Darth Vader Unleashed

DARTH VADER Unleashed - Return of the Jedi - Hasbro Target Exclusive
Darth Vader is a fictional character in the Star Wars saga, George Lucas' epic six-film space opera. Vader originally appeared as the Empire's villainous enforcer in the Star Wars Original Trilogy (Episodes IV, V, VI), and briefly turns up as a tragic figure near the end of Revenge of the Sith, the third and final film of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy (Episodes I, II, III). Lucas, in the audio commentary for Revenge of the Sith, says that he considers both trilogies together to be The Tragedy of Darth Vader. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Lucas states he "made a series of movies about one thing: Darth Vader." Lucas reiterated this in a May 2008 interview with Total Film: "The Star Wars story is really the tragedy of Darth Vader. That is the story."

In the original Star Wars trilogy, Vader is embodied by David Prowse, though Sebastian Shaw makes a brief appearance as the unmasked Vader in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Vader is played by Hayden Christensen. In the original trilogy and Episode III, James Earl Jones provides Vader's voice when he is masked, although Jones was originally uncredited for this role.

In the original trilogy, George Lucas depicts Darth Vader as a fearsome cyborg who acts as the supreme commander of the brutal Galactic Empire. Throughout the films, Vader oppresses the galaxy and hunts down the members of the Rebel Alliance in the service of his master, Emperor Palpatine. In Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the series' final chronological installment, Vader redeems himself by killing Palpatine and saving his son Luke (Mark Hamill), sacrificing himself in the process.

In the prequel trilogy, Lucas shows Vader as his former self, Anakin Skywalker, a slave boy who eventually becomes a Jedi Knight, and later, a hero in the Clone Wars. Palpatine manipulates Anakin into betraying the Jedi, and Anakin falls to the "dark side" of the mystical Force