Warning: SPOILERS for Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 3.
Hayden Christensen's Darth Vader is unmasked in Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 3, providing audiences a great look at Anakin Skywalker's updated appearance. Even though Darth Vader's story has already been explored through multiple Star Wars movies, Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi show opened the door for more. Lucasfilm heavily debated whether or not to include the iconic villain in Ewan McGregor's series, but it was ultimately decided that this would be the right move. In doing so, Obi-Wan Kenobi is adding more layers to Darth Vader's story after the prequels and before the original trilogy.
After not having much of a role in the first two episodes, Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 3 brings Darth Vader to the forefront. Viewers got a tease of his return at the end of episode 2 to see Hayden Christensen's Anakin in a bacta tank. The series picks up from there to show a sequence of a scarred Darth Vader suiting up to track down his former Jedi Master. While most of the story keeps Vader in his suit and builds towards an encounter between the former friends, Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 3 begins with a glimpse of what Hayden Christensen looks like as unmasked Darth Vader.
Star Wars has previously shown Darth Vader unmasked, but Obi-Wan Kenobi shows a new side of Hayden Christensen's appearance. Audiences got a first-hand look at how Anakin Skywalker's look transformed in the prequels to make him need the Darth Vader suit and mask. His duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar left him with burns all over his body, including his face. The look of Hayden Christen's unmasked Darth Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi highlights the passage of time since then and the healing that has taken place.
One of the starkest differences between Hayden Christensen's unmasked look in Obi-Wan Kenobi compared to Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is the state of his burns. The suit-up sequence at the end of the prequels clearly depicted how fresh the burns were when Anakin became Darth Vader for the first time. Hayden Christensen's unmasked Darth Vader appearance in Obi-Wan Kenobi pushes him closer to how Sebastian Shaw looked in Return of the Jedi. This makes sense since the show is set 10 years later in the Star Wars timeline, giving him plenty of time for bacta tank sessions.
Since Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 3 still only includes a quick glimpse of an unmasked Darth Vader, Hayden Christensen could be seen without it more going forward. Anakin Skywalker needs the mask to survive, so there are limitations to how much of an unmasked Vader the show can really use. However, now that Obi-Wan Kenobi knows Anakin is Darth Vader and has had hallucinations of Anakin standing before him, perhaps another vision will come where Darth Vader is unmasked, giving Hayden Christensen a greater opportunity to act without the barriers created by the suit.
New episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi release on Wednesdays on Disney+.