Cody Rhodes’ Defense Of Luke Skywalker In Star Wars: The Last Jedi Is Totally Right

by

Eight years ago, the second film in the new Star Wars trilogy, The Last Jedi, came out. It quickly became a major talking point in pop culture, though not in the way Disney and Lucasfilm expected. The film, directed by Rian Johnson, sparked a lot of debate, especially regarding the portrayal of Luke Skywalker.

Even after all this time, The Last Jedi still sparks strong debate among viewers. Star Wars fans continue to disagree about certain parts of the movie, like the scenes in Canto Bight, Rey’s parentage being revealed, and especially how Luke Skywalker was depicted. He wasn’t presented as the hopeful, adventurous Jedi Knight audiences remembered from the original films, but rather as a more somber and weathered character.

Fans have strong opinions about Luke Skywalker’s portrayal in Episode VIII. His self-imposed exile on Ahch-To, his choice to disconnect from the Force, his surprising appearance on Crait, and even his death scene are all points of contention. While some appreciate the filmmakers taking risks with his character, others strongly disagree with these decisions.

Cody Rhodes, now an actor as well as a wrestler, has publicly defended Rian Johnson’s portrayal of Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi. He shared his personal ranking of all the Star Wars films, placing Episode VIII near the top. Rhodes explained that he appreciated seeing a more complex and less traditionally heroic version of Luke, which is exactly what he’d hoped for. Despite the criticism the film received regarding Luke’s character arc, Rhodes makes a valid point – and many fans agree.

Luke Skywalker’s Mistakes Are His Greatest Strengths In The Last Jedi

Throughout The Last Jedi, Luke Skywalker struggles with several errors in judgment that deeply affect both his place in the larger sequel trilogy story and who he is as a person. He’s changed significantly from the hopeful, energetic young Jedi we once knew.

Perhaps Luke Skywalker’s biggest error was how he handled Ben Solo’s training. The film shows, through flashbacks, that Luke noticed a growing darkness within his nephew and feared Supreme Leader Snoke had corrupted him, turning him to the dark side. This ultimately resulted in a clash at Luke’s Jedi temple one night.

Luke and Kylo Ren disagreed about what happened that night. Luke said Kylo, then Ben Solo, turned against him, attacked him, and then burned down the Jedi temple. Kylo, however, insisted that Luke came to kill him, and the temple was destroyed during their fight as he defended himself.

The truth was somewhere in between the stories. Ben Solo was drawn to the dark side, but hadn’t fully embraced it yet. Luke did enter Ben’s room, but he didn’t attack. He sensed a growing darkness within Ben and briefly turned on his lightsaber, which startled Ben awake. Ben misinterpreted this as an attempt on his life, and that’s how their conflict began.

Honestly, I think a lot of the upset about Luke almost killing Ben came down to how we all felt about him. It was so jarring to see the hopeful hero from the original movies even consider that – it just didn’t feel right! Many of us had a hard time accepting that this same Luke would make such a big error in judgment with his nephew years later, and that disconnect really bothered people.

But it’s actually this flaw – and Luke’s reclusive behavior throughout The Last Jedi – that makes his portrayal so strong in any Star Wars story. Luke was almost a flawless hero in the original films, which is why he became such an inspiration to fans worldwide, and showing his imperfections adds depth to the character.

Luke Skywalker had to grow and change in the newer Star Wars movies. He couldn’t remain the same hero he was decades earlier, and Rian Johnson understood that. This choice made Luke’s story a central and memorable part of The Last Jedi, and one of the best parts of the entire sequel trilogy.

Luke Skywalker In His Prime Can Be Explored In Other Stories

In the end, The Last Jedi—and the sequel trilogy as a whole—wasn’t the right setting to portray Luke Skywalker at his most powerful. He wasn’t the main hero anymore; new characters had taken on that role and were meant to lead a new generation. While Luke still had a place in the story, he shared center stage with others, unlike in the original films where he was clearly the focus.

Just because we’ve seen Luke Skywalker as an older character doesn’t rule out seeing a younger version of him in future Star Wars stories. There are endless possibilities for new tales in the Star Wars galaxy, even with characters we already know well. So, it’s very likely Luke will appear in upcoming Star Wars projects in some form.

Luke Skywalker is currently featured in recent Star Wars stories, especially those set during the time of The Mandalorian. He famously returned in the season two finale of The Mandalorian, taking Grogu with him to begin Jedi training at a new temple – the same one that Ben Solo would later destroy. Luke also made an appearance in The Book of Boba Fett, appearing in two episodes.

This portrayal of Luke Skywalker feels right at home in the Star Wars universe. Set during the era of the New Republic, Luke is a powerful Jedi Master, leading a new Order and safeguarding the galaxy. Because he hasn’t faced his later struggles yet, Lucasfilm has a great chance to finally deliver the Luke Skywalker fans have been hoping for.

Read More

2026-06-18 02:10