New ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Image Features Kylo Ren in Action

Where does Star Wars fandom stand on Kylo Ren’s crazy hilted lightsaber at this point? That question is purely rhetorical, but much of the conversation surrounding Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been all about Adam Driver’s mysterious villain and his unique weapon. We ask because the latest still from J.J. Abrams’ upcoming film showcases this controversial weapon in all its glory and, to be perfectly honest, we’re pretty much used to it at this point.

The new image, which premiered over on Empire, provides one of the most dynamic looks yet at this masked menace. We know from previous reports that his look is a deliberate throwback to Darth Vader (he’s a bit of an Anakin Skywalker fanboy) and that his odd lightsaber is his own creation. Note how unstable it is. Unlike the smooth, even lightsabers built by professional Jedi, this weapon looks like something whipped up in a garage.

So who exactly is this guy? And what’s his deal? Those are the million dollar questions. The fact that Kylo Ren is his title and not his name suggests that there’s something very big and very important waiting to be discovered about him. There must be a reason he wears a mask. We’ll find out for sure when Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens on December 18, 2015.