All Star Wars Villains Confirmed For Obi-Wan Kenobi Show
Obi-Wan Kenobi is set to premiere on Disney+ in May 2022 and has already confirmed or teased the appearance of a number of villains from across the Star Wars universe. Fans of Star Wars have been clamoring for a Kenobi spinoff since Revenge of the Sith and the end of the prequel trilogy in 2005, especially with an actor as beloved as Ewan McGregor in the role. After years of rumors and failed film developments for the character, the savvy Jedi Master will finally appear in his own limited series. It's a series that promises to pit the eponymous Jedi against a slew of Star Wars villains.
With Obi-Wan Kenobi set to take place 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, the series features Kenobi watching over Luke Skywalker on the sands of Tatooine. As shown in the trailer, Kenobi is forced into action when he is hunted down by Imperial Inquisitors. The Inquisitors first appeared in Star Wars: Rebels and are a group of Force-sensitive individuals, tasked by Darth Vader to hunt down any Jedi survivors of Order 66, as well as any other Force-sensitive children across the galaxy.
The inclusion of the Inquisitors in Obi-Wan Kenobi not only puts the Jedi in peril but Luke Skywalker as well. The latter is clearly what spurs Kenobi into action, given the entire reason for his exile on Tatooine is to protect young Skywalker. With Star Wars canon featuring a number of Inquisitors over the years, it is obvious from the trailer that both familiar and unfamiliar faces will appear in the show. However, with the Inquisitors answering directly to Darth Vader himself, and the confirmation of Hayden Christensen's return as Vader for the series, Inquisitors won't be the only threat the Jedi Master is forced to confront.
Following the announcement of the Obi-Wan Kenobi show in August 2019, it was revealed that Hayden Christensen would be returning to the franchise, reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. With the Star Wars prequel trilogy's strongest emotional core being the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan, it would've been a missed opportunity for the creatives at Lucasfilm not to feature said relationship in Obi-Wan Kenobi. With Revenge of the Sith ending with the climactic duel between the master and his fallen apprentice, the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan contains a period that is yet to be explored, with the Star Wars films intimating that the two didn't meet again until their brief rematch on the Death Star in A New Hope.
This was proven untrue, however, as Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy described the reunion between Vader and Kenobi in Obi-Wan Kenobi as "the rematch of the century." This not only proves that Obi-Wan and Darth Vader will meet again in the show, but will once again face off in a duel hinted to rival that of Revenge of the Sith. With the trailer not actually revealing Darh Vader, it's likely that Darth Vader's reveal is best left to be seen for the first time in the series itself. It further points to an epic, emotionally satisfying rematch between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader.
The Grand Inquisitor was a character first introduced in Star Wars: Rebels, marking another instance in Star Wars canon in which a character from the animated shows has made the switch to live-action. With Rebels taking place 14 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith and therefore four years after Obi-Wan Kenobi, it makes sense for the Grand Inquisitor to be a main villainous presence in the show. As the leader of the Inquisitors, the Grand Inquisitor learned the ways of the dark side of the Force from Darth Vader in order to fully commit to his task of hunting down the survivors of Order 66, despite the Inquisitor never truly becoming a Sith. With most of the Grand Inquisitors before Star Wars: Rebels being unknown, it gives Lucasfilm a good opportunity to flesh out a villain of the Star Wars universe previously unexplored save for season 1 of the animated show by pitting him against such a revered Jedi in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Obi-Wan Kenobi heavily features the presence of the Inquisitors as a main villainous element of the show. However, one of these Inquisitors has been seen before alongside the Grand Inquisitor in Star Wars: Rebels: the Fifth Brother. While the Fifth Brother was voiced by Philip Anthony-Rodriguez in Rebels, he will instead be portrayed by Fast and Furious veteran Sung Kang in Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Fifth Brother was introduced in the second season of Rebels, tasked with hunting down the Jedi trio of Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, and Ahsoka Tano. Like the Grand Inquisitor, his past before this point is largely unexplored, giving the Kenobi show another opportunity to further establish him as a villain.
The trailer also features an original Inquisitor for the show with Reva, a.k.a. the Third Sister, played by Moses Ingram. While the details and background of Reva's character are unknown, it is safe to assume she will be featured prominently in the show. Given the fact that the character was created specifically for Kenobi, and the fact that Ingram's character is given the name Reva besides her title as the Third Sister of the Inquisitors, Ingram could be featured with much more depth than previous Inquisitors, not unlike Trilla/the Second Sister from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
While the Dark Lord of the Sith isn't actually confirmed to make an appearance in the show, it isn't out of the realm of possibility for Darth Sidious himself to appear in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Given the appearance of Ian McDiarmid in other areas of Star Wars canon in recent years, from Star Wars: Rebels to The Rise of Skywalker, it would make sense to bring the actor and character back for the upcoming series. After all, Darth Vader is known to answer to one person only, and that's Palpatine. Given Vader's confirmed appearance in the show, it would be very plausible for the two Sith lords to at least have a scene or two together. With Ian McDiarmid open to reprising Palpatine, it remains entirely possible that the Dark Lord of the Sith will feature in some capacity in the upcoming Kenobi series.
While Obi-Wan Kenobi will give the brunt of its attention to the titular character, Star Wars has proven to be a franchise that often thrives on its villains just as much as its heroes. From iconic villains like the Emperor and Darth Vader to Darth Maul and General Grevious, Star Wars has always provided audiences with usually well-written and visually unique villains that stand out in the crowd. With Obi-Wan Kenobi, that trend is likely to continue, with the show promising to feature a hefty roster of villains from across the Star Wars universe. With all that working against him, it will be fantastic to see the broken Jedi Master rise up against an endless wave of villainy to help restore hope to a galaxy in conflict.