How Anakin Skywalker became MAGA's unlikely hero

Herb Scribner

Elon Musk (left) attends a Cabinet meeting. Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker (right) in "Ahsoka." Photos: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images (left) and Disney+, Lucasfilm Ltd (right).

MAGA influencers, Elon Musk and even the Trump administration are embracing an unlikely symbol of young men's political frustrations: Anakin Skywalker, the "Star Wars" hero who becomes Darth Vader.

Why it matters: The viral trend reflects how some young conservative men are using pop culture to express resentment toward established institutions and older generations.

Driving the news: Musk shared an image on X depicting an alternate "Star Wars" ending in which Anakin rules the Galactic Empire alongside his family.

"This is what they stole from us," Musk wrote, invoking an internet phrase associated with right-wing nostalgia.

Katie Miller, wife of White House adviser Stephen Miller, posted a Halloween photo of herself dressed as Anakin's wife, Padmé Amidala, with the caption: "Find the Anakin in your life."
The Education Department also posted an image of Anakin and Padmé with the slogans "There's magic in learning" and "Make education great again."

The big picture: The "Anakin-maxxing" trend bubbled up in October as young men used Skywalker's grievances against the Jedi Council to explain their own frustrations, according to Know Your Meme.

In the "Star Wars" prequels, Anakin grows resentful of the Jedi Council, which refuses to grant him the rank of Jedi Master despite his extraordinary abilities.
Some right-wing posters see the council as a stand-in for older generations and institutions they believe have denied young men opportunities and recognition.
Viral memes have invoked student debt, the COVID pandemic, AI job displacement, immigration and DEI policies.

What they're saying: Right-wing streamer Kangmin Lee said Anakin represents young men today "who grew up believing the system was fundamentally good, only to discover that the system was never quite what it claimed to be."

Yes, but: Anakin becomes Darth Vader, a ruthless enforcer of the authoritarian Galactic Empire who murders children, hunts down Jedi Knights and helps terrorize the galaxy.

Online admirers instead portray him as a talented young man pushed to darkness by a complacent establishment.

Between the lines: Star Wars creator George Lucas has told the Los Angeles Times that the prequels were intended to make audiences more sympathetic toward Vader by showing his struggles.

His transformation illustrates how resentment and disillusionment can fuel authoritarianism.

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How Anakin Skywalker became MAGA's unlikely hero

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