Star Wars is full of great villains and while the sequels have their detractors, people of all opinions can agree that Kylo Ren was a great villain. As one of the main characters of the sequel trilogy, Kylo Ren showed audiences just how evil he could be, as well as the drawbacks of the dark side. He was also quite a formidable warrior, defeating just about every foe he came across.
When it comes to evil, though, the Sith Lords of Legends continuity were some of the deadliest villains Star Wars fans had ever seen. Armed with the power of the dark side of the Force, they were a terrible threat to all they came across, costing many lives across the galaxy.
10 Could Beat Kylo Ren: Darth Krayt
Darth Krayt started life as Old Republic Jedi A'Sharad Hett, a Tusken Raider Jedi and son of Sharad Hett. He was captured by the Yuuzhan Vong in one of their initial soirees into the galaxy and released by Vergere, a former Jedi and Sith apprentice hiding with the extragalactic aliens. He would form the One Sith, going into hibernation and conquering the galaxy over a hundred years after the Battle of Endor.
Krayt was able to keep multiple powerful Sith in line through the fear of his great power and is Ren's superior in every way. Kylo Ren would do his best but it just wouldn't be enough.
9 Couldn't Beat Kylo Ren: Tahiri Veila
A Jedi of the New Republic, Tahiri Veila's love was her downfall to the Sith path. She had fallen in love with the youngest Solo child, Anakin, who was killed during the Yuuzhan Vong War. That love was used against her when Anakin's older brother Jacen became a Sith Lord, manipulating her into becoming his apprentice. She would recant but her time as a Sith marked her and caused a lot of trouble in later life.
Tahiri is definitely more skilled with a lightsaber than Ren but his greater Force powers will allow him to make up for that. The surety of his actions gives him an edge as well, as Tahiri was always conflicted during her time as a Sith. It would be a hard fight, but Ren would take it.
8 Could Beat Kylo Ren: Emperor Vitiate
Emperor Vitiate was known as the Immortal Emperor and ruled the Sith Empire for millennia, using his vast power in the Force to consume the life force of others and gain a measure of immortality. Immensely powerful, Vitiate was a menace to the entire galaxy, leading the Sith forces against the Old Republic and crushing nearly everything that stood in his way.
Vitiate's power in the Force was amazing and gives him a massive advantage over Kylo Ren. Ren has never faced a being as powerful or as skilled as Vitiate and would fall quickly to the vastly superior Immortal Emperor.
7 Couldn't Beat Kylo Ren: Githany
Githany was a member of Lord Kaan's Brotherhood of Darkness. She trained alongside Darth Bane and was a master of the lightwhip. She tried to manipulate Bane for most of their time knowing each other, almost derailing his entire career as a Sith so she could achieve her ambitions. Bane was able to rebuff her and she died along with the rest of the Brotherhood when they detonated Bane's thought bomb.
Githany's power in the Force was nothing special but her choice of the lightwhip as a weapon made her a difficult foe to fight. This weapon would make the fight hard for Ren but his superior Force skills and inherent toughness would allow him to win the day.
6 Could Beat Kylo Ren: Darth Revan
Darth Revan was the Jedi general who saved the Old Republic from the Mandalorians and discovered the existence of Vitiate's Sith Empire. He and his apprentice would go on a quest to gain more power, becoming Sith in an effort to form an army that could rival Vitiate's and tried to conquer known space in an effort to prepare. He would go through many twists and turns in his life but it would be defined by his time as a feared Sith Lord.
Revan is another Sith who is easily Ren's superior in just about every way. He was an extremely successful combatant and general. He could defeat Ren in a fight or a fleet versus fleet battle or just about any contest. He'd triumph over the impetuous wannabe Sith quickly and easily in any contest.
5 Couldn't Beat Kylo Ren: Darth Vectivus
Darth Vectivus was a little known Sith Lord and a different sort than many of his peers. He used the dark side of the Force to secure his and his family's place in the galaxy, running a successful mining concern and not really meddling in the affairs of the Jedi. His time as a Sith was quite low key and he died surrounded by friends and family.
Vectivus wasn't known for his combat prowess. While his abilities to manipulate the Force were great, Kylo Ren would be able to see through his powerful illusions and mind tricks with a bit of effort and use his greater combat skills to defeat the "good" Sith Lord.
4 Could Beat Kylo Ren: Darth Caedus
Darth Caedus started life as Jacen Solo, one of Han and Leia's twins and a great hero in his own right. The more power he gained, though, the more despair he felt as nothing he did really had an effect on making the galaxy safer. He embraced the way of the Sith to bring order and ended up becoming everything he used to fight against. He was also one of the most powerful Sith ever and a cunning warrior.
Caedus is way better at everything than Kylo Ren, so much so that Ren is pretty much just a pale shadow of him. Caedus would mop the floor with Kylo Ren, barely even breaking a sweat in the fight. Ren just couldn't stand up to the greater power and skill of the superior Solo son.
3 Couldn't Beat Kylo Ren: Vergere
Vergere was one of Palpatine's many secret apprentices, Jedi that he was grooming to take the place of his main apprentice in case they died. Basically, Palpatine was lousy about the Rule of Two. Once Dooku was chosen to take Maul's place, Vergere ran for fear of being killed by Palpatine and investigated the Yuuzhan Vong in their first incursion, joining them and returning home decades later when they finally invaded, defecting back to the people of her galaxy and planting the seeds of Jacen Solo's fall to the Sith.
Vergere was a skilled Jedi but her skills with the dark side weren't as great, since her Sith training was never completed. Ren would be able to defeat her with some trouble.
2 Could Beat Kylo Ren: Darth Bane
Darth Bane was the originator of the Rule of Two. Trained by Lord Kaan's Brotherhood of Darkness, he felt they were too weak and destroyed them, rewriting the rules of the Sith forever. Bane's Sith Order would succeed in toppling the Jedi and taking over the galaxy all because of Bane's example. One of the most formidable Sith of them all, few were ever able to stand against him.
Bane's sheer power and skill advantage would allow him to easily vanquish Kylo Ren. His vast knowledge of ancient Sith techniques, combined with his nearly unrivaled lightsaber skill would make the battle against Ren child's play for him.
1 Couldn't Beat Kylo Ren: Lord Kaan
Lord Kaan's Brotherhood of Darkness fought the Republic and the Jedi to a standstill but Kaan's teaching of brotherhood and cooperation makes them weak. While Kaan was a cunning strategist and warrior, he was easily fooled by Darth Bane and that cost him everything.
Kaan would give Ren a great fight but fall to him in the end. Kaan's powers were great but his time as an administrator hurt his connection to the dark side and this would give Kylo Ren the advantage he needed to defeat Kaan.