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Villain Personality Test: Darth Vader

An Analysis of Pop Culture's Most Wanted (Episode 1)

By Gideon BrownPublished about a year ago 7 min read
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His suit. His voice. His deep, labored breathing that lets you know the end is near. Darth Vader is the first and greatest Dark Lord ever to grace the silver screen. From his beginning as a Jedi to his tragic fall to evil, he's become synonymous with the fallen hero and has almost single-handedly launched the Star Wars franchise into legend. For almost 50 years, he's cast a shadow spanning all of pop culture. But how well do we really know him? What drives this dark conqueror? Is it ego? Fear? Or just sheer cruelty? Today, we will attempt what no one in the Galactic Republic ever has: we will give Darth Vader a personality test.

Disclaimer: Although this and other articles in the Villain Personality Test series are based on legitimate psychology, the descriptions of people with these personality traits are educated guesses and are not meant to be attributed to real people.

Ground Rules

Our guideline for this test is the Dark Triad, a short list of character traits time-tested to result in destructive behavior. We are going to study Vader's actions, interactions, and motivations throughout the Star Wars saga. We will look for each of the three traits on this list; narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Each trait will be scored on a scale of 1.0 to 5.0. Finally, based on the scores determined, we will award Vader a place on the diagram above.

For further information, click here to read our introduction.

Narcissism

"One day, I will become the greatest Jedi ever. I will even learn how to stop people from dying."

-Anakin Skywalker

Darth Vader's sizable ego goes way before his days under the helmet. Conversations he had as Anakin Skywalker show him to be arrogant, brash, and sometimes even rebellious. But was he ever a true narcissist? We'll start by examining the scene that best demonstrates his self-importance: the infamous scene right after Skywalker's loss of his mother at the hands of a race of savage Tusken raiders.

Skywalker, distraught with grief, is met by his lover Padme Amidala who attempts to console him. After an uncomfortable exchange, the dialogue takes a sudden turn. Skywalker concludes that his master Obi-Wan Kenobi is responsible for his tragedy, claiming that Kenobi had been holding him back out of fear of his true potential. This is Skywalker's first red flag. He doesn't try to process his feelings or take time to cope. He doesn't even lash out at Amidala. Instead, he intentionally shifts the blame for his loss onto someone else, a common sign of narcissism. But it goes deeper. Having come to the conclusion that he's being suppressed, Skywalker begins to wonder about his true potential. Right there, before Amidala, Skywalker declares that his destiny is to become the most powerful Jedi who ever lived, powerful enough to protect his loved ones from death. When phrases like "most powerful" start getting thrown around, it's a good sign that you're dealing with a narcissist.

This ultimate power mentality carries into Skywalker's corruption, even if he doesn't explicitly say so. Darth Vader walks and talks with authority, placing himself in charge wherever he happens to be, using his Force powers with complete impunity, and dismissing his subordinates whenever he feels like it. Note the way Vader describes an admiral who botches his plan of attack as "as stupid as he is clumsy."

Of course, to say that everything Vader had ever done was out of self-interest wouldn't be fair. Vader's former Padawan Ahsoka Tano described him as a kind and selfless person. "He cared deeply about his friends and looked after them until the end," she told Ezra Bridger. And for the most part, his actions in the prequel trilogy and Clone Wars TV show agree with her description.

Sumarry: Darth Vader has a textbook messiah complex, but he does have the ability to put it to the side... provided he sees it fit to do so.

Final Nar- Score: 3.6

Machiavellianism

"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it further."

-Darth Vader

Gauging anyone on the Machiavellianism scale requires a fair deal of finesse. You need to look at how they make people bend the knee, but you also need to know why.

Vader is clearly a master strategist and an adept manipulator. The scene that shows this best comes from The Empire Strikes Back. In the scene, Vader prepares a trap for Luke Skywalker, which works almost perfectly. By tracking the Millineum Falcon, a rebel starship, Vader deduced that Skywalker's friends would arrive at Cloud City. He arrived first, demanded a meeting with the city's leader Lando Calrissian, and struck a deal with him. In return for Solo and Organa, Vader promised his colony safety. Lando accepted the terms and realized too late that Vader's version of safety involved Imperial occupation. Other examples of Vader's underhanded acts include claiming to be Skywalker's father to get an edge in a fight, plotting to overthrow the Emperor, and letting Grand Moff Tarkin die in order to secure power for himself.

But just because you're manipulative doesn't mean you're Machiavellian. Machiavellianism is a combination of two philosophies: that the only way to secure power is by manipulating others and that everyone else is willing to do just that. This makes Machiavellian types paranoid and cagey, two words that don't describe Vader at all. Vader is brash and tends to favor intimidation over deception. Vader's very first appearance testifies to this as he leads a boarding party and chokes a rebel soldier to death before the eyes of his troops (something he's quite fond of doing, in case you didn't know). Even the scene where Vader betrays Calrissian ends with a simple threat, something a Machiavellian would rarely do.

Summary: For the most part, Darth Vader is too sure of his own power to hide behind others.

Final Mach- Score: 1.6

Psychopathy

"I killed them. I killed them all. They're dead... every single one of them. And not just the men. But the women... and the children, too. They're like animals, and I slaughtered them like animals!"

-Anakin Skywalker

How does a fallen hero like Anakin Skywalker demonstrate psychopathy? Once again, we'll refer to Attack of the Clones for an answer. Upon finding his mother in the desert, Skywalker discovers that he was too late to save her from the Tusker raiders. In a rage, he proceeds to massacre every one of them he can find. In his subsequent conversation with Padme Amidala, he confesses to murdering women and children in his rampage. He wasn't attacked or even threatened by the sand people. He acted on a whim, out of anger, for no apparent reason, as a psychopath would. Later on, Skywalker would go on to murder numerous others, including his own subordinates, with little to no afterthought.

That being said, Vader is more than a murderer. He is an enforcer. This means that he operates under a chain of command, something few psychopaths can accomplish effectively. He can control his impulses if he has to, preferring to leave people he deems valuable alive, even if they do anger him. For instance, before Skywalker redeemed him, Vader had been plotting in secret to kill the Emperor and take the empire for himself. He had many opportunities to do this, such as during the beginning of Return of the Jedi, but he refrained because he knew it wouldn't do him any good. So he reigned in his passions and bided his time. As hot-headed as he is, Vader's intellect counters his emotions more times than not.

Summary: Darth Vader has little regard for other people's lives, unless they have some kind of worth to him.

Final Psy- Score: 3.2

Final Verdict

Vader's made it clear what motivates him, and that's his belief that only he can save the galaxy. He will do anything at all to bring peace to a lawless and greedy galaxy, even if that means annihilating it. He demands undying allegiance from every enemy he faces, and if they refuse, they die; a classic Tyrant mentality.

But the biggest tell was his leadership style. He tends to lead from the front, using his terrifying presence and Force powers to goad both his opponents and his followers into submission. Even though he is smart enough to trick his enemies into doing his bidding, he rarely has to. After all, why go to the trouble of plotting and double-dealing when you can just swing your lightsaber and be rid of the problem then and there?

Darth Vader's brutality, disregard for others, and ruthless dedication to his worldview make him a Tyrant.

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Do you agree with our analysis? Share your thoughts or suggest a future villain in the comment section. And stay tuned because next time, we'll be tackling a modern classic... the former kingpin of the New Mexico underworld.

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About the Creator

Gideon Brown

Gideon Brown is an amateur writer who specializes in character building, suspense building, world building... pretty much just building. He sincerely thanks you for visiting and would appreciate it if you would share any stories you enjoy.

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