Return of the Jedi (1983)

In 1977, Star Wars changed the world. It took the universe by storm, completely redefining everything everyone knew about movies. But then, in 1980, The Empire Strikes Back changed Star Wars.

Sequels were not as well regarded back then as they are today. Other than 1974’s The Godfather: Part II, sequels were typically seen as mere cash grabs that couldn’t possibly match the quality of the original, let alone exceed it. In the same way that George Lucas’ Star Wars fundamentally changed everything with its release, The Empire Strikes Back shattered this stigma, proving that there were endless story possibilities for more Star Wars.

Directed by Irvin Kershner, The Empire Strikes Back was released on May 21, 1980 — forty years ago today (article originally published 5/21/2020 by Nathanael Molnar). It’s amazing to think about how much time has passed since this seminal film was released, and how much has changed in its wake. We live in an age of franchise movies, where ongoing cinematic stories are ever evolving. Star Wars was essentially the first movie franchise to break into the mainstream. There were theatrical series like Planet of the Apes and Godzilla, but nothing had the simultaneous commercial explosion that Star Wars experienced.

The Empire Strikes Back introduced the concept of an expanded universe by referring to itself as “Part V” in the opening crawl, insinuating more story preceded 1977’s Star Wars. With this, the floodgates were thrown open for large-scale cinematic franchises. This has ultimately grown into what we have today with the Marvel Cinematic Universe; Avengers: Endgame itself just turned one year old. Looking back on Empire, it’s fascinating to examine how the sequel cemented the legacy of this new forming franchise.

Ever heard of the bad boy type? The type of man who's sexy yet broody, or the type of man who’s dangerous but has a sensitive side? It’s a well-known stereotype that women are attracted to villains. The question is: why are we? Is it the danger they impose that’s attractive, or the dark vibes they give us? Here, I present three villains that to some extent have a sexy appeal to them. Let's explore what male villains have in common, and if the stereotype that women are attracted to villains has some truth to it.

Darth Vader is the first on my list because while he might not look sexy on the outside, his attempts to lure Luke to the dark side makes us wants to root for him. Darth Vader is a fan-favorite villain because he’s known to be merciless and powerful--so why would women be attracted to him? For me, his ‘’attractiveness” is more seen in The Return of the Jedi (1983) where the audience doesn’t just see Vader as the evil Jedi who killed Luke’s mentor, but also Luke’s father. But that’s not what makes him attractive. Could it be that the iconic scene of Darth Vader convincing Luke to join the dark side wasn’t just convincing Luke, but also the audience? One of Vader’s iconic quotes is, “you don’t know the power of the dark side.” He says this to Luke, who wanted his father to be on the good side. There’s a lot of temptation happening in this scene--it’s almost like the biblical story of Eve tempting Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. Watching Darth Vader tempt his son to join evil can be a turn-on for some women, who find this to be an attractive quality. Another reason why some women might feel a strange attraction to Darth Vader is that they can feel Luke being tempted as well. Luke very well may have felt tempted to join the dark side, so he could be reunited with his father; however, he could also be tempted by the lust of power that Vader promises him. Yes, another reason why Vader is attractive is that he represents ultimate evil and ultimate power. Many heroes get tempted by power, and there’s something attractive about seeing this desire for power because we secretly yearn for power too. So in some ways, Darth Vader is letting us explore our darkest desires that many of us suppress, just as Vader is attempting to release Luke’s inner desires.

The Phantom from The Phantom of the Opera (2004) is another villain like Vader who allows us to dive deep into our darkest desires. The Phantom is known for tempting Christine to be with him, which is most revealed in the song “The Music of the Night” where Christine can only belong to him if she gives in to her fantasies. Christine represents chastity (if you didn’t already know that from, her famous white robe). She’s a character that has to choose between, being with someone who makes her feel love, and the other that makes her feel lust. I love, Gerard Butler as The Phantom because he adds an erotic aspect to the villain. For example, he’s known for caressing Christine, and she allows this because a part of her doesn’t mind it. We see this in the “Point of No Return” scene, where Christine knows the Phantom is disguised as one of the actors in the play. In order to, reveal his true identity to the audience, she gives in to her lust because she knows that’s what The Phantom wants from her. She allows him to once again caress her and have their bodies become one on stage, only to remove his mask in front of the audience. The Phantom is without a doubt a sex symbol for women and in some way replicates Count Dracula--both men are seen as monsters to society, and they're known to be charming and dark at the same time.