The latest entry in the Star Wars franchise, The Last Jedi, is almost here, and fans are doing their best to try and figure out the film's mystery before its premiere on Dec. 15. As the sequel to 2015's The Force Awakens, and the eighth installment overall in the Skywalker saga, pretty much all eyes are on Luke Skywalker as the hero finally makes his proper return to the franchise after only appearing briefly — without speaking — at the end of The Force Awakens. But his return brings with it some worry among fans, as there are a number of theories about evil Luke in The Last Jedi.
The idea of Luke turning to the Dark Side is not exactly new, and even before The Force Awakens came out, the smart money among fans was that the movie would feature an evil Luke. That didn't come to pass in that film, but with The Last Jedi promising to tell much more of his story (while also being the longest Star Wars movie in history), those theories are ramping up once again. Little is known about the actual plot of The Last Jedi, but one thing that is known is that Luke trains Rey in the ways of the Jedi. Fans don't yet know how this training goes except what can be gleaned from the trailers (it doesn't look like it goes that great), nor do they know Luke's motivations for training Rey. The last fans knew, he wanted to be left alone, so is he just trying to mold her into an unstoppable weapon for his Dark Side agenda? Read on to see all the major theories fans are discussing about Luke being evil in The Last Jedi.
1He's Been Evil Since 'Return Of The Jedi'
At least one theory believes that Luke's turn to the Dark Side isn't even a recent development — he's been evil since '83. This theory suggests that when Luke tapped into the power of the Dark Side to defeat the Emperor toward the end of that film, he never actually shook it off. He still remained friends with Han, Leia, and Chewie, because they were his friends, but his days as a Jedi ended when he used his anger in a fight — just as Yoda told him it would during his training. That would have begun the path to the Dark Side for Luke that continued off screen over the decades, to finally be revealed in The Last Jedi.
2The Poster
One theory looks less at the content of the film than the its poster, and compares Luke's ominous stance overlooking the other characters to the previous seven Star Wars movie posters, which have all featured the villain looming in the background.
3Disney Is Misleading Fans
The trailer for The Last Jedi makes it appear that Rey will turn to the Dark Side, turning to Kylo Ren for her training after being rebuffed by Luke for being too powerful. Mark Hamill recently told Disney Insider flat out that Luke has not turned to the Dark Side, saying, "Luke has lost confidence in his ability to make good choices. It haunts him to the core. But he hasn’t gone to the Dark Side. This isn’t an evil version of him." But many fans believe these are examples of misdirection, and that Disney and Hamill are merely setting the audience up to believe that it's Rey who turns to the Dark Side when it's actually Luke.
4His Green Lightsaber Is Missing
One thing that's been missing from The Last Jedi promotional material is the green lightsaber Luke used in Return of the Jedi. After having his hand cut off and losing his father's lightsaber in The Empire Strikes Back, Luke made his own, which was untainted by the Dark Side and represented his becoming a true Jedi. But some fans think that he may have turned to the Dark Side, and doing so required him to cast aside his lightsaber that was forged in the Light Side, which explains its absence.
5Kylo Turned Him
Kylo Ren's betrayal, when he massacred Luke's padawans, may have ignited something evil in the Jedi Master, sending Luke down a path of revenge and anger that can only be explained as a turn to the Dark Side.
6Rey Turns Him
Some fans think that Luke is not yet evil at the start of The Last Jedi, but that his failed training of Rey will turn him. They think that he sees Rey as being so powerful and unstable that the only way to defeat her is to turn to the Dark Side.
7He Wants The Jedi To End
Luke is the last Jedi of the film's title, and in the first trailer, he states that he believes the Jedi should end. Some fans are interpreting this statement as Luke turning full Sith Lord, since the goal of the Sith is to wipe out the Jedi — permanently.
Fans won't know for sure whether or not Luke Skywalker is evil until The Last Jedi hits theaters, but if that's the case, chances are his turn can be explained by one of the above theories.
