When Darth Vader first appeared in A New Hope, it was difficult to tell whether there was even a human being under that helmet, much less imagine everything that would ultimately be revealed about Anakin Skywalker in the decades that followed. Among the most surprising reveals about Anakin’s story over the years was just how young he was throughout these many events in Star Wars movies and TV shows.
In fact, Vader’s age during recent shows, particularly his appearance in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, has become a major topic of conversation online because he was shockingly young when these events were transpiring. So, exactly how old was Vader, not only in Maul – Shadow Lord, but also throughout his many appearances in Star Wars movies and shows thus far?
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
Although Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader’s first appearance in terms of Star Wars release order was A New Hope, chronologically, his first appearance was in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Controversially, this movie introduced audiences not to an already dark side teenager or even an angry young man but rather a sweet, innocent boy who was just 9 years old.
In the movie, Qui-Gon Jinn discovers young Anakin on Tatooine, and it is only then that he is taken to the Jedi Order and officially begins his path to become a Jedi. This dropped Star Wars audiences into a much earlier period of Anakin’s life than many were anticipating, although his next appearance, in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones got much closer to initial audience expectations.
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
There is a massive jump in time between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Although Anakin is still a Padawan learner in the latter movie, he is 19 years old—a full decade older than he was in the first prequel trilogy movie. This leap forward in time also meant a shift in the actor portraying the Chosen One, from Jake Lloyd in The Phantom Menace to Hayden Christensen in the rest of the prequel trilogy.
Being just barely an adult in this movie didn’t stop Anakin from making some drastic decisions, though. From his first massacre with the Tusken Raiders to his marriage to Padmé, Anakin was going through some significant character development throughout this movie—and, sadly, he was already showing clear signs of being well on his way to the dark side.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is set between Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, but it wasn’t released until 2008, three years after Revenge of the Sith hit theaters. This ended up being a major installment in the larger franchise, though, particularly when it came to Anakin’s story and his fall to the dark side.
The show, which spans seven seasons, sees Anakin age from 19 to 22, concluding just before he finally succumbs to the dark side and officially becomes Darth Vader.
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Revenge of the Sith is easily one of the most important installments in Anakin’s larger Star Wars story, perhaps beaten out only by Return of the Jedi, when he is finally redeemed. In Revenge of the Sith, Anakin finally fully falls to the dark side, contributes significantly to Order 66, loses Padmé (who dies in part as a result of his actions), and fights Obi-Wan Kenobi, which results in him being restricted to his iconic Darth Vader suit.
Revenge of the Sith therefore contains some of the most monumental events in Anakin’s life, which makes it all the more difficult to believe that he is just 22 years old at the time. To put it in perspective, that means that Anakin was essentially college age when he became a Sith Lord and lost everything.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord
Star Wars’ most recent TV show, Maul – Shadow Lord, is set just one year after Revenge of the Sith, meaning that Vader was only 23 years old when this story takes place. This age, in particular, has been heavily discussed on social media because it really is difficult to wrap one’s head around.
In the show, Vader is absolutely terrifying, with just his iconic breathing sending fear through the other characters and viewers alike (that and when he begins dragging people through the woods screaming via the Force). Yet, even as Vader is at this level of evil and power, he is still in his early 20s.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi, which saw the live-action reunion of Anakin/Vader and Obi-Wan (and Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor), is set 10 years after Revenge of the Sith, making Vader approximately 32 years old at the time. This show is particularly interesting in terms of Vader’s age, as there are almost two sides to him.
On the one hand, the Vader suit has come to symbolize someone much older than someone in their early 30s—even with the brief appearance of 22-year-old Vader in his suit in Revenge of the Sith. However, particularly when Vader’s mask is cracked and he is screaming at Obi-Wan, he actually feels rather immature, closer to how he was in the prequels.
Star Wars Rebels
Darth Vader doesn’t play a massive role in Star Wars Rebels, even as he, Palpatine, and the Empire are ever-present in the narrative. However, he does have a few key moments in the show, particularly when it comes to his face off against his former Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. Specifically, in the episodes “Twilight of the Apprentice Part 1” and “Twilight of the Apprentice Part 2,” Ahsoka and Anakin/Vader come face to face for the first time since before Order 66.
Rebels takes place from 14 to 18 years after Revenge of the Sith, meaning that Anakin was in his late 30s to early 40s—approximately 36 to 40 years old—throughout the events of the show. This also makes sense, given that Vader is in his early 40s throughout the original trilogy, which takes place just after the show.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story also had some brief appearances from Vader, although one, commonly referred to as the “Hallway Scene” is much better known because it’s one of Vader’s most terrifying moments in all of Star Wars.
Rogue One is also confirmed to take place just before the original trilogy (in fact, the final moments of the movie lead directly into A New Hope), meaning that Anakin/Vader is approximately 41 years old in Rogue One.
A New Hope
As mentioned, Rogue One leads right into A New Hope, which means that Vader is 41 in both movies. Again, at the time, it was difficult to imagine that underneath his terrifying suit, Vader was just a 41-year-old man, although it’s now much easier to picture, particularly knowing now that Vader is Luke’s father.
Of course, at the time, no one, including George Lucas, knew that Vader was actually Luke and Leia’s father, but given the age of the twins in A New Hope, 41 no longer feels like a shocking age for Vader.
The Empire Strikes Back
Three years pass between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, meaning that Anakin/Vader is approximately 44 years old in that movie. This is an interesting turning point in Vader’s story as well. While he wasn’t quite ready to abandon the dark side and betray Palpatine yet, it was already clear that knowing Luke was his son changed things to a degree.
Unfortunately for Vader, despite being just 44 years old, he was already very close to the end of his life in that movie.
Return of the Jedi
The final Star Wars project in which Anakin/Vader is (technically) still alive is Return of the Jedi, which is also when the former Jedi—and former Sith—dies. With Return of the Jedi taking place about a year after The Empire Strikes Back, this means that Anakin was just 45 years old when he died.
However, because of his Force abilities, this wasn’t actually the end of Anakin’s story, and he has already had one appearance that is chronologically set after his death.
Ahsoka
The final chronological appearance Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader has had in Star Wars was in Ahsoka season 1, in which he has two appearances. The first takes place in the World Between Worlds, although it’s still not entirely clear what that really was. However, his second appearance, which takes place right at the end, was confirmed to really be him.
Specifically, in the final moments of the season, Anakin appears as a Force Ghost on Peridea. Granted, Anakin can’t really be considered ‘older’ because he’s dead, but were he alive, he would have been in his early 50s, approximately 52 or 53, in Ahsoka.
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