Amazing New 'Star Wars' Art Brings A New Meaning To The Dark Side
As with any good story, Star Wars serves as an inspiration to many. And as with any good fandom, that inspiration often gets translates into fan art. Drawings, animations, fan films, cosplays, and the like are constantly created, shared, and admired by the legions of devoted Star Wars fans across the globe. This is partly due to the stunning visuals and cinematography in the film productions, as well as the multitude of Ralph McQuarrie concept art for the original trilogy that still captivates and fascinates fans to this day. McQuarrie's work has even been credited as a direct inspiration for the art style of the animated show Star Wars Rebels, with thinner lightsaber blades and the introduction of the Lasat species, based off of McQuarrie's early vision for Chewbacca. Recently, reimaginings of fan favorite dark side characters, and one not so well liked or evil characters, have captured the attention of the Star Wars fandom. The renderings take Star Wars characters with iconic imagery and give them a unique spin that is equal parts Doom, The Lord of the Rings, and Night of the Living Dead. If you've ever wanted to know what Kylo Ren would look like if he made a literal deal with the devil, artist Kevin Cassidy has you covered.
Cassidy has walked several Star Wars characters down the familiar road of fantasy redesign in the past. His drawings of Imperial troops modeled in the same hellish fashion went viral recently with his renditions of Sith troopers, Imperial guards, and scout troopers (seen below) gaining particular attention within Star Wars communities. His sights are set higher than the faceless grunts of the Galactic Empire this time around, his reimaginings now focused on the sinister leadership of the dark side. While canonically the dark side has been known to maim and disfigure its wielders, it appears to have completely consumed the characters in Cassidy's artwork.
Beginning with Kylo Ren, titled Necro Knight, Cassidy corrupts and twists these dark characters even further. Kylo specifically brings Venom to mind as it appears that he has been completely consumed by a dark side symbiote of sorts. The texture on his tunic and sleeves appears parasitic in nature, almost as if he is covered in creatures that live on the underside of rocks. His physique and intimidating posture certainly bring to mind the rage and intensity with which U.S. Marine Adam Driver played the role. This point is further driven home by the vein-like texture popping on the forehead of his "helmet". Even the eyes showing through are completely devoid of anything resembling human, as the Necro Knight has clearly given themselves entirely over to the dark side of the Force. With a gaping black maw of a mouth, this ultra-dark side Kylo Ren is prepared to consume all light in its path.
Of course, the most iconic villain of all time makes an appearance in this demented art show. With the piece entitled Necro Dominus, Cassidy shows us what Vader could look like after anther trip to a Mustafar lava river. The iconic armor now appears melted and warped to further match the shell of a man trapped inside. With his breathing apparatus burnt away to reveal the evil, skull-like grin, the Dark Lord of the Sith looks as though he just stepped through the Gates of Hades. The combination of textures in the armor, as well as the tighter, more fitted look of the helmet, make this rendering feel as though removing the black armor would peel the skin along with it.
Possibly one of the most unnecessarily hated characters in Star Wars history, Jar Jar has been belittled and beaten up for too long. Nobody will dare cross the true Lord of the Sith, Darth Binks. The cat-like slit pupils set in yellow eyes glare down at anyone who would dare mock how he speaks. The bone-like spikes jutting out from his eyebrows and his black fangs exposed in a snarl make for a far more intimidating visage than fans of The Phantom Menace will remember from the Gungan.
While a Darth Binks Disney+ show is highly unlikely, the work of Kevin Cassidy can certainly be appreciated for its unique take on Star Wars characters and the dark side itself. Star Wars has always been at its best when it tries something new and goes for broke in the creativity department and these character treatments certainly honor that legacy.
Source(s): Inside The Magic