Luke Skywalker continues to be many Star Wars fans' favorite hero, even after the rather gloomy path he underwent in the sequel trilogy. He has faced off against numerous tough opponents in his movie appearances. However, the Star Wars: Legends extended universe vastly expands his story following the defeat of the Emperor and the death of Darth Vader at the end of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983).
The most powerful enemies that he battles in those stories are prodigious Force-users, skilled assassins, and even family members. Here are ten most formidable foes that Luke Skywalker fought according to Legends following his story in the original trilogy.
10 Luke vs. Shimrra Jamaane
Twenty years after Vader's death, the New Jedi Order, led by Luke, faced one of its greatest challenges - the Yuuzhan Vong war, caused by an intergalactic invasion of a formidable species bearing the same name as the conflict itself.
In one of the decisive battles, Skywalker fought side by side with his Legends nephews - Jaina and Jacen, and engaged in a ferocious duel with the deadly warrior Shimrra Jamaane. The Grand Master beheaded the alien after an extremely close contest, during which it was one swing away from killing Luke.
9 Luke vs. Joruus C'baoth
Joruus C'baoth was a Dark Jedi active during the Thrawn Crisis who was the driving force behind some of the toughest challenges in Luke Skywalker's Jedi career. He faced Skywalker and his then future wife, Mara Jade, on two separate occasions. The battle in which he lost his life was the toughest for the Republic-sided Force-users.
In it, C'baoth employed the full might of his abilities - from telekinesis to Force Lightning. In order to achieve his defeat, Luke needed not just the help of Mara, but also that of his sister.
8 Luke vs His Clone Luuke
Before killing Joorus C'baoth, Luke and Mara had to face an even greater foe - Luuke (a clone of his) created with the hand that Luke lost in the Cloud City of Bespin after the duel he had with Vader in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
Luke was equal to his clone, but C'baoth gave him the upper hand in the duel through his constant support. Mara, Leia, and Han had to distract the corrupted Jedi to provide Luke with the chance to put the clone in a tough spot, which allowed Jade to finish him off.
7 Luke vs. Gethzerion
Luke was one of the many Jedi that came face to face with the Nightsisters - the dark-side users on Dathomir - an order depicted in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV show. He engaged in combat with their leader Gethzerion.
The battle was so ferocious that the Jedi Master was almost killed, but ultimately managed to heal himself with the Force. In a subsequent fight, the female warrior's ship was shot down by Luke after he saved Han Solo from certain death.
6 Luke vs Cronal
Lord Shadowspawn, AKA Cronal, was a mighty Prophet of the Dark Side that served the Empire. Shadowspawn came face to face with Luke when he possessed a soldier's body. He successfully captured Luke and attempted to control him, but eventually Skywalker overcame the darkness and found a way to interrupt the Dark Side user's hold over the enslaved individual.
The victory came at a very high cost, because Luke was unable to save the people whose minds fell under Cronal's influence, and they all eventually died.
5 Luke vs. Abeloth and Sith
One of the last great adversaries Luke had to defeat in his long and fruitful Jedi career was Abeloth - an interstellar being immensely skilled in the Dark Side. The Grand Master spent a long time trying to uncover its hiding location.
On one occasion, he and his son Ben engaged the creature in a battle, which also involved several Sith Lords. In what is perhaps one of the greatest battles that Luke has ever won, he and his boy successfully forced Abeloth to retreat despite his superior numbers.
4 Luke vs Lumiya
Lumiya was one of Luke's greatest adversaries following Palpatine's demise, and the Jedi fought some excruciating battles with her, not to mention that he suffered significant personal losses, like the death of his wife Mara Jade, at her hands.
Vader's son performed better and better in every duel that the two opponents had, which is why the most challenging fight he had with her was their first confrontation on Kinooine when Skywalker was defeated, mainly because of her unusual lightwhip.
3 Luke vs Sidious Clone
In Legends, Luke gets a second chance to face and fight Emperor Palpatine. Sidious' spirit was hiding on the world of Byss and attached itself to clone bodies, a plot similar to that of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
The Dark Side of the Force temporarily seduced Luke before he turned on the Emperor. Skywalker failed in their first duel because of his inferior lightsaber skills, but prevailed in their second clash with Leia's assistance.
2 Luke vs Kueller
One of the most mysterious and unexpectedly potent enemies that Luke encountered was Kueller. On a seemingly routine mission, Luke barely survived an X-Wing crash caused by a former student of his called Dolph.
The Force's Dark Side was quite strong in him, and he proved that many times over in a duel that resulted in the wounded Skywalker's defeat and capture. Eventually, Luke managed to stop Kueller with the assistance of his friends - Han, Chewbacca, Mara, and Leia, and never really managed to secure the victory all by himself.
1 Luke vs. Jacen Solo
In Legends, Skywalker did end up crossing lightsabers with his nephew - Jacen Solo, but he had every right to do so, as opposed to what he did in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017). Their battle took place in the aftermath of the death of Skywalker's wife, caused by Darth Caedus (Jacen's Sith alias).
The confrontation was quite violent as both fighters engaged in Force-assisted hand-to-hand combat. Even though his son Ben fought side by side with him, Luke retreated, realizing that he is too emotionally unstable.