Star Wars fan theory claims Kylo Ren is a double agent seeking to 'end' the dark side

Is Adam Driver's character secretly acting for the greater good?

Warning: the story below contains spoilers for the first two films of the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

A new Star Wars fan theory claims villain Kylo Ren is actually a double agent secretly acting for the greater good.

The theory has emerged on Reddit, where some have speculated that while Adam Driver’s character is a definite villain on the surface, he might have more complex motivations than initially thought.

Kylo was introduced in the sequel trilogy as the son of Harrison Ford’s Han Solo and Carrie Fisher’s Leia Organa.

He infamously killed his father in The Force Awakens (2015) and by all intents and purposes consolidated his allegiance to the dark side in The Last Jedi (2017).

One fan, however, posited that Kylo might actually have a plan to “end” the dark side – which would involve acting like a villain in the first place.

“So, Kylo Ren killed his dad to become closer to the dark side so he could draw out Palpatine and finally end it? Does this theory make any sense?” the fan wrote on Reddit.

Some agreed with the theory, including one person who has shared a similar inkling since watching Kylo kill his father. “Totally makes sense,” that Reddit user wrote. “Ever since the first time I watched that scene of Kylo killing Han I thought it seemed like he was doing it for a bigger purpose and I think Han might have even understood what was going on.”

Some pointed to a specific line uttered by Kylo moments before killing his father, in which he said: “I know what I have to do but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it.”

“I posted a theory on here a ways back that kinda echoed this, with me theorizing that Kylo is infiltrating the dark side from within with the help of the spirit of Anakin, but maybe got a bit too lost in the darkness along the way,” one person chimed in. “Ever since his ‘I know what I have to do’ line, I’ve been suspicious about his true allegiances.”

Another Reddit user said they believe Kylo’s motivations to be “the main twist of this trilogy”, while the mystery surrounding Daisy Ridley Rey’s parentage would be a “red herring”.

Some, however, were unconvinced by the theory, arguing that Kylo seems far too involved with the dark side for it to be a secret play on his part.

The final instalment in the sequel trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker, will be released on 19 December in the UK and 20 December in the US – and is expected to provide answers to all major questions surrounding Kylo and Rey.