Darth Vader vs Kylo Ren

[Toaster Retribution he/him]

Who is the better villain, in your opinion? 

[MonsterMetroid]

I know who Kylo would vote for

[MistbornAlpaca he/him]

It depends on what we're talking about. Going on my favorite villain, it would be Kylo, but the "better" villain is definitely Vader.

[The Sovereign]

How is this even a debate?

[Kered he/him]

Vader. Not even a contest. 

[Briar King]

This thread is a clear waste of precious internet space!

besides the answer is clearly VADER

[Toaster Retribution he/him]

Why Kylo Ren is the correct choice:

Kylo is much more complex than Vader. He is surrounded by awesome people, and he wants to be recognized and seen as well, which is where his power-madness comes from. He is afraid of being weak. This is why he is dressing up like a wannabe Vader, and why he worships his grandfather so much. This is also why he wants to kill the past. It all reminds him of his weakness, and of the ones who are stronger than him. At the same time, he does have feelings for others, deep down. Killing Han hurt him, and his actions in TLJ shows that he cares for others too. We get to see Kylo grow and evolve. Vader was basically the same guy until the end of RotJ where he changes. He lacks the depth that Kylo has. 

Kill the past and vote Kylo.

[Iarwainiel I she/her]

I voted Vader.

But then I remembered that he doesn't have as awesome of a Twitter feed as (emo) Kylo Ren: https://twitter.com/KyloR3n

So now I am conflicted ... just like both of them ...

EDIT: A friend just reminded me ... Vader did have quite a MySpace account, ... back in the day ...

Edited January 18, 2018 by old aggie
addition

[Kobold King he/him]

They're such different types of villains it's barely worth comparing them, I would think.

Vader is meant to be menacing and intimidating, scary beyond all reason. His character succeeds at that with flying colors.

Kylo Ren is meant to be a tragic figure who wants to be feared but is constantly struggling with himself, unsure of what he really wants. His character succeeds at that with flying colors.

It's like comparing apples and oranges.

...that said, I'm gonna vote Kylo Ren because I have a feeling he'll need the extra love.

[Flying she/her]

Watch the last scene of Rogue One. The answers you seek shall come to you, and Vader will be crowned the "best villain".

(Sorry, Kylo fans. I'm a passionate Vader supporter.)

 

[Andy92]

It's easily Vader. I think Kylo Ren is the best part of the new trilogy, but that doesn't make him a better villain than the most iconic villain in the series. 

[Kered he/him]

On 09/01/2018 at 9:23 PM, Kobold King said:

They're such different types of villains it's barely worth comparing them, I would think.

Vader is meant to be menacing and intimidating, scary beyond all reason. His character succeeds at that with flying colors.

Kylo Ren is meant to be a tragic figure who wants to be feared but is constantly struggling with himself, unsure of what he really wants. His character succeeds at that with flying colors.

It's like comparing apples and oranges.

...that said, I'm gonna vote Kylo Ren because I have a feeling he'll need the extra love.

Fanboying aside, I would have to agree. If I had to choose one of them as the overall villain for the saga, I'd choose Kylo. While Vader pretty much defined the villain trope for movies, he's not as dynamic as Kylo. Kylo Ren has a lot more layers to his character and his struggle is more intense and dramatic than Vader's. I also think knowing a majority Kylo's backstory makes him more interesting, defines his conflict more than the mystery'esque of Vader.