Darth Vader most certainly comes to mind when it comes to iconic villains across cinematic history. Whether or not you’re a fan of, or have even seen, the Star Wars movies, Vader’s deep voice, distinctive breathing, and memorable lines are instantly recognizable. Even more so recognizable as a piece of cinematic iconography is his helmet. Dark and menacing, Darth Vader’s helmet is the ultimate visual for evil.

Given the make-up and effects of the 80s, however, as well as George Lucas’ tendency to re-edit his films, audiences may not have seen the most accurate depiction of the Anakin’s face in the big reveal. What’s more, given all the mechanized aspects of his suit, it’s clear that Darth Vader’s helmet serves a larger purpose than just striking fear into the hearts of his enemies. Here’s a look at the overall function of the helmet, and the face that it’s hiding (indeed, protecting).

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Updated October 18, 2022: If you love Star Wars, you’ll be happy to know we’ve updated this article with additional info about Darth Vader.

What Darth Vader Actually Looks Like

     LucasFilm Ltd.

This image from Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi is not the most accurate depiction of the man, especially if you’ve seen how he got his scars in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. In reality, the scar on his left cheek would probably cover his entire face. When Anakin’s body was set on fire after his fight with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, he was severely burned both inside and out. This is clearly not the case in the image above. Unless the Star Wars galaxy has very advanced healing techniques that repaired most of his skin, he would more likely look very unrecognizable as compared to before his immolation. He would most likely look something like Jackie Earl Haley in the remake of A Nightmare On Elm Street from 2010. On top of his facial deformities, the damage done to the inside of his body has made him reliant on his suit. The intense heat of Mustafar completely melted his eardrums, so he hears via soundwaves transmitted to the implants in his inner ears. His eyes were also severely damaged, and the lenses of his mask are used to filter light rays and frequencies to allow him to view his surroundings properly. But just how necessary is the mask and suit to his survival?

Why Darth Vader Needs the Helmet to Survive

     Lucasfilm

Basically, as outlined by CBR, Vader’s legendary helmet is the center of his life-support system. It contains an air pump that runs to a filtration system in the back of the suit that continuously cycles air through his ruined lungs. There is also a backup air processing filter in the mask’s mouth section, which doubles as a respiratory intake system. His life support also includes a chest-worn, computerized control unit to help control his respiratory functions. A cable enters his chest from this panel that links to a breathing device and a heartbeat regulator to keep blood moving to his brain. There is also a series of tubes that run through his chest to his lungs and to his burnt-out throat that would allow him to breathe without this advanced system for a brief period, should his life support take on severe damage.

If he were to take his mask off, the Sith Lord would soon suffocate. So it’s the most crucial part of his armor. The only time he can breathe without the need for his mask is when he is in one of his meditation chambers seen in A New Hope. This environment is pressurized and controlled enough that he can survive inside it without using his helmet, and it’s the only time he can eat normally. Outside the chamber, he eats through tubes built into his mask. He also spends the time in his chamber trying to repair his body through the Force and other techniques he’s picked up across the galaxy, none of which have aided him in the slightest.

The Future of Darth Vader’s Character

     Lucasfilm Ltd.

Star Wars voice actor James Earl Jones has retired from the role of Darth Vader. First debuting in the original 1977 film, the Oscar-winning actor, now 91, has been lending his iconic voice to the character for the past 45 years. However, he has had a little help along the way. The Ukrainian start-up Respeecher uses archival recordings and a proprietary A.I. algorithm to create a new dialogue with the long-ago voices of performers.

Respeecher has inked a deal with Lucasfilm to not only recycle and reuse any archived audio recordings of Jones for future Star Wars projects but also through Respeecher’s proprietary deep learning software, create new lines of dialogue using Jones’ speech patterns. His unique tone and dialect will be deciphered and copied by the artificial intelligence, digitally stored, and then synthetically layered onto any future voice-overs, fine-tuning the sound until it matches the almost cyborg-like but raspy voice that Jones made famous. The deal gives us hope for more Vader appearances in Star Wars projects down the line.

Meanwhile, Hayden Christensen returning to play Anakin in the Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi earlier this year was a treat for all Star Wars die-hards. His flashback scenes with Ewan McGregor show a conflicted Anakin before officially turning to the Dark Side, so it left many wondering: What would Anakin look like as a Jedi master years later, had he stuck with the Light Side? At any rate, it seems that Christensen isn’t wholly finished with the role; per Screen Rant, there have been rumors that Darth Vader will return in the upcoming Ahsoka series in some capacity.