The Star Wars sequel trilogy featured many new and exciting characters, but one of the most successful and acclaimed of them has been Adam Driver's Kylo Ren, also known as Ben Solo. The lost son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, Kylo Ren, is a character that has struggled with the pull to the light for his entire life, even as he tries to cling to the darkness he feels he deserves.
But over the course of the trilogy, and in the second and third films, in particular, Kylo proves that there is goodness within him after all. At the end of the day, he's much more than the villain the first film frames him as. He's a hero, even if an unconventional, possibly Byronic one.
Argued for sparing Hosnian Prime
The world of Star Wars features, just like the title suggests, serious battles within the world of a galaxy far, far away. But The Force Awakens makes it clear very early on that, even though Kylo Ren may be a dark side user, he's not as active a participant in the battles being waged within the Star Wars universe.
During a meeting with Supreme Leader Snoke and his rival within the First Order, General Hux, Kylo earnestly advocates for not using Starkiller Base to destroy Hosnian Prime. It's Hux's suggestion that Snoke orders the First Order to follow, and Kylo is forced to be an unwilling bystander to the destruction he just sought to prevent.
Offered compassion to Rey through their Force Bond
It would have been easy for the sequel trilogy to feature a one-dimensional villain, a character devoid of conflict and feelings. And to be fair, there are characters that fill that role, such as Hux, Snoke, and Palpatine. But Kylo Ren was never meant to serve that purpose, and that becomes particularly clear in The Last Jedi.
The film establishes the complex Force Bond between Kylo and the scavenger Rey, a bond that allows them to grow close to one another and share intimate secrets and displays of compassion, including assuring one another that they're not alone in the world.
Spared the Resistance fleet with Leia on it
In the opening act of The Last Jedi, the Resistance finds themselves under attack by and particularly vulnerable to the First Order. Ship after ship is taken out, with Kylo Ren even leading part of the campaign. But in a pivotal moment, Kylo shows his internal struggles, and his heroic tendencies, too.
When he realizes that his mother, General Leia Organa, is on the fleet ship he had been preparing to attack, Kylo goes against his presumed directive, choosing not to fire on the ship because of his deep emotional loyalty.
Healed Rey
The climactic confrontation between Rey and Emperor Palpatine might be one of the most disappointing parts of an overall disappointing movie. But what results from their showdown leads to one of Ben's greatest moments of heroism. After dragging himself back to the surface, Ben hauls himself over to seek out Rey, finding her seemingly having succumbed to her injuries.
And then, in a display of true selflessness and strength, Ben taps into the strength of the Force, and their dyad bond within it, to use the strength of his own life force to heal Rey and bring her back to life.
Killed his own Knights
The Knights of Ren are some of the most frustrating parts of the sequel trilogy, as they're never developed beyond being faceless thugs who act at the behest of their leader, Kylo Ren. But all of that changes in the final act of The Rise of Skywalker, when Kylo Ren turns to the light and becomes Ben Solo once more.
As he fights to join Rey on Exegol, the newly turned Ben does what would have once seemed unthinkable as he fights and kills his team of previously loyal Knights.
Confronted Palpatine
Whether you think Palpatine served an actual purpose in The Rise of Skywalker or not, there's no denying that he did manage to provide Kylo Ren with some serious dramatic material, including in the film's opening sequence. After fighting Sith loyalists on Mustafar, Kylo travels to Exegol to unearth the source of the secret messages from the Emperor.
And as soon as he comes into contact with Palpatine, Kylo is willing to go on the attack, threatening to kill the decrepit Sith without so much as a moment's hesitation. And of course, he once again confronts the Emperor in the film's final act.
Killed Snoke
When Kylo Ren entered Snoke's throne room in the final act of The Last Jedi, he did so with the intent of bringing a captive Rey to his leader. Given how ominous things look for much of the scene, no one could have expected what actually would happen.
After developing a deeply personal and private bond with Rey over the course of the film, Kylo enters into this confrontation with Snoke not exactly as loyal to his master as Snoke would have believed. So when Snoke encourages Kylo to strike down his true enemy, Kylo taps into that heroic, empathetic side and kills the corrupt leader instead.
Dragged himself out of a pit to help save the day
The Rise of Skywalker is a movie that is polarizing at best. But without question, one feature of the film that has received universal praise is the depiction of Ben Solo in the few minutes of screentime he is allotted after returning to the light. Adam Driver's raw intensity in his portrayal is breathtaking, and heartbreaking, too.
This is especially apparent in one particular moment when, after being flung into a pit by the Emperor and being seriously hurt in the process, Ben nevertheless manages to find the strength and selfless heroism necessary to drag himself out of the pit, in order to seek out an ailing Rey.
Chose light over darkness
Given the framing of Kylo's journey in the first two films of the trilogy, it was clear that he was headed for a redemption arc, regardless of however it ended. The Rise of Skywalker delivered on that in one particularly moving scene, when a struggling Kylo finds himself visited by the memory of his father, Han Solo.
In this moment, Kylo relives the last moment he shared with his father and chooses to embrace the light within him this time around. In that moment, he accepts his father's love and forgiveness, returns to the light, and becomes Ben Solo once more.
Sacrificed himself to save Rey
Which, of course, brings us to Ben's final act, and the most heroic thing he ever did. In healing Rey, Ben uses all of his life force to bring her back, draining himself of his own life in the process. After the two young lovers wordlessly embrace, sharing a kiss and tearful smiles, Ben succumbs to his own wounds and becomes one with the Force.
He allowed himself to be saved by the love of his family, and in his death, saved Rey with the strength of his own love. It doesn't get much more heroic than that, even if their story deserved a different ending.