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vadertyrannus · 1 year

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I admit this was me. I went anon out of fear of being shit on but since I got validation I’m taking my credit 😂

But yeah MJ, especially in both FFH and NWH is such a compelling, adorable and lovable character and I’ll have no sass.

People are being unreasonable about Zendaya and the MCU. She clearly loves the movies, she cares a lot about her character and Peter and MJ. She called her version of MJ special to her and said she cares a lot about Peter and MJ. She’s gonna sign up for the next movie especially since it’s likely the happy ending she said she wanted. Tom even called her the best MJ. If you actually think Zendaya is just as salty as you it’s all in your head.

MJ has a lot more screen time and development then people give her credit for. She has the third most screentime in FFH and second in NWH. She has an arc in all three movies. She goes from lonely and guarded to mask her insecurities in HOCO, to soft, caring and undyingly loyal in FFH and NWH while remaining true to her quirky introverted personality and having agency and intelligence. MJ is strong AND sweet and vulnerable which is few and far between with teenage girl characters. It’s an actual positive depiction of an introverted teenager. She has a layered, fleshed out personality. She has flaws she overcomes, her own interests and desires. I personally even relate to her a bit more then Peter lol. You understand her past was rough, her parents are divorced and her peers rejected her, and how it shaped who she is. If you’re gonna complain it wasn’t shown and only in dialogue, I’ll argue Thanos’ backstory is only told through dialogue, as was Peter Parker’s and Tony’s until Civil War. Other franchises too. Was Han Solo a bad character before his spin-off movie (which most people consider unnecessary) because you don’t get a flashback of his backstory? Or can you tell who he is from what’s in the movie? People are just salty she’s not the lead. Zendaya’s MJ is great and decimates like every other superhero love interest. She’s like the one love interest I actually found compelling in her own right.

Nothing to add, you could not have said it better anon

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vadertyrannus · 1 year

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Does this person realize that MJ gets the most screen time of any character other then Peter and Mysterio in FFH, and is second place for screentime in NWH? She is a big part of both movies.

She has a major role in 2/3 movies in the latest, and most profitable, Spider-Man trilogy.

I don't care who Z is making out with at this point, I care that at almost 27 years old she finally have a part in a movie where she has more than 5 lines

not the greatest showman, spiderman: far from home, spiderman: no way home, and malcom & marie erasure 💀

like are talking about the same zendaya bffr

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vadertyrannus · 1 year

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ALPHABETICAL FAVES ⟹ M is for… Michelle Jones-Watson

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vadertyrannus · 1 year

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The example David shows from Season 7 perfectly encapsulates why Dave Filoni is overhyped and not the savior figure fans hold him up as. His writing is incredibly amateurish.

He goes so hard to make Ahsoka have this unreasonable hatred for the Jedi, despite the fact that Obi-Wan is absolutely right, that he damages her character.

Ahsoka is completely callous to the life of the Chancellor and the citizens of Coruscant. She cares more about this ex-terrorist who she should know is a liar, that burned an innocent village in-front of her, then the lives of the people on Coruscant. Then Palpatine, who she knows is "a great friend and mentor to Anakin". Her words, not mine.

She sees, right in front of her, that Anakin is deeply concerned for Palpatine, his mentor, and she doesn't even care.

Filoni is trying to elevate Ahsoka above the other Jedi, despite the fact that the Jedi are supposed to love everyone.

Next episode, she's getting pissed off at the Council because they made Anakin spy on Palpatine, citing how important Palpatine is to Anakin.

Despite the fact that she was completely callous about his life before.

Does she care about Anakin's relationship with Palpatine, like a real friend would, or was she just coming up with any excuse to hate the Jedi?

Dave Filoni accidentally turns a character who, ironically, has become his personal pet he can't let go of, into a hypocritical asshole. She's supposed to be better then the rest of the Jedi, but instead, she's worse. And he doesn't even notice.

Real quick post:

At some point when talking about the Jedi and the Prequels and Star Wars, I feel like there's distinctions that need to be made.

There's George Lucas' Star Wars.

And then there's Star Wars the transmedia franchise.

They are not one and the same.

They have similar messages. Depending on which continuity you go for, the message is more or less alike (Disney canon's treatment of the Jedi Order is slightly more aligned with GL's vision than the Legends canon was).

But they are not the same.

George Lucas' Star Wars is just the six films and the first six seasons of TCW which serve as an addendum to the six films, and the values and messages that derive from them.

The transmedia franchise has those values, but they've been diluted through comics and novels and games and authors who don't agree with GL's vision and authors who tweaked it a bit and retcons until it's no longer the same thing.

Which takes us to "did the Jedi deserve to fall" and the answers:

"no, but the institution needed to go"

There is NOTHING to indicate that read in George Lucas' Star Wars.

If you go by the movies ONLY, then the Jedi are in the right, and what happens to them is tragic, and I don't just mean Order 66.

The movies' narrative literally frames them - as a people, a religion and an institution - (and Bail Organa) as objectively good and the only ones trying to do what's right.

However, some of the marketing and storylines and comics and books presented in the EU and in new canon do support this POV.

If you count those as "just as valid and canon as the films and shows" then you'll have a very different view of the Jedi Order.

"yes, for what they did to Ahsoka".

Ahsoka is part of TCW.

If your Star Wars is the same as Lucas', then TCW is meant to be an asterisk in the larger story, nothing more than a footnote.

As such, Ahsoka's part is NOT that big, her being on Mandalore or being expelled from the Jedi Order is NOT a contributing factor for Anakin's turn to the Dark Side.

Ahsoka is NOT a part of the Prequels, which represent KEY moments in Anakin's life and the Republic's downfall.

But for many, Star Wars is the transmedia franchise. And TCW and the Prequel films are one and the same. So Ahsoka's treatment factors into the judgment.

If you add TCW's stories to the mix, welp, the show certainly questions them here and there, showing the war corrupted their values (because it was designed to do so) but in the first six seasons it does so in a fair manner showing both sides of the argument.

They're framed as caught between a rock and a hard place. They HAVE to do the very thing they didn't wanna do or people get enslaved and get killed.

Under Lucas, TCW does what it was meant to do: it adds footnotes, it shows unfortunate downsides. It's not meant to define what is seen in the films.

Whereas by the time we're in Season 7 and Lucas is no longer involved, we get this:

They could do better but choose not to because they're playing politics. That's it.

Which is what I mean when I'm talking about the franchise: it has grown past George Lucas' vision, for better or for worse.

For some, TCW redefines what is seen in the films.

#star wars #star wars the clone wars #clone wars #the clone wars #tcw ahsoka #ahsoka #dave filoni

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vadertyrannus · 1 year

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Debunking Misconceptions about Darth Vader's Power Level

This is a continuation of my main post proving that Darth Vader is the most powerful Sith in Star Wars Canon. Please check out my original post before reading.

“Darth Vader’s being a cyborg prevented him from reaching his Force potential”

Incorrect. Darth Vader’s suit was not a hindrance to his power. If anything, it made him stronger in the dark side.

These quotes from Lords of the Sith say so.

The armour separated him from the galaxy, from everyone, made him singular, freed him from the needs of the flesh, the concerns of the body that once had plagued him, and allowed him to focus solely on his relationship to the Force.

He stared at his reflection a long time. His injuries had deformed his body, left it broken, but they’d perfected his spirit, strengthening his connection to the Force.

The loss of his limbs causing him to lose potential doesn't even make any sense. Midichlorians are measured per cell, not per body. Vader may have lost his limbs, but the rest of the body is still just as powerful.

If you go by the logic that more biomass means means more powerful, Yoda should be the weakest Jedi on the Jedi Council since he has the least biomass of any of them. It doesn't make sense.

Additionally, when his suit was shut of by its creator, Cylo in the Darth Vader (2015) comic series, Vader used the Force to move his body so he could kill him.

Even with his suit deactivated, Darth Vader is still a lethal opponent.

So no, Vader's suit was not a hindrance to his Force power.

“Vader’s suit was intentionally designed by Sidious to make him weaker and to be painful”

This is another thing that is often assumed by people because it was true in Legends, but it simply isn’t true in Canon.

In Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith (2017), immediately after Vader gets his suit, Sidious asks Vader what he thinks of his suit. He doesn’t begrudgingly say he hates it. Instead, he just says:

Later in the series, after completing the creation of his new red lightsaber, which he had to kill a Jedi to do, its shown that Vader fixes his own suit to his liking, and Sidious even approves and encourages this.

Vader even gets pissed off at the idea of anyone else fixing his armor. Unlike in Legends, he has to repair his armor himself.

In Canon, Sidious didn’t want Vader to be held back. He never intentionally handicaps him, and is always disappointed whenever Vader shows any sign of loss in power. This is congruent with his line in Revenge of the Sith when he boasts to Yoda that Vader will be more powerful then either of them: he says it in pride, not as if it will be a problem.

This makes sense. He wants an incredibly strong apprentice to be his enforcer, and has complete confidence Vader won't betray him, both because he has emotionally manipulated him to be psychologically dependent on him, as well as having several contingencies.

This also makes sense since we’re talking about a character to was able to build a protocol droid at the age of 9. He shouldn’t have a problem fixing his suit himself.

“Vader’s suit made him a slow/clunky/inept saber duelist”

Not only is this contradicted by this Top 5 list...

...but it also contradicts the movies itself.

I mean, look at him go (it's time-coded).

There's also this moment, in the comics...

...and this moment in the Lords of the Sith novel.

With preternatural speed the Emperor drew, ignited, and slashed at the girl with his lightsaber, but Vader had sensed his Master’s intent and moved with greater speed, igniting his own blade and intercepting his Master’s blow before it could land.

This debunks the notion that Vader didn’t have the speed to keep up with Sidious (or other fast moving lightsaber duelists like Yoda).

If Vader was such a slow and terrible duelist who was a shadow of his former self, how would he have enforced Sidious’ will? How would he “hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights” as Obi-Wan says in A New Hope? And why would Yoda and Obi-Wan need to hide in exile?

"Vader lost to Obi-Wan in Obi-Wan Kenobi so you're wrong"

Vader was conflicted, as Sidious outright states in the next scene.

Initially, Vader was stronger and was beating Obi-Wan...

..but he was caught off guard by Obi-Wan's newfound confidence and power boost. His emotional conflict also weakened him, and once Obi-Wan damaged his suit enough so he couldn't breath properly anymore, it was basically over.

Credit to @david-talks-sw for the gifs; check out his blog.

While I do have my issues with Vader losing to Obi-Wan in the series, I'm glad they at least gave an in-universe explanation so Obi-Wan isn't more powerful then Vader, and thus also Sidious, by default, thus destroying the entire original trilogy.

"Sidious wrecked Vader in Issue #6 of the 2020 comics so you’re wrong"

Yes, in this instance, Sidious was more powerful then Vader. However, saying this proves Sidious is generally more powerful is to completely ignore the context in which this happens.

Vader's quest to find who raised his son after The Empire Strikes Back brought back memories of his mother and Padme, including Vader watching a recording showing Padme still believed there to be good in him.

This created a lot of conflict in Vader, and he began wallowing in sadness and grief instead of being fueled by anger and hatred.

Sidious outright says this.

Here, he tells his apprentice that he needs to return to the former power, even acknowledging Vader’s once “unimaginable strength”.

The whole point of this is that Sidious was trying to get old Vader back, and that he shouldn't be able to do this to him.

Sidious easily beats Vader here because he lost himself. This does not prove he was always weaker then him.

“Sidious wrecked Vader in Issue #11 of the 2020 comics so you’re wrong”

I'll definitely concede that in this case, it's more debatable as to whether Sidious is more powerful then Vader.

Sidious avoids a direct confrontation with Vader, instead choosing to lure him into a series of enemies, including an army of Sith cultists and a literal weaponized kyber crystal.

It's worth noting that Vader still isn't in his prime here. After going through many difficult opponents, from a bounty hunter to a giant monster, without the aid of the Force, Vader is tired and literally held together by scraps. And yet he still keeps going, fueled by his rage.

When Sidious activates the kyber crystal, Vader is being harmed, while Sidious feels... nothing. He just stands in front of it.

Is Sidious now more powerful then Vader? Or is this just because Vader is weak because of everything he's been through and still has some conflict within him?

We can't really say for sure. At this point, it's up to interpretation.

The artist of the comic series did say that Vader is more powerful...

...but this is less of a Word of God statement and more of a Word of Saint Paul statement.

Regardless, it does not preclude Vader being more powerful prior to this comic series. Which is why I always say that Vader from ROTS up to ESB is the most powerful Sith, because after ESB, whether he's actually more powerful then Sidious is debatable.

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vadertyrannus · 1 year

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Spideychelle through the years ♥️ 🕷️ 🕸️

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vadertyrannus · 1 year

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Darth Vader is the Most Powerful Sith in Star Wars Canon

There has been debate in the Star Wars community as to who is the most powerful Sith: Darth Vader or Darth Sidious. This question has different answers depending on the continuity:

Lucas Canon: Darth Sidious is more powerful then Darth Vader. Vader could've been more powerful, but after his loss on Mustafar, he couldn't reach the power he was destined to due to becoming half-machine. After dawning the suit, Vader is only as powerful as Maul and Dooku. Sidious is the most powerful Sith.

Legends Canon: Sidious is also the most powerful Sith and more powerful then Vader, though Vader is still more powerful then Maul and Dooku.

Disney Canon: Darth Vader, in his prime (post-ROTS to the end of TESB), is more powerful then Darth Sidious. Sidious initially believed that Vader would never recover after Mustafar, hence having Cylo create his cybernetic monstrosities introduced in Darth Vader (2015), but Vader proved his master wrong through the years, and Sidious recognized this. Vader is the most powerful Sith.

This post will be covering the Disney Canon version of Darth Vader, proving that he is the most powerful Sith in the galaxy. It will also analyze the impact this has on the themes and story of Star Wars, the in-universe logic, and why I ultimately believe this was a good creative choice.

In other posts linked below, I will be debunking common misconceptions surrounding Vader's power and cybernetics (most of which left over from Lucas or Legends canon), going more in-depth in his feats, and explaining why Vader didn't kill Sidious.

The Proof

In the player's guide of Canon video game Jedi: Fallen Order, Darth Vader is called “the most powerful Sith in the galaxy”. Vader is also explicitly listed as the greatest red saber duelist in the book Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need To Know.

Both The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary and Star Wars: The Age of Resistance – The Official Collector’s Edition state that the bloodline of "the most powerful Jedi and Sith" courses through Kylo Ren's veins (obviously referring to Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader).

Darth Sidious himself stated that Vader would become more powerful then either him or Yoda in Revenge of the Sith. While this is proven wrong in the previous continuities, it's proven right in Canon. He also called Vader's power "unpararalled" in the Tarkin novel.

Sidious is even afraid of Vader, as revealed in Lords of the Sith.

Somewhere in the back of Palpatine’s mind, he knows what Vader’s potential is. He feels he may be wrong, but he is wary of it. So he’s very interested in determining his ability to manipulate Vader and testing his loyalty and assuring himself that this tiger that he holds by the tail is going to stay that way.

The artist of the Darth Vader (2020) comic series confirmed twice on Twitter that Vader is more powerful than Sidious, when not conflicted.

Multiple Canon books and this tweet from Leland Chee confirm that Vader did not lose midichlorians after his loss to Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, and the lose of limbs does not lead to lost Force potential.

This means that Darth Vader did not lose Force power after his loss on Mustafar, in Canon. He remained as powerful as Vader before Mustafar in Revenge of the Sith and continued to grow from there (until after The Empire Strikes Back, when Vader becomes conflicted after investigating Luke and Padme's true fate, as depicted in Darth Vader (2020) comics).

This point-of-view still works even when exclusively viewing the films, as the Prequels constantly hold Anakin up to a high standard, and nothing in the films themselves indicate Vader lost any power. We only knew that was true in previous continuities because George Lucas and old EU novels outright said so.

It also helps that beating Vader is emphasized more by Yoda and Obi-Wan then beating the Emperor in the original trilogy, and why they believed that their only hope was the Skywalker children, Vader's own blood.

Anakin Skywalker, in both Legends and Canon, is repeatedly stated to be on par with or even more powerful then Darth Sidious in Revenge of the Sith, and the most powerful Jedi.

The strongest Jedi of his generation, perhaps of any generation… - Revenge of the Sith novelization

“Skywalker is arguably the most powerful Jedi alive. And he is still getting stronger.” - Mace Windu, Revenge of the Sith novelization

And now consider the fact that its been stated and implied several times in Canon that Darth Vader (and yes, I mean suited Vader) is more powerful then Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith.

He stared at his reflection a long time. His injuries had deformed his body, left it broken, but they’d perfected his spirit, strengthening his connection to the Force. - Lords of the Sith novel

Taking this into consideration, if Vader is more powerful then Anakin, and Anakin is equal to or more powerful then Sidious in Revenge of the Sith, then Vader is more powerful then Sidious.

The power difference between Vader and Sidious is also shown in Canon material. In Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith (2017) #1, moments after Revenge of the Sith, Vader attacks Sidious with the Force. Vader is able to maintain his grip on Sidious, and he isn’t even able to break himself free until Vader lets go. You can even see Sidious reaching out as if he’s trying to overpower Vader, but he can’t. Vader is overpowering him.

This outright shows that, in terms of raw Force power alone, Vader is more powerful then Sidious. Sidious wins this clash because he uses force lighting, which Vader is weak against, and Vader doesn't even fight back.

Sidious is still incredibly powerful, faster, and has more knowledge of the dark side, but Vader has more raw Force power, is physically stronger, and is the better saber duelist. If Vader is 100, Sidious is 92 or 95.

Another key moment is when he receives a vision when he tries to bleed a kyber crystal. This vision shows him redeeming himself by becoming a Jedi again and yes, killing Sidious.

If Anakin could kill him, Vader could kill him, because again, Vader is more powerful then Anakin.

Vader rejects this future, and this is only a vision, but the entire crux of this moment is that Vader could fulfill his destiny, if he chose to. The whole point of this arc is that Vader ultimately chooses to be a Sith, to keep being a monster, and serve the Empire. The galaxy is the way it is because Vader chooses it to be that way.

Which is why this arc is titled, "The Chosen One". It reinforces that Vader is still The Chosen One, and he ultimately chooses the fate of the galaxy.

In the Prequels, Anakin was the Jedi's only hope of beating Sidious, and once he turned, the galaxy was plunged into darkness. This arc proves that his choice was never taken away. Vader still has agency and responsibility. Unlike the previous continuity in which he's trapped because the Emperor would kill him in a one-on-one, in Canon, he's powerful enough to choose his path.

This arc proves that Vader could've killed Sidious, for both the right or wrong reasons. He just chose not to.

And that's more compelling. Villains are better when they're responsible for their choices and actions. If they're just a helpless victim, they're not even a villain anymore.

Imagine if in Breaking Bad, Elliot and Gretchen didn't offer to pay for Walt's treatment, and as a result, Walt was actually cooking meth to provide for his family.

It'd destroy the narrative, because the entire point of Breaking Bad is...

The same should be true for Darth Vader.

The vision is entirely weightless if Sidious was more powerful then Vader. The entire defining moment of this entire first comic arc relies on the idea that Vader could kill Sidious if he chose to.

Finally, both Kylo Ren and Snoke in the Sequel trilogy revere Vader as the epitome of Sith power.

"The mighty Kylo Ren… When I found you, I saw what all masters live to see… Raw, untamed power and beyond that, something truly special. The potential of your bloodline. A new Vader."

All of these Canon sources explicitly state or imply that Darth Vader is the most powerful Sith in Disney Canon.

How it enhances the narrative of Star Wars

I did already go into this when I talked about how Vader choosing not to kill Sidious reinforces that he's still The Chosen One, thus maintaining his agency as a villain, but there's another aspect that I'd like to talk about.

Some people seem not to like that Vader is more powerful in Canon because they think it undermines the point of the narrative.

"But Vader isn't supposed to be unstoppable, Vader is supposed to be pathetic, and him losing power are his consequences for the bad choices he made."

But to say that is to misunderstand what truly matters and one of the main themes of Star Wars.

Throughout the prequels, Anakin always thought that what he needed was power. Once he could control everything, he could make everything be the way he wanted it to be.

He becomes obsessed with "the power to save Padme" to the point where he ends up destroying her.

Once he finally becomes Darth Vader, he finally becomes the most powerful man in the galaxy, and yet his family (as far as he knows) is dead, his attempts to bring Padme back fail, and he's still a slave. He's always angry and hates everything around him. He is the most powerful man in the galaxy, but also the most pathetic.

It’s only when he chooses to selflessly love Luke that he’s finally able to be happy and have a family again, even if its only for the last moments of his life.

One of the main messages of Star Wars is that power is not the answer to being happy. Compassion and love is. Having Darth Vader be the most powerful Sith ultimately enhances that theme.

This post is already very long and I literally can't use any more images, so here are links to other posts that expand on this topic.

Debunking myths about Darth Vader's Power Level

Why Vader didn't kill Sidious (own post coming soon)

Canon Darth Vader feats (own post coming soon)

Thanks for reading!

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