The Knights of Ren are one of the more mysterious and intriguing things in new Star Wars canon. We know virtually nothing about them, except Kylo Ren is their “master” and their faces are obscured by ancient-looking armor. From our brief glimpses of them in The Force Awakens and behind-the-scenes images of The Rise of Skywalker, we can see that they carry a variety of interesting weapons, including swords and axes. For a while, it was common fan consensus that the Knights were former students of Luke Skywalker. When Ben Solo turned to the Dark Side, he recruited them as pawns for Snoke. But that’s never been the official story, and an upcoming comic by Charles Soule proves how wrong we were to make those assumptions.
Soule took to Twitter to share a sneak preview of the second issue of his Marvel comic series, The Rise of Kylo Ren, featuring art by Will Sliney. The cover is mind-melting in its implications; it shows Ben Solo fighting against the Knights of Ren alongside his uncle, Luke Skywalker. But it’s the description for the comic that offers even more insight about what really happened that fateful night.
This is the cover to THE RISE OF KYLO REN #2, written by me with art from @WillSliney. Out in January.
And yes, that’s Luke Skywalker and Ben Solo fighting the Knights of Ren. pic.twitter.com/dPdbmHQTSz
— Charles Soule (@CharlesSoule) October 24, 2019
Here’s what the description tells us about the issue and the beginning of Ben Solo’s corruption:
“With the new Jedi school in ruins and fellow students hot on his trail for the murder of their master, Ben Solo flees to the only friend he has left in the galaxy… a man named Snoke. But Snoke has plans for Ben… and ideas about the Force that are as dangerous as they are intriguing for the troubled young Jedi. If Ben wishes to be truly free… the answers might lie with the Dark Side. And the Knights of Ren! But it won’t be the first time he’s tangled with the Knights. In the past, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker journeys to the Unknown Regions and brings young Ben Solo along for the mission. Can even Luke Skywalker stand against the fabled Knights of Ren?!”
That’s a lot of new information to digest so let’s break it down. First, we now know that Ben Solo did not orchestrate the destruction of Luke’s Jedi school. But he took the blame for the event–and for Luke’s supposed death–from his fellow classmates. We also know that the Knights of Ren predate this event entirely, and are in fact a “fabled” group long before Ben joined their ranks. Luke once brought Ben along on a mission to the Unknown Regions, which, if you’re familiar with canon, is also where Emperor Palpatine has likely been hiding this entire time. Does that mean the Knights of Ren are Palpatine’s puppets? Did he send them to destroy Luke’s academy in some overarching plot to lure Ben Solo to the Dark Side? It sure seems like this new information will lead us to whatever conflict is brew in The Rise of Skywalker.
Another interesting thing to note: On the cover, only one of the Knights is holding a lightsaber. Was this the previous master of the Knights of Ren? And did Ben Solo kill him to become Kylo Ren?
Lots of fascinating stuff to chew on here. We cannot wait to get our hands on The Rise of Kylo Ren #2 when it hits shelves in January 2020.
Featured Image: Marvel/Will Sliney
