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Kylo Ren/Ben Solo: The Case for Redemption

Hello fellow humans who are interested in the possibility of a Kylo Ren/Ben Solo Arc.  I, like you, was curious on how this potential redemption could/would be carried out so I decided to do a little research!  And I got carried away so I basically wrote an informal essay on the subject… what can say?  Below you’ll find a summary of the typical “temptation arc” a villain figure follows on his way to redemption (Zuko and Spike are other examples of this form of arc so Ole’ Benny will be in good company) as well as some of my jazzy commentary.  There are two other types of arcs, the first is the “sacrifice arc”, but this is unlikely to be used since it is the arc Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker followed, and I highly doubt J.J. will be THAT repetitive.  The second is the “forgiveness arc”, but this arc only takes place with villains who have already turned into a hero, and Ben/Kylo certainly isn’t there yet.   

The original template for redemption arcs in storytelling I used is linked below if any of you are interested in learning more :) https://mythcreants.com/blog/crafting-a-redemption-arc-for-your-villain/

1. Something Changes for the Villain:

This is the seed that will grow into a change of heart… hopefully hehe

- It Is Established Why the Villain Is Evil

The typical reasons for this are that they wanted to do something good so badly that they were willing to do evil in the process, they have blind loyalty for something or someone who saved their life, protected a loved one or manipulated/brainwashed them or they believe the good side/members of the good side were responsible for their misfortune.

Through Bloodlines and TLJ we know that Ben/Kylo turned to the dark side due to the discovery of his heritage (Grand-daddy Vader), brainwashing/manipulation by Snoke and the betrayal of Luke that lead Kylo to destroying the Jedi Academy.  These motivating factors certainly follow a hypothetical redemption arc for Ben/Kylo.

- A Good Influence Is Introduced

This good influence can be found through meeting a new person(typically the hero), discovering something sacred or being reminded of better times.

*cough* Rey *cough*.  Need I say more?

- The Villain’s Loyalty Subtly Shifts

As they spend more time with their influence they will grow more attached and may hesitate to commit crimes or question the orders of their leader.

Okay so I’m not sure if you can call murdering Snoke in order to protect Rey and “bring a new order to the galaxy” subtle, but clearly he is doing some serious shifting.  Ben/Kylo himself admits that he is “feeling the call to the light again”, Rey tells Luke that she saw good in him and she believes he will turn him to the light and Snoke got all pissy in the beginning of TLJ because he could see that killing Han had split his soul and left him unbalanced.   It cannot be denied that Ben/Kylo is conflicted, meaning he is still very much following the redemption arc up to this point in the films.

2. The Villain Is Caught Between Sides:

This is basically a form a grey area or limbo state.  The Villain is no longer evil but he definitely isn’t good either.  This is the “bread and butter” for temptation arcs and is usually, but not always, quite drawn out.

Now here is where things get tricky.  I can’t say for sure whether Kylo/Ben has entered this stage yet.  His big “shift” happened so close to the end of TLJ that we haven’t spent enough time with Beautiful Ben, err I mean Ben/Kylo, to see how he has changed since the killing of Snoke. However, things don’t look very good for everyone’s favorite Dark Prince in the last act of TLJ.  He sort of tries to murder Luke (which could be justified seeing as the last time he saw him Luke tried to kill him) and then he attempts to destroy the last of the rebels… But, who knows?  Maybe Ben/Kylo has this huge renovation plan for the First Order!  Some new none-murdery guidelines he’s going to implement into Star Trooper protocol?  Fingers crossed.

- The Villain Switches Sides for Selfish Reasons

- The Villain Is Unhappy In Team Good

- The Villain Goes Back to Evil

- The Villain Is Unhappy in Team Evil

I don’t really see this stage going passed continuing the inner-conflict Ben/Kylo has with the light/dark side of the force.  There simply isn’t enough time for Ben/Kylo to become good then become bad again just to ultimately turn good yet again.  On the other hand, you could potentially count Kylo/Ben’s team-up with Rey to kill Snoke and the rest of the praetorian guard as his brief switch to the light.  

3. The Villain Turns Into a Hero

- The Villain Must Stop a Great Evil

The villain must be the only one who can stop something very bad from happening.  This typically occurs when the villain is ordered to do something by their master, but it can work for villains who are their own bosses as well.  While carrying out their evil ways they may have unleashed destruction on a level they did not forsee.

It seems entirely within the realm of possibility that Kylo/Ben could set something up through the First Order that gets out of hand and he must intervene to stop it from coming to fruition.

- The Villain Makes a Great Sacrifice

The sacrifice must be enough to prove their devotion to good but not enough to wipe their hands clean.  The sacrifice can be in the form of the villain giving up the goal they had pursed at the cost of doing evil (their motivation for being evil), destroying their own forces, land, palace, or other assets, or giving up their own life.

So we know, or at least we hope, that Ben/Kylo isn’t on a sacrifice arc and that means his sacrifice won’t be giving up his own life.  

4. The Hero Humbles Themselves

- The Hero Begs To Be Allowed To Help

Just because the villain is a hero now doesn’t mean everything is sunshine and daisies.  They will try and help with a big problem but the rest of “team good” will be very reluctant and will most likely throw the previous crimes of the hero in their face.

Just a guess but I have a strong feeling Finn is not going to be a fan of Kylo’s lol

- The Hero Toils Thanklessly

The new hero will work hard to make things better and complete selfless acts with no expectation of reward.

- The Hero Proves Their Worth

Another crisis occurs and the hero is put to the test.  This is likely a crisis that the new hero is uniquely suited to solve.  Maybe because of their villainous experience or because their skills are a strong match for the task at hand.

I’m going to go ahead and assume that Kylo/Ben’s previous role as Supreme Leader of the First Order will equip him with some useful insights. Plus he is super buff and that could definitely be helpful.  I also believe that if Kylo/Ben gets redemption this problem, and it’s solution, will be the climax of the movie.

5. The Hero Is Forgiven

Not all the characters have to forgive the hero in order for them to complete their arc.  Instead, what is most important is that the hero forgives himself.  They are now at peace and they no longer have to worry they’ll fall back on bad habits.  Yay!!

So do I want a Ben/Kylo redemption to happen? Yes, 100%.  Do I think it will happen? Ehhhhh idk.  Maybe?  It took two full movies to get him through the first stage (jury is still out on the second stage), and now he’s supposed to go through the last four in one movie?  It seems unlikely.  But on the other hand he has undoubtedly started on his journey to redemption.  Whether that is because Rian Johnson intended him to finish that arc or was just using it as a plot line to make his eventual descent into full-fledged bad guy super sad, I’m not sure.  Introducing Kylo/Ben as a villain with conflict and vulnerabilities that forces us sympathize with him certainly makes him a more compelling character.  And even though I will be bummed if he doesn’t end up redeemed (and in the arms of Rey) I’ll eventually get over it because they have provided us with one of the most interesting villains in blockbuster history (in my opinion).  

If J.J. Abrams does decide to continue the Kylo/Ben redemption arc into the final film it is going to have to be central to the plot and will most likely be interwoven into the climax of the movie.  Here’s my prediction:  

I’m assuming there is going to be a substantial time jump in between TLJ and episode IX so we will be reunited with Kylo/Ben there, after the time jump, at the beginning of stage two (caught between sides).  Around the middle of the film he will enter stage three (turning into a hero) and be faced with stopping a great evil (most likely of his own creation) and as a result must make some sort of sacrifice.  After or during his sacrifice he will reunite with Rey and the rebels, having embraced his light and/or found some sort of “force middle ground” with Rey that all the TLJ symbolism was hinting at.  Next, he will go back to the rebel base with them and sulk a little bit about how everyone except Rey hates him because he used to be a supremely evil murderer.  Then something is going to happen and he’s going to have to team up with Rey and the rest of the Scooby gang to take down the First Order for good thus proving his worth (stage four).  And then they will defeat the big bad and he’ll be redeemed so he and Rey can make out during the sunset.  Canon.  The End.

Thank you so much if you took the time to read all of this nonsense!  I��d love to hear what you all think!

XO, Syd

Oh, and if that isn’t how episode IX plays out one of you better turn it into a bombass fanfiction.  Many thanks.