How Did Anakin Skywalker Get His Scar Between Movies?

Anakin Skywalker is undisputedly one of the biggest characters in the Star Wars mythos. Without him, there really is no story to the Skywalker Saga. From desert slave, to padawan, to Jedi Knight, to Dark Lord of the Sith, then returning back to the light to save his son and the galaxy at large, the path of Anakin Skywalker is one that is told across several films, shows, and many other mediums. However, there is an element to his journey that has received very little to no explanation: his scar.

Some fans may be curious as to how Anakin Skywalker received the scar over his eye in between Attack of The Clones and Revenge of the Sith. As a result, the only true and canonical thing fans know about Anakin’s scar is that he got at some point during the Clone Wars. However, there is an older comic from Dark Horse comics that provides the best explanation thus far.

Strangely enough, despite the existence of both a canonical and an older non-canonical animated series that go into great detail over the events of the Clone Wars, neither provide an explanation for Anakin’s scar. The first 2D animated series from Genndy Tartakovsky in the early 2000’s revealed Anakin’s scar midway through its series, just after Anakin became a Jedi Knight. However, this is done during a montage featuring Anakin’s heroic efforts during the conflict, and the shot simply featured his wife Padmé Amidala’s reaction to first seeing his scar. No details were given. Regardless, the series is now considered non-canonical and not part of the official Star Wars continuity. Even so, the Clone Wars series that is part of the canon that released in 2008 is no help either, as the Clone Wars film that launched the series features Anakin having already been given his scar (with no explanation).

When Star Wars creator George Lucas himself was asked about the scar, Lucas replied that he had never really thought about the specific instance of how Anakin got it, as it was merely meant to be symbolic of Anakin’s growth in a Jedi Knight. He even once joked that Anakin got his scar by slipping in the tub. All things considered, the closest reason for the scar can be found Dark Horse Comics’ Star Wars: Republic #71, when Anakin crosses lightsaber blades with Asajj Ventress.

In Star Wars: Republic #71, Ventress travels to Coruscant, the Republic’s capital world, to hunt down and eliminate Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos. Vos had infiltrated Separatist leader Count Dooku’s inner circle, posing as a dark Jedi in order to gain information for the Jedi Order. However, Vos’ true goals were discovered and he was forced to flee. Ventress, one of Dooku’s deadliest assassins, seeks to kill Vos for his actions, however is unable to get to him. Instead, she settles for a Jedi she can find: Anakin Skywalker. Anakin had left the Jedi Temple in order to view a message from his secret wife Padmé, making him the perfect isolated target for Ventress. She baits him to engage in battle with her, threatening to go after Padmé, which enrages Anakin, making him initially unbalanced. This allows Ventress to play with Skywalker, leading to Anakin’s scar.

Despite Ventress being the one responsible for Skywalker’s scar, her victory is short-lived. This issue from Dark Horse take the symbolism of the scar further than Lucas’ original intentions beyond just showing his growth. Rather, gaining the scar also is meant to symbolize his first steps towards the Dark Side of the Force, as Anakin immediately desires revenge, a trait of the Sith. Using the Force, Anakin wraps Ventress in electrified cables, putting her in excruciating pain and throwing her into the dark abyss of Coruscant’s lower levels, believing that he had just killed her (though she would be revealed to have lived issues later).

As with the first Clone Wars animated series, the comic series from Dark Horse such as Star Wars: Republic are now non-canonical. However, there has yet to be any confirmed reason for the scar in the media that is canon thus far. Therefore, the reason for the scar as seen in Republic #71 is the best and closest reason fans have for an explanation, and it’s a pretty strong and credible reason, completely fitting well within the tumultuous path of Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars universe, symbolizing his turn to the dark side drawing ever nearer as seen in Revenge of the Sith.

About The Author

Kevin Erdmann
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Kevin Erdmann is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers. With a major in Cinema Studies and a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin is pretty sure he’s writing for the right site. While Kevin is a huge Marvel fan, he also loves Batman because he’s Batman and is a firm believer that Han shot first. Disney also shares a big part of his fan patronage. Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.

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