Star Wars: Episode IX Theory Suggests Dark Rey Might Be The Result Of Palpatine

Star Wars fans went wild when they heard the familiar laugh of Emperor Palpatine in the very first teaser for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Sure, Lucasfilm might have promised to bring back fan-favorite characters like Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), but no one was expecting Darth Sidious to return in Episode IX.

While we can't really be sure how Palpatine might make his way back in the third and final film in Lucasfilm's sequel trilogy, fans have some pretty interesting ideas that they've been sharing online. Some say that the Emperor Would Return as a hologram. Others say that he'll return as a spirit locked up in a Sith artifact which happens to be Darth Vader's helmet.

Now, a new theory that's been making the rounds online says that he'll return through Rey. Lucasfilm released a brand new teaser for The Rise of Skywalker during Disney's D23 Expo this year, and while the video was mostly made up of clips from all the other films in the Skywalker saga, it did feature some footage from Episode IX, including a shot of a Dark Side version of Rey (Daisy Ridley).

While it's most likely that we're going to see Dark Rey in a Force Vision, a new theory by We Got This Covered suggests that Dark Side Rey may very well be a product of Palpatine. According to the site, while Star Wars canon suggests that the Sith can return through inanimate objects, Marvel's Darth Vader comic suggests that a Sith spirit can possess people who come into contact with the relic that the spirit inhabits. After finding herself in the remains of the Death Star, Rey could most likely come into contact with the Sith Relic where Palpatine is hiding his spirit in, and in the end, become possessed by the powerful Sith Lord.

It's an interesting theory, though seemingly a bit of a stretch considering how much Episode IX has to cover. What do you think? Will we see Rey possessed by Palpatine?

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker premieres December 20, 2019.

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