The Star Wars universe has produced some of the most memorable antagonists in all of cinema, and Expanded Universe material such as cartoons, comics, and novels have added even more villains to the list. However, two from the original trilogy stand-out as iconic not only to Star Wars fans but the public as a whole. Fallen Jedi Darth Vader and his master Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious.
But which of this villainous pair deserve the title of Star Wars' most iconic villain? Let's compare them to find out.
10 Palpatine: Rank
He's The Emperor for a reason. Palpatine literally and metaphorically outranks all other evil in the Star Wars universe and as a result, it's his plans that challenge the heroes and he who they must ultimately overcome. Even if Vader is a more recurring and more physically active threat, it's at Palpatine's will that serves, and it's Palpatine's designs which he enforces.
9 Vader: First Introduced
The Emperor is briefly referred to in the original 1977 Star Wars, but it's Vader who makes his physical debut in the film, and what a debut it was. Instantly iconic from the moment his black visage was seen, from the moment his ominous breathing was first heard, and from the first line uttered in James Earl Jones' villainous baritone, Darth Vader's introduction is one of the greatest in cinema. It's easy to understand why he became not just an iconic figure in Star Wars advertising but one of the lynchpins of the series' narrative, and while other villains may have come later, sometimes you just can't beat a great first impression.
8 Palpatine: Unlimited Power
Let's be upfront: there's a reason that Palpatine held the dominant role in his relationship with Vader, and it's because he's simply much more powerful. Palpatine's feats, from killing three of the Jedi Order's greatest masters in seconds to dueling Yoda to a stand-still, to nearly destroying an entire fleet of ships with his Force Lightning put him simply on another level, and show why his title of "Dark Lord Of The Sith" was well-deserved. Vader was certainly no slouch, but his crippling injuries sustained on Mustafar and resultant confinement to his suit meant he could never hope to overcome Sidious with raw power.
7 Vader: Character Depth
When it comes to complexity, Darth Vader certainly has the edge of his master. One of the many reasons the "No, I am your father," revelation in The Empire Strikes Back remains so iconic is that it transforms Vader into an almost entirely different character. Previously viewed by Luke and the audience as simply an evil to be overcome, Vader suddenly becomes a tragic figure.
Whenever novels and comics get inside the former Anakin Skywalker's head, we see a broken man, aware what he does is wrong but who continues doing it since he destroyed everything he ever loved and has nowhere else to turn, which makes his eventual redemption in Return Of The Jedi even more cathartic. The Emperor, on the other hand, lacks any redeeming traits, serving more as a personification of the Dark Side's evil. While he serves this role very well, oftentimes a villain one can hate and pity in equal measure are the best, and Vader fulfills that like no other.
6 Palpatine: Longevity
Palpatine holds the honor of being one of the only Star Wars characters to appear in all three of the trilogies that comprise "The Skywalker Saga," portrayed by the same actor (Ian McDiarmid) in each. Moreover, the events of each trilogy are the results of his machinations: the Clone Wars, the fall of Anakin Skywalker and the Jedi Order, the Empire, the First Order, Ben Solo's fall, and Rey's existence. All of these can be traced back to Darth Sidious. While Vader is, of course, a crucial character across the saga, the scope of his influence ultimately can't match that of his master.
5 Vader: Personal Connection
Sometimes, the best villains are ones who have a connection to our heroes, and who in turn serve as a dark mirror of what those heroes could be if their flaws didn't outweigh their morals. Darth Vader is a perfect example of why his trope endures. Even before we receive the parental bombshell in The Empire Strikes Back, we know Vader is mentor figure Obi-Wan Kenobi's former apprentice turned to evil, something that instantly gives the character a sense of history. On the expanded universe front, one of the most memorable moments in Star Wars: Rebels is Vader's duel with his former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano, precisely because of how we saw the two former friends' relationship develop in The Clone Wars. Compare this to Palpatine, who the heroes never bear any affinity for and whose confrontations tend to be less personal and more archetypal good personified confronting evil personified.
4 Palpatine: Master Manipulator
Oftentimes the scariest villains are the ones who don't need to raise a finger to show you how deadly they are. While Palpatine is more than capable of getting his hands dirty (or electrified, rather), his greatest strength as a villain isn't in his raw power, but his cunning intellect and capacity for manipulation.
Across the saga, Palpatine seduces three prominent Jedi to the Dark Side (Dooku, Anakin Skywalker, and Ben Solo), maintains control of the Empire and oversees its resurgence in the form of the First Order. Most impressively, he runs both sides of the Clone Wars in order to orchestrate his rise to authoritarian power. Scariest of all: it works. It's not often that villainous schemes succeed, especially not on the scale Palpatine was playing.
3 Vader: Blunt Instrument
Vader's raw strength is first made clear when he force chokes the petulant Admiral Motti and from there, his feats only become impressive and terrifying. Whenever Darth Vader is onscreen, one always gets the sense he is perfectly capable of killing every single person present in seconds if he so desired. One reason the hallway scene in Rogue One works is that it demonstrates what happens when Vader goes off. A frightening symbol and enforcer of the Empire's authority, no dictator could ask for a better enforcer of their will than Darth Vader.
2 Palpatine: We Enjoy His Evil
Let's be honest; if Palpatine were to thank anyone for his iconic status, it would be Ian McDiarmid. Channeling his background in theatre to deliver an over-the-top performance perfectly blending camp and menace, McDiarmid fits the role of the Emperor like a glove and always delivers a delightfully wicked performance when assuming the role.
Even as the prequel trilogy remains divisive, most will admit McDiarmid delivers a master-stroke of a performance in them, both as the charming Chancellor Palpatine and the unrestrained evil of Darth Sidious. As a result, fans are always eager to see what Palpatine has planned next and what torment he may visit upon the heroes. If there's one villain who personifies the "love to hate" phenomenon, it's Emperor Palpatine.
1 Vader: We Fear His Evil
It says a lot about a villain when they're able to take the simple act of breathing and transform it into something terrifying. Of course, that's exactly what Darth Vader does. Between the breathing, his striking masked visage that resembles a cross between a samurai-warlord and a mechanical demon plucked from the depths of George Lucas' nightmares, and the blood-red Lightsaber he wields, no villain is able to strike fear into the hearts of Rebel Soldiers and Moviegoers alike in the way that Darth Vader does.