The Worst Things Darth Vader Ever Did In Star Wars, Ranked

When he first appeared in 1977, there was little doubt that Darth Vader (James Earl Jones/David Prowse) would be one of cinema's biggest bads. As the franchise developed, Vader's entire story was finally revealed, painting him as a tragic character. Like many tragic figures from literature and movies, Vader's background isn't a simple affair, as it's deeply rooted in betrayal, nefarious influence, and passion.

Still, while it's easy to look upon the Dark Lord of the Sith and see him for who he truly is, that doesn't detract from the many horrible things he's done. While in service to the Emperor, otherwise known as Darth Sidious, Vader carried out some incredibly evil things. After Order 66 called for the execution of all Jedi, Vader set his sights on his former allies and hunted them across the galaxy. That's only one of Vader's many deeds that make him one of cinema's most evil characters.

Most who worked under or alongside Vader feared his wrath, which makes sense when he can snap their neck with a flick of his hand. Of course, Vader didn't start out that way. When Anakin Skywalker turned evil to become Darth Vader, he turned his back on everything he swore to uphold and protect. After his transformation, Vader earned his reputation. These are the worst things he ever did, ranked by how vile the acts were.

One of Darth Vader's worst deeds was undoing something he did as Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. In "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," Anakin (Matt Lanter) becomes master to his only Padawan, Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein). Though he's apprehensive at first, what with a galactic civil war ongoing, he takes to Ahsoka, nicknaming her "Snips." Not only does Anakin become a proper mentor to Ahsoka, but his tutelage helps her survive Order 66.

This happens after Ahsoka leaves the Jedi Order, but Anakin never abandons her ... until he does. Initially, Ahsoka fakes her death, leaving a lightsaber for Darth Vader to find, though she doesn't know the fate of Anakin. Years later, in "Star Wars Rebels," Ahsoka is actively working behind the scenes to establish the Rebel Alliance, and comes face to face with Vader on Malachor, an ancient Sith world with a massive pyramid where the two are locked within, and face off against one another.

Ahsoka succeeds in damaging Vader's mask, learning that he is her former friend and master. Vader first attempts to sway Ahsoka to follow the path of the Sith, but she refuses. Vader then mercilessly fights and kills his former Padawan ... at least, that's what it seems. Thanks to Ezra Bridger's time in the World Between Worlds, Ahsoka is saved from Vader's killing blow and transported forward in time.

When Anakin Skywalker embraces the dark side of the Force, he becomes what he once swore to destroy. While it's true that the Jedi Order was guilty of some awful things, they were largely for good, as Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) describes them in "Star Wars," "For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times ... before the Empire."

The Empire only came into being due to Anakin's fall to the dark side, and his work was only beginning. Following the issuance of Order 66, Darth Vader becomes the principal architect of the Great Jedi Purge. For 16 years, Vader led a team of Inquisitors across the galaxy, slaughtering any Jedi they found. The Inquisitors were all fallen Jedi, corrupted by Vader and Sidious.

Vader's purpose wasn't merely to kill the Jedi, but to destroy the Jedi Order. Sidious built his citadel atop the former Jedi Grand Temple in Coruscant. Meanwhile, Vader and his minions rounded up all Jedi Holocrons, allies, and members, ensuring they couldn't rise up against the Emperor. Vader personally killed many Jedi, with estimates putting the figure at around 50 to 60. Given how rare Force-sensitive people are in Star Wars, Vader's actions during this over decade-long period amounted to genocide.

When Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, most of the franchise's comics, books, games, and other media were relegated to Star Wars Legends. Few were considered canon, but in the years since, numerous materials under the label have further fleshed out the franchise. One of Vader's worst acts is detailed in the 2015 canon novel "Lords of the Sith" by Paul S. Kemp.

The novel introduces the Free Ryloth Movement, Ryloth being the homeworld of the Twi'lek. The Free Ryloth Movement grows, creating a significant army that threatens the Empire, so both the Emperor and Vader travel to the planet personally. The movement attacks the Imperial ship the two are on, forcing it to crash-land on the planet's surface.

They arrive near a Twi'lek village, where a young girl stumbles upon the outsiders and escorts them to render aid, not knowing who they are. The villagers take in the two men, as both Vader and the Emperor claim to be lost. When it comes time to leave, instead of thanking the villagers who helped him, Vader does what you'd expect and slaughters everyone, ensuring no witnesses to their actions on Ryloth.

The real tragedy of Anakin Skywalker is how Darth Sidious manipulates the young Jedi into believing that he can only save Padmé's (Natalie Portman) life by following him. Specifically, Anakin (Hayden Christensen) believes that he can save Padmé by turning to the dark side of the Force. Once he turns and takes on the Darth Vader name, he becomes increasingly menacing and paranoid, leading to one of his most unforgivable acts.

After slaughtering the leaders of the Confederacy of Independent Systems on Mustafar, Padmé arrives to try to sway Anakin back into the light. As they're speaking, she professes her love for him and says he's breaking her heart. Unfortunately, Vader's Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) reveals himself at that moment, having stowed away on her spaceship. Vader instantly believes Padmé is working with the Jedi and Force-chokes her.

Obi-Wan gets him to let Padmé go, and she passes out on the floor. Anakin blames Obi-Wan, saying, "You've turned her against me!" His former master replies "You have done that yourself," leading to an epic lightsaber duel. What makes this act so tragic is that Anakin only falls to the dark side to save Padmé, but in doing so, he becomes the instrument of her destruction. Shortly after giving birth, Padmé dies of a broken heart.

When Darth Vader rises in Anakin's place, the first thing he does is storm the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. This is the seat of power for the Jedi Order, and also where most of the Jedi live and work. These include old masters, seasoned Jedi Knights, Padawans, and younglings. The latter group consists entirely of Force-sensitive children who had barely begun their Jedi training.

As he leads the 501st Legion into the temple, Vader kills anyone who gets in his way. Finally, he comes to a large room where a gathering of younglings sees him as a savior. One little boy approaches the man whom he believes to be his ally, saying, "Master Skywalker, there are too many of them. What are we going to do?" Instead of answering with words, Vader ignites his lightsaber, causing the child to take a step back in surprise.

It's one thing to kill dozens of fully grown Jedi, choke your wife, and destroy the Jedi Order, but when Vader kills the younglings in "Revenge of the Sith," he crosses an uncrossable line. Killing the younglings is easily the worst thing Vader ever did. This would hardly be the last time Vader kills a child, as is seen in "Obi-Wan Kenobi," when he casually snaps a kid's neck with the Force.