh look:
The Black Armor: he really needs to look like Death. Black or Dark Silver is good. White is passable for Stormtroopers and cronies, but it’s just not QUITE Symbolically Evil. Sure, White Armor can do Evil too, but MEGA Evil has to Black, IMO.
2. You HAVE to hide is eyes behind lenses/or a visor. There’s one, count them I’m pretty sure only ONE, that shows the skin of his skull *that* remembered to keep the blinding eyeplates, giving him a kind of buggy look, that I categorized as “Modernized Vader” NOT “Too Darth Malgus”.
Many of my favorite designs on this page obviously look like…basically, I would say almost they try to look TOO MUCH like the original for fear of messing with something that doesn’t need to be messed with. It is a CRUCIAL element to Vader’s character, moreso than to other Sith Lords, that post-Mustafar he’s completely blinded by the Dark Side. He’s a Thrall of Evil, a Tool and a Machine more than a Man. He’s the Executioner, and he will NEVER be Emperor.
Many of the Darth Malgus looking ones have eyes, and that makes them too human, too personalized, too free. You could not only see them as Evil Sith Lords, but you could see them as Sith Emperors. Vader’s story was about falling as far as you could far, to where for all your power, you are still a Slave, not a Slave Master. That’s one of the ‘feels’ I was looking for when evaluating them:
Who looks the most Dehumanized?
There’s an interesting design that looks nothing like a human face, but looks like the special helmet for Galen from Force Unleashed, or maybe like an Alien or Predator. That is one that I would classify as “really edgy, but maybe doable” for Vader. Any of the Red-Eyed Droid looks would be interesting too.
I’m a huge fan of Star Wars, but also of Art in general. I have a DEFINITE picture in my mind of “What is Vader”, but I also can see the potential for him being re-imagined, because Art is like that: nothing is so set in stone that you can’t even change a millimeter of it. But What should be changed? Why? How? Those are questions I ask as I look for “which of these is the Best New Vader”
I REALLY like the last one as how I would imagine Vader would look in the DCAU…..that’s pretty cool, but a cartoon series, even one as dark as Mask of the Phantasm, is not my favorite place to see a Sith Lord.
#’s 6 and 19 are my Top Picks, and there are a number similar to #6 that you might prefer, but honestly, I think #19 is THE best:
I. It took some honest risks with the outfit. That is NOT the “Darth Vader Skull” we are used to. However, it DOES look like a classic Science Fiction Robot Head. Definitely Dehumanized, but also as inhuman as it looks, it also looks like it USED to be human.
II. It kept the important “blackness” of the armor, “painted it black” almost to be just one color, monochrome being an important feature of the original Vader, and giving off a ‘similar, but different’ feel to the ones who used the more old school looking masks.
III. In general, it feels very “I, Robot”, and I call this a Good Thing.
I would love to see a scene where that Vader is beaten, bruised, and broken, sparking like a scrapped junk pile, and that face peels off to see the withered form of Anakin Skywalker beneath it. It stayed very true to the Spirit of Darth Vader, hiding as much of his humanity as possible beneath a Dark Mask that reminds me of Death, while also hinting at the truth of the Man behind the Machine. THIS looks like a Slave of Evil, a Fallen Hero, to me.
I could also see that Robot Mask twisted into forms of rage and anger, hate and despair. We’ve seen tons of evil Robots, from Brainiac to Terminator to …well…All of the Evil Robots in Sci-Fi History. Yes, that would definitely work for when you need to show Vader as a soulless, brutally effective Killing Machine. Maybe some of these other designs could pull off “Cruel and Ruthless”…..but….MANY of the Darth Malguses, ironically by adding more human features, look less human to me. They don’t have the “I, Robot” or “Deathly Hallows” quality that #19 does.
I could see Duel of the Fates, Mask of the Phantasm, or any Spooky Latin Choir play for #19, and I JUST, COULD NOT, see that for the other candidates.
Great Show, Great Effort Everybody!
But #19 kicked y’all’s tails. :)
All absolutely awful!
I liked number 3.. It could absolutely have worked. But ofcourse nothing beats McQuarries & Muirs original design, that will forever stand the test of time…
Something John Byrne did that compels me to mention here. As Anakin was consumed by fire, his eye balls would have incinerated. John Byrne drew in mechanical red eyes. Really disturbing. In addition to Anakin’s once handsome face not nearly melted off.
Skywalker lost an arm and both legs before he was burned alive. The fire and the fumes on that hellish planet should have damaged his lungs to where breathing a controled athmosphere would be needed.
What’s left of him lives in a walking iron lung mounted on artificial legs and with his raw burned flesh encased in a protective suit.
Most designs do not display the cyborg he has become, just as the original did not.
Based on the advanced prosthetics we see in the films Vader could look like a normal man in his support suit, and the tight pressure suit like garment worn to protect his burns would logically be extended over his new legs and arm to make him look and feel whole.
While there are aspects of many that would have worked, most seem to go too far toward the cyborg and lose the human trapped inside.
His eyes should have been incinerated.
These are all terrible. Well, one is slightly interesting but the rest are garbage. Thank God for Ralph McQuarrie and Brian Muir.
Let’s see the one you did. Yeah, that’s what I thought.
Oh! So you have to be an artist yourself to post criticism. Nice logic, pal. He’s right, you know. These are all utter garbage and there’s no point of expanding it with more. What’s the point of it anyway? There’s nothing wrong with the original. It still stands the test of time.
i would have to agree , most of these are just awful lol , i only see 3 at the most that look any good