Star Wars: 10 Character Deaths That Fans Have A Problem With

Star Wars has never hesitated to kill off characters, even ones beloved among fans. Despite the saga ending following the release of The Rise of Skywalker back in December, they continue to debate and analyze the franchise. And one of the things that they always seem to be divided on is how the deaths of certain characters were handled. Fans are attached to these heroes and villains thus feel strongly about their fictional lives.

We now take a look at 10 of the hottest talking points when it comes to character deaths, starting with the prequel trilogy and ending with the sequels.

10 Count Dooku

Count Dooku is a beast in Attack of the Clones, possessing far more swagger and skill than previous villain Darth Maul. In that same movie, he proves just how powerful he is, besting both Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi in lightsaber combat before holding his own against Master Yoda, who he’s able to escape from on the planet of Geonosis.

But he’s killed relatively easily by Anakin in Revenge of the Sith – which enrages some fans alone. Others point out that he has the chance to out Palpatine as a Sith Lord but, just before his head is lopped off, chooses to stay silent, If that was us, we’d certainly speak out.

9 Mace Windu

Mace Windu is one of the best things about the prequel trilogy, with just about everybody loving Samuel L. Jackson’s portayal of the character, Unfortunately, though, he’s killed by Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith after Anakin Skywalker stops the Jedi Knight from killing the Sith Lord.

But this death isn’t entirely popular because you never see the body. As a result, there’s been years of calls to bring Windu back but, at the time of writing, there’s currently no plans for Jackson to reprise his role. That we know of, at least…

8 Darth Maul

No, we’re not talking about him being sent tumbling down a huge pit in The Phantom Menace. We’re referring to when he ACTUALLY dies, with Maul perishing at the hands of old enemy Obi-Wan Kenobi in the cartoon series Star Wars: Rebels.

Everybody knew that the Sith Lord had to go and fans were pining for a big, dramatic showdown between the two adversaries. That didn’t happen, though, with the fight lasting mere seconds – going against what many wanted to happen in the process.

7 Boba Fett

Boba Fett became instantly popular upon making his first appearance in The Empire Strikes Back, with his cool Mandalorian armor and silent but deadly demeanor particularly iconic. He was expected to be a significant character in Return of the Jedi, the final act of George Lucas’ brilliant and unparalleled original trilogy.

Except those expectations were, again, wide off the mark. Boba is barely in the movie and dies in amusing circumstances, falling into the Sarlaac pit after Han Solo accidentally nudges him into it. Not a death you’d want from someone who just oozes cool.

6 Admiral Ackbar

Admiral Ackbar was just a minor character in Return of the Jedi but, a bit like Boba Fett, is something of a Star Wars icon. And, when he popped up in The Last Jedi, many were thrilled to see him back in the thick of the action.

However, the way Ackbar’s death really, really riled those who love Star Wars. He’s a victim of a First Order attack on the Resistance but his death is never actually mentioned. Nobody even seems to care that he’s gone. Disney appeared to realize this, putting his son in The Rise of Skywalker in a very, very minor role. As a hero of the first galactic war, he deserved better.

5 Supreme Leader Snoke

The Last Jedi was a very divisive Star Wars movie – and Admiral Ackbar’s death wasn’t the only controversial moment. Everybody else also seemed to have an issue with the decision to kill off the character of Supreme Leader Snoke, who had shown himself to be more than worthy of becoming the big bad guy of the sequel trilogy.

Snoke’s death came out of the blue, with many expecting him to be involved in the final movie of the sequel trilogy as well. He was barely in the two movies he did feature in but, when did pop up on screen, he managed to steal the show. And that’s why so many wanted him to stay around.

4 Luke Skywalker

Fans had waited a while to see Luke Skywalker, with the character only appearing right at the very end of 2015’s The Force Awakens. As a result, many were expecting Disney to have been holding back so he can take center stage in the two movies that followed.

Except that doesn’t happen. The Luke we see in The Last Jedi doesn’t seem like the character of old at all – right until the end, that is. The hero of the original trilogy tricks Kylo Ren in a brilliant moment but then dies. And he barely appears in The Rise of Skywalker. We can’t help but feel that Luke got somewhat shafted here.

3 General Hux

General Hux and Kylo Ren hate each other. It’s apparent right from the very off in The Force Awakens and their mutual loathing only intensifies in The Last Jedi, with Kylo even force-choking the First Order general following Snoke’s death.

It seems like it would end with Kylo eventually killing Hux – but this doesn’t happen. Rather bizarrely it’s new character General Allegiant Pryde who ends up murdering Dominic Gleeson’s character. It means that two years of build-up eventually amounted to nothing. Adam Driver’s character doesn’t even ever refer to Hux’s death, making it all the more infuriating.

2 Palpatine (Second Time Around)

Fans had absolutely no problem with Palpatine’s first death in 1983’s Return of the Jedi. It was a fitting end for such a vile character and a brilliant conclusion to the trilogy in general, with everybody going home happy.

But bringing him back again was the wrong move. Not only did it make very little sense, his death the second time around isn’t even well-executed. He dies because Rey force blocks lightning from his own fingertips into his face, melting the Sith Lord in the process. He could have, you know, just stopped firing the stuff…

1 Ben Solo

It’s been three months since The Rise of Skywalker came out – but the biggest talking point continues to be the death of Ben Solo. The villain-turned-hero gives his life to save Rey after she dies stopping Palpatine, completing his redemption along the way.

However, that’s riled just about everybody. Given Rey twice heals wounds in the movie and doesn’t suffer any damage, it makes very little sense that Ben has to die. And, disregarding that, he was the best and most-intriguing character in the entire trilogy. They should have let the last blood Skywalker live, too, given what the name of the blockbuster was. A return further down the line just can’t be ruled out given how strong the fandom feels about this.