Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
Born Ben Solo, the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, Kylo Ren is one of the central antagonists in the sequel trilogy. Having crossed over to the Dark Side, Kylo Ren is a very complex and complicated character, full of intense emotions. Though he was trained as a Jedi under his uncle Luke Skywalker, he’s influenced by Supreme Leader Snoke and becomes his apprentice.
Prior to what we see in the sequels, Kylo Ren turned on his uncle and destroyed his Jedi Temple, killing several apprentices. By the time we meet him, he’s going through a ton of inner conflict as he feels himself being torn between the Light and Dark Sides. His worst act, of course, is killing his own father in The Force Awakens, a truly unforgivable thing. Though it’s very apparent Kylo Ren wants to be good, he just can’t figure out how.
Kylo Ren’s relationship with Rey is a high point of the sequels to me, though it’s certainly divisive for the Star Wars fandom. Ultimately, though Rey wants to help him, Kylo Ren is just far too gone. He ends up returning to his true identity of Ben Solo and sacrifices himself to bring Rey back from the dead, killing himself in the process.
I might be in the minority, but I do really love Kylo Ren as a character. Plus, Adam Driver is a great actor. That said, I would still leave the character dead. He crosses the line by killing his father and despite his redemption arc, he’s better off gone.
VERDICT: Leave dead