The question of whether or not Kylo Ren can ultimately be redeemed has been highly debated since the character's inception, but the evidence in the Star Wars sequel trilogy suggests Ben Solo is truly lost. Over the course of two films, Kylo has quickly ascended the ranks of all-time movie villains due to his inner turmoil and fierce emotionality. He is arguably one of the most nuanced figures the franchise has seen, with Adam Driver's compelling performances earning a lion's share of the credit there. With the way the actor plays the role, the audience believes at points he could come back to the light before Kylo breaks our hearts once again.With one more movie left in the Skywalker saga, there's still an opportunity for Kylo to recognize the error in his ways. This would obviously draw heavy comparisons to Darth Vader's arc in Return of the Jedi, and after J.J. Abrams did that dance once before with Force Awakens, something different appears to be in order. Additionally, redeeming Kylo would go against everything that's been established in the films thus far, such as some important indicators in The Last Jedi.
Killing Han Solo Was The Point of No Return
In The Force Awakens, Kylo is continuously wrestling with his allegiances, being torn between the light and dark sides of the Force. He seeks guidance from Supreme Leader Snoke's teachings and Darth Vader's helmet, but still feels a slight tug when he learns his father, Han Solo, has re-entered the conflict to restore justice to the galaxy. Their confrontation on Starkiller base is billed as Kylo's greatest test, and for good reason. Depending on what he did, Kylo would show to Snoke he is committed to the dark side and a worthy apprentice. Of course, Ben murdered Han, and even though the deed split his spirit to the bone, he proved he could sink to evils far worse than Vader before him.
Related: Is Kylo Ren Legally Guilty of Murdering Han Solo?
When Anakin Skywalker betrayed the Jedi Order, he admittedly led a raid on the Jedi Temple (slaughtering younglings in the process), killed all of the Sepratist leaders singlehandedly, and Force-choked Padmé while she was pregnant with his children - and he still found redemption in the end. Despite these atrocities, the one thing Vader never could bring himself to was killing his own family members. That was his positive trait as the galaxy's most feared man. As he dueled Luke Skywalker on Bespin, he pleaded with his son, "Don't make me destroy you" and expressed a desire to rule the Empire alongside Luke. Kylo has shown no qualms about family homicides. Though he struggled mightily with Han, he still went through with it, and he was downright bloodthirsty for Luke (understandably so, given the flashbacks). Leia was the only one Kylo didn't kill, hinting at some connection there, but that's likely to be lost since Leia won't be in Episode IX.
But killing Han was merely the first step in completing Ben Solo's turn. In that moment, he decided he would go full dark side, but still needed to find his path. Perhaps influenced by the berating he receives at the hands of Snoke early in Last Jedi, Kylo made the shocking decision to kill his master and announced it was time to completely let the past die. This was something else Vader could never do. The Imperial enforcer talked to those closest to him (Padmé and Luke) about overthrowing Palpatine, but he was always subservient to the Emperor. It was only when Anakin came back to the light that he fulfilled the prophecy and destroyed the Sith. If Luke had decided to turn, maybe this plays out differently. As it stands, Vader seemed content being the pupil.
Kylo saw his plan to murder Snoke through without getting any commitment from Rey about joining him. With or without his frenemy, the former Ben Solo knew what he had to do and appointed himself the new Supreme Leader. When Rey rejected his offer, Kylo only became more unhinged and dangerous. As we close Episode VIII, he's a petulant, highly-emotional man in charge of an entire army with no real goal in sight than to just destroy the blossoming Rebellion. Long ago, when Driver was asked about Kylo Ren living to see Episode IX, he remarked it depended on what your idea of living is. Kylo is still breathing and alive, but he's inhumane at this point. And worst of all (for him), the two people most likely to sway him back have given up.
Rey and Leia Lose Hope
In the sequels, there are only two characters that explicitly believe Ben Solo could return: Rey and General Leia Organa. During The Force Awakens, Han says there's too much Vader in his son, and The Last Jedi clearly depicts Luke's feelings on the matter. Leia, most likely recalling Luke's success with Vader, convinces Han there's still some good in Ben (leading to Han's death), and Rey's naivety gets the better of her when she feels Ben is redeemable after the two touch hands during one of their Force connections. Sadly, both are proven wrong through Kylo's actions, and where they stand at the end of Episode VIII is very different than their earlier stances.
Related: Rian Johnson Believes Kylo Ren Can Be Redeemed
The most telling hint comes in Luke and Leia's brief reunion on Crait, where Leia says to her brother, "I held out hope for so long, but I know my son is gone." Though Luke follows that up with, "No one's ever really gone," he's talking more about Han as he hands his sister Solo's gold dice from the Millennium Falcon. Both siblings know Kylo is a lost cause, and Rey shows she shares that sentiment at the end of the film when she closes the Falcon's door. That was a very symbolic gesture, meant to illustrate Rey shutting Kylo out from her world as she looks to rebuild the Rebellion with Finn, Poe, and her friends. Kylo is left with nobody except his bitter rival General Hux (hardly an ally) and perhaps the Knights of Ren - the status of whom is very much up in the air. Time will tell if Abrams will use them in Episode IX.
Again, this is a stark contrast to Vader. In Return of the Jedi, Luke always believed there was still good in his father and inspired Vader's change of heart by making Vader believe there was still light. Kylo Ren has no such person, with everyone in the Resistance resigned to the fact he's pure evil. Finn and Poe know first-hand what atrocities Kylo is capable of and have no real personal connection with Ren that would make a redemption arc pay off. If Lando Calrissian is brought back to the fold for Episode IX, the odds of him thinking Ben can be saved are slim-to-none. The ultimate tragedy of Kylo Ren is his actions left him - someone in desperate need of others' approval - truly alone in the universe. Odds are, he'll be only more cold and malicious as this reality sinks in.
Arguably, this sets the stage for a more fascinating Episode IX than if redemption was still possible. It makes Kylo's story the inverse of the classic hero's journey, where he slowly degrades to the worst possible outcome. The appeal of his character at the outset of the sequels was that there was still molding to be done. He wasn't a fully-formed villain; just a mere Vader wannabe in constant fear he would never live up to his family's rich legacy. Darth Vader will forever be the king of cinematic baddies, but Kylo Ren is perhaps a more interesting character to watch because of all the layers there. Vader didn't become absolutely fascinating until the major revelation in Empire Strikes Back. In the original film, he's just the Empire's muscle who takes orders from Grand Moff Tarkin. From Force Awakens, Kylo has always had more depth.
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Given what we know now about the trilogy's story, it makes perfect sense why Lucasfilm is considering ending the Skywalker saga for good with Episode IX. Under the assumption Leia will be written out of the finale and not recast, Kylo Ren is the lone surviving member of that bloodline. The Skywalker name lives and dies with him, and since he's firmly entrenched as the narrative's big bad with no one left to believe in him, the most likely outcome for Star Wars 9 is Kylo Ren dying. Whether he's backstabbed by Hux, bested by Rey in a final duel, or (most darkly) takes his own life is a question for another time. As it stands, those rooting for Ben Solo to return have to give up on the dream.
MORE: Kylo Ren Is A Better Villain Than Darth Vader
