STAR WARS: THE RISE OF KYLO REN Introduces Ren, the Character Who Feeds the Evolution of Kylo Ren
Marvel’s Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren comic book series has introduced a new character named Ren. This is the leader of the Knights of Ren and the person who helped guide Ben Solo to the dark side to become Kylo Ren.
Below you will find a piece of concept art and a preview from the comic featuring Ren. When talking about the creation of the character, artist Will Sliney explains that he was “Born out of the flames” and a battle-scarred warrior who wears a featureless mask giving him a blank and empty expression. Writer Charles Soule offers some additional insight into the character and his personality, explaining:
“I wanted him to read like a charming Darth Vader. A Vader who is charismatic and who is appealing. That’s why [Ren’s] skin is burned and he sort of looks the way that he does. He’s embracing the seductiveness and the damage that the dark side does. Darth Vader, as impressive and imposing and terrifying as he is, is remote and cold and distant because he has the suit surrounding him. Whereas Ren isn’t hiding behind it. He’s someone you could have a beer with, in theory.”
Soule goes on to talk about bringing the character to life saying:
“The entire seductiveness of the dark side poured into one character engineered for Ben Solo is Ren. He’s sort of a charming evil rascal that can be really fun to write and I really like where he goes in the series. But if Kylo Ren is going to take over the Knights of Ren, which we know that’s what happens, there should be some transition.”
Apparently there are some surprises coming with Ren, and Soule teases, “You expect the dude hiding his face under a mask like that to be all messed up, particularly with his body looking the way it does.” But, that might not be the case. Issue two of The Rise of Kylo Ren will reveal what this character is really hiding under his mask, “a reveal that speaks to Ben on a whole other level.” When talking about how they are handling Ben, Soule goes on to say:
“I think the key to writing Ben Solo is to write him as a lost teenager who is deeply in touch with emotions that teenagers often feel. He feels like no one understands him, no one sees him the way he actually is, he’s utterly alone and there’s no one else out there in the universe. So when he sees Ren, he’s like, ‘Wait a minute — maybe there is somebody like me in the universe. Maybe there is a path for a guy like me. Look at the choices he’s made. I could make those choices, too, and I could be cool.’”
The new story will also introduce a younger and kinder version of Snoke. When discussing the design of the character for the comic, Sliney says:
“When we were in the design process, Snoke is someone that you know is going to defy expectations and it’s not going to be the Snoke that you know. And it’s important because we’re going to see a very, very different relationship that Snoke and Ben have. It establishes that this is not the Snoke that’s going to Force-choke Hux and slam him into the ground. He’s playing the long game…so it was important to portray Snoke differently.”
While this is interesting to an extent, I wonder if Star Wars fans will still be interested in diving into the backstory of this character after they see The Rise of Skywalker. Here are a couple of preview pages to check out:
Source: Star Wars