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praetordany · 4 years

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Avengers: Endgame may be the straightest Marvel movie to date—an impressive feat considering the amount of attention paid to its blink-and-you’ll-miss-it gay cameo.

It’s not exactly news that the MCU is dominated by straight, white men, both on-screen and off. By focusing on the original Avengers team, Endgame highlighted the lack of diversity in Marvel’s earlier years —and illustrated how queer storytelling is more complicated than just showing (or not showing) a gay character on-screen. Basically, this film’s conception of a “happy ending“ is so rooted in heteronormativity that it ruined the final act for several key characters.

For most of the Avengers, Endgame’s conclusion was as much about embracing a conventional nuclear family as it was about defeating Thanos. Tony Stark dies, but not before settling down as a husband and father. Steve Rogers goes back in time and marries Peggy Carter, an idea that makes no emotional sense for reasons I’ll explain in a moment. Hawkeye returns peacefully to his family after spending five years on a killing spree. Ant-Man and the Wasp curl up with his now-teenage daughter.

Meanwhile, Thor (who doesn’t have a girlfriend) ends his rather downbeat arc by ceding his crown to Valkyrie. Rhodey and Bruce, our other two bachelors, don’t really get endings of their own, focusing instead on their grief for Tony. Black Widow, as many fans have pointed out, doesn’t get a proper send-off.

For Black Widow (and the film’s other female lead, Nebula), there’s an argument to be made that Endgame’s writers can’t handle a happy ending for a woman without heterosexual romance. Natasha Romanov probably died because Scarlett Johansson wants to leave the franchise after her solo movie, but the way Endgame handled her departure was disappointing. Following a lifetime of physical and emotional abuse, both she and Nebula end up killing themselves for the greater good.

Black Widow, Hawkeye, and the nuclear family

Thanks to being written by multiple writers over multiple films, Black Widow has an uneven role in the MCU. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is probably her best movie, portraying her as a veteran spy with a dry sense of humor. Age of Ultron is her worst, with Joss Whedon introducing the wildly sexist idea that Natasha sees herself as a monster because she’s infertile, and therefore she can’t have a relationship with Bruce Banner. This subplot arrived at the same time as Hawkeye’s thinly characterized family, whose main role was to reboot Clint Barton as an everyman dad.

As critic Clarkisha Kent points out in this excellent Twitter thread, Natasha’s inability to have children foreshadowed her expendability in Endgame. Natasha sacrifices herself so Hawkeye can return to his family, an idea that has no emotional reward because we don’t know Hawkeye’s family.

Unlike Pepper Potts or Ant-Man’s daughter Cassie, who have memorable roles, Hawkeye’s wife and kids are cardboard cutouts who get fridged so he can have a homicidal makeover. While the other (childless) Avengers respond to Thanos’ Snap on a macro level, Hawkeye’s reaction is keenly personal and much more extreme: he becomes a serial killer. Yet instead of setting him up for redemption (ie. by sacrificing himself on Vormir), we’re expected to forget this killing spree once he reunites with his family. Like most of the happy endings in Endgame, this reunion is viewed from the man’s perspective, with wives and children providing solace after men return from battle.

Despite the film’s celebration of friendship and teamwork, its ending downplays the role of “found family” relationships. The Avengers are the closest thing Natasha has to a family, and Steve Rogers’ most enduring relationship is with Bucky Barnes, but these don’t fit into a heteronormative image of a family, so Endgame erases them.

Marvel’s battle against queer subtext

While there aren’t any openly LGBTQ Avengers, the MCU is full of queer subtext that fans have discussed for years. Valkyrie is clearly bisexual. Captain Marvel and her friend Maria can easily be read as a couple. And then there’s Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, one of the greatest love stories—platonic or otherwise—in the franchise.

Bucky is the emotional cornerstone of the Captain America trilogy. Each film sees Steve rebel against authority for the sake of Bucky’s wellbeing, escalating from disobeying orders in WWII, to becoming an international fugitive in Civil War. But while this intense friendship coexists easily with Steve and Peggy’s romance in the first two movies, things go off the rails after The Winter Soldier. From then on, Marvel gets antsy about giving Steve and Bucky too much screentime together. Civil War gave Steve an unconvincing new love-interest, and the last two Avengers movies take pains to keep him and Bucky apart, avoiding the kind of crowd-pleasing reunion we see between characters with much less personal history.

Steve/Bucky is the most popular ship in MCU fandom, something that’s reached the mainstream conversation around these movies. In response, Endgame feels like Marvel attempting to no-homo its way out of Steve and Bucky’s image as a romantic couple. It’s the narrative equivalent of that “two bros chillin’ in a hot tub, five feet apart cuz they’re not gay” meme. First, Bucky went back into cryostasis after Civil War, removing himself once again from Steve’s life. Then Infinity War kept them apart, followed by Endgame emphasizing Steve’s old love for Peggy. This culminates in a sequence where Steve barely acknowledges Bucky’s return from the dead, and then abandons him with no warning to start a new life in the past.

Steve’s marriage to Peggy is meant to be a satisfying conclusion, allowing Chris Evans to gracefully bow out of the franchise. But in addition to making no sense (the writers and directors can’t even agree on whether Steve ends up in an alternate universe or stays in the same timeline), this ending obliterates years of character development. It’s a great example of how heteronormative expectations can hurt a story. Canonically, Steve and Bucky are straight. Yet they’re not perceived as straight enough until Steve breaks off his friendship with Bucky, and returns to a woman he kissed five movies ago.

In a post-film interview, Endgame’s writers framed Peggy as a reward Steve deserved after years of toil. By contrast, they describe Steve and Bucky as being “healthy” enough to “move on” from each other after Endgame, as if that’s something either character would want or need. Steve’s desire to reunite with Bucky is one of the main driving forces of his life. Meanwhile, in The Winter Soldier, it’s Peggy who Steve needs to move on from. Their love story was cut short by circumstance, but Peggy ultimately built a life for herself, married someone else, and had kids.

As one of the most beloved women in the MCU, fans always responded to Peggy’s independence, which is why it’s so dispiriting to see her become the silent receptacle for Steve’s happy ending. We’re also expected to believe that Peggy would marry Future Steve (a near-stranger) while her own Steve is still frozen in the Arctic ice… and that Future Steve would abandon “his” Bucky in 2023. This epilogue erases much of Steve’s personal journey, removes Peggy Carter’s agency, and destroys any chance of closure for Steve and Bucky.

The idea that Marvel intentionally mothballed Steve and Bucky’s relationship is a conspiracy theory, but it’s a conspiracy theory I can easily believe. When fans pick up on queer subtext in this kind of media property, creators often react by trying to dial things back, either by marrying off one of the characters or by separating them. The problem is, Steve and Bucky’s friendship is the lynchpin of their franchise. If you try to tone it down to avoid gay subtext, you’re shooting your own story in the foot.

At the very least, writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely misunderstood the arc they set up in earlier films. The result is a clash between their desire for a heteronormative ending and the reality of the queer-coded friendship between Steve and Bucky. As Rotem Rusak points out in the comics blog Bam Smack Pow, Bucky already fulfilled the love interest role in Steve’s narrative, repeatedly cast as a vulnerable figure at the center of Steve’s emotional universe. After creating this compelling love story in earlier films, Markus and McFeely tripped over themselves trying to downplay Bucky’s importance in Endgame. “There is such a deep intimacy between Steve and Bucky,” writes Rusak. “Such a powerful love and an intensity of loss, that if they are together, they must express it, and that expression is taboo. For the fans to like it, is taboo. And the only way to deal with it is to separate them.“

So in the end, enforced straightness won out, regardless of whether it made sense for any of the characters involved.

When fans campaign for queer representation, a common response is that queer characters shouldn’t be “forced” into stories “for no reason.” Conservatives argue that franchises like Marvel shouldn’t just introduce queer characters “for the sake of it.” Obviously, that’s nonsense, but if we ever needed an example of romance and sexuality being forced unnaturally into an existing story, it’s Avengers: Endgame. Obsessed with traditional family values, this film derailed several of its main character arcs to make way for incoherent and offensive endings.

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praetordany · 4 years

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Ben’s and Rey’s happily ever after (Where Ben doesn’t die)

I get that everyone wants them to have twins where one of them is at least named Hanna (Like Han) and the other one is named Hope, but here is my Reylo babies headcanon:

Ben and Rey don’t have children right away. They spend their first couple of years together wrapping up the war and helping Poe and Finn set up the new Republic

Broom Boy,Temiri Blagg, (From TLJ) finds Rey and becomes her first apprentice (Because Ben is not ready for that kind of responsible yet/ He’s afraid he will turn them dark) Basically, he trains Rey and she trains Temiri

Ben is forced to take over Temiri’s training when Rey becomes pregnant. (And it helps build his confidence to take on other apprentices later on in life).

Rey gives birth to twins (Of course!) Hope and Hanna

This is when Ben and Rey decide to settle down on the outskirts of Naboo.

They build a Jedi Temple where anyone is welcome to come and learn about the Force (They are both very against children being taken away from their parents)

They only take in orphans (Like Temiri) and allow other students to either commute or come learn a couple of weeks at a time

Rey is in charge of teaching the younger children while Ben focus’ on teaching those who are trying to redeem themself (Reformed criminals/Homeless)

The Mandalorian brings Baby Yoda to them to train (He finally completes his mission by reuniting Baby Yoda with his family/other Force users) and Ben and Rey invite him to stay. He lives out the rest of his life protecting the school and he is very happy that he gets to watch his son grow up in a safe and happy place.

Ben and Rey have their third and fourth daughters a couple of years apart (Because Ben’s deserves to be surrounded by women who are constantly telling him what to do and that he is wrong (Finn and Poe like to tease him that this the universe’s way of punishing him but in reality Ben loves it because they all remind him of Rey)

So Ben and Rey have FOUR daughters and it’s like movie Little Women (2019) and their home is full of love and laughter

Hope - The oldest and is the most like Ben. She is the only one with black hair and dark brown eyes. She is the most responsible and the quietest. She likes to read and spends her free time doing artistic things like painting and calligraphy

Hanna - Hope’s twin sister. She is the “cool” one. She takes her namesake very seriously. She is the best flyer and takes the most risks. She is also the most outspoken and the one most likely to talk back. This gets her into trouble a lot.

Leia - She’s the “pretty” one. She doesn’t like to work very hard, but is very social/talkative. Out of the four, she is the least interested in becoming a Jedi. Once she grows up and matures a little bit, she becomes known for her generosity and enjoys organizing peaceful missions to driver food and supplies to struggle planets

Padmé - Nicknamed Pippa - She’s the youngest and has the most energy. Everyone loves her and she can make anyone laugh (Including her father). She is the best “fixer” and spends most of her time building things.

Temiri is like their Teddy. He is basically like Ben and Rey’s adopted son. He spends all of his free time with their daughters, playing games and hanging out.

Temiri is madly in love with their oldest, Hope

This is a big problem for Ben because he actually likes Temiri and has to accept that his daughter likes him back (But his other daughters are not allowed to date until they are at least 25)

Of course! Temiri and Hope are ten years apart because, you know, Star Wars

Whenever the girls get in trouble they always go to their father first (Because no matter what they did, it could never be as bad as what he did when he was younger)

Ben is very patient with them and puts a lot of energy into making sure that they feel that they have been heard.

Rey not so much.

Rey is more of the head of the family. Everything must go by her first. She is very protective of her family and would probably claw anyone’s eyes out if they insult her family

They both love their daughters very much and hate leaving them when they have to go on missions

It literally takes them like two hours to leave because Rey has to tell them five million times that they will return before Ben forces her onto the ship

Everyone loves it when Uncle Poe and Uncle Finn come to visit. Over the years, they have completely spoiled the girls by bring them treats and presents every time they visit

All four daughters (And Temiri) grow up to be Jedis but they follow their parent’s belief of accepting both the Light and Dark sides of the Forces.

The Jedis are no longer soldiers. They are known as peacekeepers. They work outside of the government protecting the helpless. They provide free humanitarian aid throughout the universe.

#rey #reylo fanfic #rey/ben #reylo fanfiction #star wars fanfiction #reylo is canon #reylo headcanons #ben solo

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praetordany · 5 years

Text

Ben’s and Rey’s happily ever after (Where Ben doesn’t die)

I get that everyone wants them to have twins where one of them is at least named Hanna (Like Han) and the other one is named Hope, but here is my Reylo babies headcanon:

Ben and Rey don’t have children right away. They spend their first couple of years together wrapping up the war and helping Poe and Finn set up the new Republic

Ben is forced to take over Temiri’s training when Rey becomes pregnant. (And it helps build his confidence to take on other apprentices later on in life).

Rey gives birth to twins (Of course!) Hope and Hanna

This is when Ben and Rey decide to settle down on the outskirts of Naboo.

They build a Jedi Temple where anyone is welcome to come and learn about the Force (They are both very against children being taken away from their parents)

They only take in orphans (Like Temiri) and allow other students to either commute or come learn a couple of weeks at a time

Rey is in charge of teaching the younger children while Ben focus’ on teaching those who are trying to redeem themself (Reformed criminals/Homeless)

So Ben and Rey have FOUR daughters and it’s like movie Little Women (2019) and their home is full of love and laughter

Temiri is like their Teddy. He is basically like Ben and Rey’s adopted son. He spends all of his free time with their daughters, playing games and hanging out.

Temiri is madly in love with their oldest, Hope

This is a big problem for Ben because he actually likes Temiri and has to accept that his daughter likes him back (But his other daughters are not allowed to date until they are at least 25)

Of course! Temiri and Hope are ten years apart because, you know, Star Wars

Whenever the girls get in trouble they always go to their father first (Because no matter what they did, it could never be as bad as what he did when he was younger)

Ben is very patient with them and puts a lot of energy into making sure that they feel that they have been heard.

Rey not so much.

Rey is more of the head of the family. Everything must go by her first. She is very protective of her family and would probably claw anyone’s eyes out if they insult her family

They both love their daughters very much and hate leaving them when they have to go on missions

It literally takes them like two hours to leave because Rey has to tell them five million times that they will return before Ben forces her onto the ship

Everyone loves it when Uncle Poe and Uncle Finn come to visit. Over the years, they have completely spoiled the girls by bring them treats and presents every time they visit

All four daughters (And Temiri) grow up to be Jedis but they follow their parent’s belief of accepting both the Light and Dark sides of the Forces.

The Jedis are no longer soldiers. They are known as peacekeepers. They work outside of the government protecting the helpless. They provide free humanitarian aid throughout the universe.

#reylo headcanons

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praetordany · 5 years

Text

Ben’s and Rey’s happily ever after (Where Ben doesn’t die)

I get that everyone wants them to have twins where one of them is at least named Hanna (Like Han) and the other one is named Hope, but here is my Reylo babies headcanon:

Ben and Rey don’t have children right away. They spend their first couple of years together wrapping up the war and helping Poe and Finn set up the new Republic

Ben is forced to take over Temiri’s training when Rey becomes pregnant. (And it helps build his confidence to take on other apprentices later on in life).

Rey gives birth to twins (Of course!) Hope and Hanna

This is when Ben and Rey decide to settle down on the outskirts of Naboo.

They build a Jedi Temple where anyone is welcome to come and learn about the Force (They are both very against children being taken away from their parents)

They only take in orphans (Like Temiri) and allow other students to either commute or come learn a couple of weeks at a time

Rey is in charge of teaching the younger children while Ben focus’ on teaching those who are trying to redeem themself (Reformed criminals/Homeless)

So Ben and Rey have FOUR daughters and it’s like movie Little Women (2019) and their home is full of love and laughter

Temiri is like their Teddy. He is basically like Ben and Rey’s adopted son. He spends all of his free time with their daughters, playing games and hanging out.

Temiri is madly in love with their oldest, Hope

This is a big problem for Ben because he actually likes Temiri and has to accept that his daughter likes him back (But his other daughters are not allowed to date until they are at least 25)

Of course! Temiri and Hope are ten years apart because, you know, Star Wars

Whenever the girls get in trouble they always go to their father first (Because no matter what they did, it could never be as bad as what he did when he was younger)

Ben is very patient with them and puts a lot of energy into making sure that they feel that they have been heard.

Rey not so much.

Rey is more of the head of the family. Everything must go by her first. She is very protective of her family and would probably claw anyone’s eyes out if they insult her family

They both love their daughters very much and hate leaving them when they have to go on missions

It literally takes them like two hours to leave because Rey has to tell them five million times that they will return before Ben forces her onto the ship

Everyone loves it when Uncle Poe and Uncle Finn come to visit. Over the years, they have completely spoiled the girls by bring them treats and presents every time they visit

All four daughters (And Temiri) grow up to be Jedis but they follow their parent’s belief of accepting both the Light and Dark sides of the Forces.

The Jedis are no longer soldiers. They are known as peacekeepers. They work outside of the government protecting the helpless. They provide free humanitarian aid throughout the universe.

98 notes · View notes

praetordany · 5 years

Text

Ben’s and Rey’s happily ever after (Where Ben doesn’t die)

I get that everyone wants them to have twins where one of them is at least named Hanna (Like Han) and the other one is named Hope, but here is my Reylo babies headcanon:

Ben and Rey don’t have children right away. They spend their first couple of years together wrapping up the war and helping Poe and Finn set up the new Republic

Ben is forced to take over Temiri’s training when Rey becomes pregnant. (And it helps build his confidence to take on other apprentices later on in life).

Rey gives birth to twins (Of course!) Hope and Hanna

This is when Ben and Rey decide to settle down on the outskirts of Naboo.

They build a Jedi Temple where anyone is welcome to come and learn about the Force (They are both very against children being taken away from their parents)

They only take in orphans (Like Temiri) and allow other students to either commute or come learn a couple of weeks at a time

Rey is in charge of teaching the younger children while Ben focus’ on teaching those who are trying to redeem themself (Reformed criminals/Homeless)

So Ben and Rey have FOUR daughters and it's like movie Little Women (2019) and their home is full of love and laughter

Temiri is like their Teddy. He is basically like Ben and Rey’s adopted son. He spends all of his free time with their daughters, playing games and hanging out.

Temiri is madly in love with their oldest, Hope

This is a big problem for Ben because he actually likes Temiri and has to accept that his daughter likes him back (But his other daughters are not allowed to date until they are at least 25)

Of course! Temiri and Hope are ten years apart because, you know, Star Wars

Whenever the girls get in trouble they always go to their father first (Because no matter what they did, it could never be as bad as what he did when he was younger)

Ben is very patient with them and puts a lot of energy into making sure that they feel that they have been heard.

Rey not so much.

Rey is more of the head of the family. Everything must go by her first. She is very protective of her family and would probably claw anyone’s eyes out if they insult her family

They both love their daughters very much and hate leaving them when they have to go on missions

It literally takes them like two hours to leave because Rey has to tell them five million times that they will return before Ben forces her onto the ship

Everyone loves it when Uncle Poe and Uncle Finn come to visit. Over the years, they have completely spoiled the girls by bring them treats and presents every time they visit

All four daughters (And Temiri) grow up to be Jedis but they follow their parent’s belief of accepting both the Light and Dark sides of the Forces.

The Jedis are no longer soldiers. They are known as peacekeepers. They work outside of the government protecting the helpless. They provide free humanitarian aid throughout the universe.

#reylo #reylo trash #reylo fanfic #reylo is canon #reylo fanfiction #rey #ben solo #redeemed ben solo #Ben Solo lives #finn #poe dameron #rise of skywalker fixit #star wars #star wars fanfiction #rey/ben solo #rey/ben #reylo babies

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praetordany · 5 years

Text

Things I Would Change if I Could Rewrite Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker

Last Jedi

Everything is the same until Ben kills Snoke

Rey begs Ben to come with her but he refuses, not because he doesn’t want to, but because he feels he can’t leave the control of the First Order in the hands of Hux.

He helps Rey escape and tells her that he will do his best to give the Resistance time to escape.

Ben confronts Luke just like in the movie, but instead of fighting him out of anger, Ben and Luke pretend to fight to buy the Resistance more time.

While they are fighting, Luke apologizes to Ben for not being a better master and for giving in to his fears. He tells Ben that he doesn’t deserve to be Rey’s master and that she deserves to have someone who will train her not to fear the darkness inside her.

Finally, Luke urges Ben to finish his father’s and Ben’s grandfather’s mission to bring balance back to the Force, not by eliminating the Darkness but accepting that it is part of life.

Luke tells Ben to pretend to kill him since his Force Ghost is fading. Luke’s body fades into the Force.

Ben and Hux find the Resistance abandoned. Ben/Kylo pretends to be angry.

Hux is clearly suspicious of Ben/Kylo but without proof, he is unable to confront him.

Rey rescues the Resistance. She tells Leia that Ben saved her and the rest of the Resistance

“You saved us, Rey.”

“It wasn’t me.”

The movie ends with Snoke’s funeral. As Ben and the First Order watch his body burn, Ben takes a sigh of relief. The dark voices that have been haunting and terrorizing him since he was a child are finally gone. He slowly starts to walk back to his quarters when Palapatine’s laugh stops him in his tracks.

Rise of Skywalker

The movie opens with Finn’s and Poe’s mission on the Falcon, but it is just a supply run and there is no mention of a spy. The merchant runs up the price last minute with the reason, “Who else is going to sell to you?” Finn reluctantly pays up. (This is supposed to serve as a reminder that the Resistance is running out of allies.)

Rey is introduced mediating, but instead of trying to reach the other Jedi she is trying to reach Ben. Their force bond has been silent since Ben helped her escape.

Rey is furious that Ben is shutting her out.

Rey and Leia talk. Leia tells Rey not to worry about Ben, that he has always been able to take care of himself, even as a child. Leia tells he Ben has always been independent and that he shuts people out to protect himself.

Still angry, Rey goes to train. She angrily swings her lightsaber but freezes when she hears a man laughing through the Force, urging her to give into her rage. (It’s Palpatine, but she doesn’t know this). She accidentally drops a tree on BB-8 (Because that whole Poe/Rey interaction was gold!)

Finn and Poe still argue with Rey about how she is doing nothing but train instead of being out there fighting. She tells them that she doesn’t want to make it difficult for Ben. She didn’t want to have to put into a position again to chose between her and his mission. They make bitter comments about how if Ben is good now, why is he still attacking them. They imply that Ben is using Rey. Rey gets mad at them and walks away without answering.

Ben/Kylo and Hux are shown walking to greet a landing ship on the new First Order starbase. Hux questions Ben/Kylo about this sudden new ally. Ben/Kylo tells him that he doesn’t know more than him.

The doors of the ship open and Sith soldiers walk out followed by a cloaked figure.

The cloaked figure walks up to Ben/Kylo and Hux.

“It is an honor to meet the grandson of Darth Vader. I see you inherit his strength, let us hope you didn’t inherit his weakness too”

The cloaked figure pulls back his hood to reveal a young clone of Palpatine. (Played by Matt Smith)

Rey is asleep and is awakened by a bond forming between her and Ben. Rey is excited to see Ben again but is also furious that he has been shutting her out. He apologizes and tells her that he had to. Hux had been raising questions about him and he needed to focus on playing the part of Supreme Leader.

“So, I distract you?”

“Very much so,” Ben slips. Rey smiles.

Ben tells Rey that she needs to focus. He tells her that Palpatine cloned himself and he just told him and Hux the location of the Resistance’s hidden base. Ben urges Rey to get the Resistance out as soon as possible since he can’t stop Hux’s attack.

Rey again begs Ben to join them, but he again refuses. He tells her that he can’t leave until Palpatine reveals his whole plan to him. They will need this information if they want to have a chance at defeating him.

Rey fully wakes up and alerts the whole base.

With the heads start, the Resistance escapes. Poe is badly injured while escaping. Rey heals him and then passes out. (Baby Yoda style).

While she is out, she is once again bonded with Ben. She sees Hux confront him about his suspicions. He tells Ben he knows he had been helping the Resistance and that he has security footage of him killing Snoke. Ben fights the Knights of Ren and almost wins until the Young Palpatine shows up and restrains him.

Palpatine uses lightning to torture Ben. Ben pleads with Rey through their bond not to try to rescue him. Rey’s bond is broken when Palpatine looks right at her as if he knows that she is there.

Rey wakes up completely panicked. She tells Finn, Poe, and Leia that Ben has been discovered and that he needs her help.

They stop her from running off to find him. They convince her that she needs to rest some more and that they will work out a plan to rescue Ben when they have the resources to do so. Leia is broken up that her son is in danger, but her practical side wins out. (Rey pretends to listen to them and then sneaks out later that night to steal a ship).

Finn, Poe, Chewie, and BB-8 are already in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon. They knew she was going to try to sneak away and reluctantly agree to help her rescue Ben because she is going to do it anyway.

Poe tells them that he knows someone that could help them break into the First Order ship.

They go to Kijimi and run into Lando while trying to escape some Stormtroopers.

Chewis is captured. Rey gets upset again and uncontrollably shoots lightning while trying to rescue him. Chewie gets hit accidentally and Rey freaks out. An injured Chewie is brought aboard the First Order ship.

Lando helps make a distraction so that Poe can lead the rest of them to Zorii Bliss and Babu Frik’s workshop.

The meet D-O in Babu Frik’s workshop. BB-8 still heals him (Because I love that droid!)

Zorri gives Poe the coin to get them onto the ship. Poe is not a spice runner. Instead, he used to steal from the rich and get to the poor. Robin Hood-style. Zorri was another thief who always made fun of his need to do good.

Once onboard the First Order ship, they split up. Finn and Poe go search for Chewie while Rey tries to find Ben.

Finn and Poe find Chewie and cause a bit of trouble getting him out. This serves as enough of a distraction for Ben to free himself. (Throwback to Rey using the Force to get the Stormtroopers to free her in the first movie).

Finn and Poe rescue Chewie with help from D-O. Turns out he is a hacking droid.

Rey’s Force sense leads her the wrong direction. She is led straight to Palpatine. He shuts the door behind her.

Palpatine reveals her past to her. He tells her that she is the daughter of one of the original Palpatine’s clones that developed free will and escaped from the other clones. (The clones called each other brothers and the original Palapatine father). Palpatine hides the fact that he had himself cloned by telling everything his wife died in childbirth. The Palpatine family was very rich and powerful on Naboo until the fall of the Empire with the death of Death Vader. Rey’s family had to go into hiding with no money or contacts because people wanted revenge on the Palpatine family.

Palpatine shows Rey a vision of her parents. Her father looks exactly like the Young Palpatine before her. Their house is attacked by a group of ex-Rebels soldiers (The combination of no longer have a war to fight, having no family to return to, and the need for revenge for everything they lost) They believe Rey’s father is a son of Palpatine.

Rey’s father tries to hold them off while Rey’s mother escapes with her. Her father is killed.

Rey’s mother hides her on a smuggler’s ship before leading the soldiers off in the opposite direction. She is then killed.

The smuggler’s ship takes off. A man and women find Rey hidden in their cargo. They think she is an orphan or some beggar’s child who threw her away. They raise her as an employee before selling her to Ukar Plutt. Rey believes they were her parents because of the memory of her parents dying was too traumatic for her young mind to remember.

Palpatine tells her that Ben knew about her past this whole time and that he purposely withheld it from her because he knew it would turn her dark.

This is where she has the vision of the dark version of herself. She sees herself become a Sith apprentice. Palpatine tells her that she cannot escape her own fate. That she will join him and that she will rule with him as his heir.

Finn, Poe, Chewie, BB-8, and B-O get cornered by Stormtroopers. Ben rescues them. using the Force.

“Where’s Rey?”

“We thought she was with you!”

Chewie roars angrily in Ben’s face

“I know, Chewie.” Ben’s voice breaks.

Chewie hugs him.

“This a lovely family reunion, but in case you forgot we are still on a First Order ship about to be captured again,” mocks Poe.

Ben reaches out to Rey to tells her that he is safe but senses her being overcome by the darkness. Rey confronts Ben about knowing about her past. He admits that he knew and tells her that he was just trying to protect her. Rey is still furious and confused. She tells him that she can’t resist the darkness. She wants revenge for what happened to her parents and for her lost childhood.

Ben tries to talk her down, but she completely freaked out.

“Rey, if there is anyone who understands the draw to the dark side It’s me. Please tell me where you are and I will help you.”

“No one can help me.” She cuts off their bond. “I can’t fight what is inside of me.

Rey steals a First Order ship and runs away to Ahch-To

Heartbroken Ben tells the others that Rey left without them and then helps them escape.

D-O does more hacking to help them escape

Finn: “I like this droid!”

Ben and the gang flee to the Falcon. Poe and Ben fight over piloting the Falcon. Chewie is too injury to fly.

“Excuse me? What do you think you are doing?”

“This is my father’s ship!”

“Didn’t you kill him?”

“Poe!” Finn looked nervously at Ben. “Not the time.”

Poe and Ben bicker back and forth while they are chased by the First Order.

Finally Ben does a move to lose their chasers. Poe reluctantly mumbles, “Not bad.”

Finn and Poe tell Leia that Ben is back while he waits for her on the Falcon.

Leia finds Ben still sitting at the front of the Falcon looking blankly at the controls. He is remembering all of the times his father taught him how to fly and how much he misses him.

Ben and Leia are reunited. There are tears.

“I never gave up hope that you would return to me.”

Leia cries and hugs me. Ben shyly returns the hug.

Ben apologizes to Leia about Han. He tells her that he wishes he could take it all back. Leia apologizes for not doing more to protect him from Snoke and for sending him away in the first place.

Ben tells Leia about Rey. He tells her that he regrets not being fully honest with her and for pushing her away. Leia reassures him.

“Now, it’s all my fault. She’s out there all alone, and I can’t help her.”

“Sometimes, we make bad decisions when trying to protect the people we love. We act of fear instead of trust. All you can do is believe that they will have the strength to see past their own fears and return home.”

Leia formally introduces Ben to the Resistance command. Ben tells them about Palpatine’s giant fleet of the planet destroyers. He also tells Finn about the other Stormtrooper who defected and where to find them.

Finn and Rose leave to convince the ex-stormtroopers to join their cause.

Lando and Chewie still go to find more help

Leia, Ben, and Poe discuss strategy. There is interesting back and forth because Leia treats Poe more like a son then she does Ben. Ben is jealous of their close relationship.

“Your father was the jealous type too. Don’t worry, you will always be my son.”

On Ahch-to, Rey destroys her ship and is about to throw the lightsaber into the fire when Luke appears.

Rey tells Luke that he was right about her. She can’t resist the pull to the dark side, so she must isolate herself from the people she loves so she doesn’t hurt them.

“Once again, amazing, everything you just said is completely wrong.”

Luke tells her that he was wrong about her. That she has more strength than she knows.

He tells her that she shouldn’t fear her darker self because that is what he forced Ben to do and what ultimately pushed him to Snoke. Luke tells Rey to trust her and Ben’s bond because together they form a dyad more powerful than any bond in the last century. Together they can overcome any obstacle.

Luke tells her she should want revenge for her parents’ death. But she should use that anger drive her to do better.

“Those Rebel soldiers acted out of fear. You need to do better than them and take out the forces that are really responsible.”

Luke shows her where to find Leia’s lightsaber and tells her that Ben is going to face Palpatine with or without her.

“He would probably do better with an actual weapon.”

Everything is pretty much the same as the movie. (Rey goes to face Palpatine alone. Ben still show up later and runs to rescue Rey :))

Ben gets Poe to drop him off on the planet.

“In case you forgot, you don’t have a lightsaber anymore. What are you going to do? Blast Palpatine?”

“I’ll work something out. Rey needs me.”

Leia sacrifices herself to use the Force to protect the Resistance fleet from Palpatine’s lightning

There is an epic battle lightsaber battle between Ben, Rey and Young Palpatine. Palpatine uses Kylo Ren’s saber. Ben uses Leia’s saber while Rey uses Luke’s.

When Leia’s body fades into the Force, Rey is injury but still fights.

Rey and Ben defeat Palpatine together (We are all of the Jedi)

Ben heals Rey and Rey kisses him

They go back to the Resistance basis

Rey hugs Finn and Poe.

The movie ends with Rey and Ben going to Naboo to bury Luke’s and Leia’s lightsaber in their mother’s grave. They talk about starting a new Jedi Order that embraces a true balance between the dark and the light. They reveal their new lightsabers. Rey’s is yellow and Ben’s is purple.

The End

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praetordany · 5 years

Text

Things I Would Change if I Could Rewrite Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker

Last Jedi

Everything is the same until Ben kills Snoke

Rey begs Ben to come with her but he refuses, not because he doesn’t want to, but because he feels he can’t leave the control of the First Order in the hands of Hux.

He helps Rey escape and tells her that he will do his best to give the Resistance time to escape.

Ben confronts Luke just like in the movie, but instead of fighting him out of anger, Ben and Luke pretend to fight to buy the Resistance more time.

Finally, Luke tells Ben to finish his father’s and Ben’s grandfather’s mission to bring balance back to the Force, not by eliminating the Darkness but accepting that it is part of life.

Luke tells Ben to pretend to kill him since his Force Ghost is fading. Luke’s body fades into the Force.

Ben and Hux find the Resistance abandoned. Ben/Kylo pretends to be angry.

Hux is suspicious of Ben/Kylo but without proof, he is unable to confront him.

Rey rescues the Resistance. She tells Leia that Ben saved her and the rest of resistance

The movie ends with Snoke’s funeral. As Ben and the First Order watch his body burn, Ben takes a sigh of relief. The dark voice that has been terrorizing him since he was a child is finally gone. He slowly starts to walk back to his quarters when Palapatine’s laugh stops him in his tracks.

Rise of Skywalker

The movie opens with Finn’s and Poe’s mission on the Falcon, but it is just a supply run and there is no mention of a spy. The merchant runs up the price last minute with the reason, “Who else is going to sell to you?” Finn reluctantly pays up. This is supposed to serve as a reminder that the Resistance is running out of allies.

Rey is introduced mediating, but instead of trying to reach the other Jedi she is trying to reach Ben. Their force bond has been silent since Ben helped her escape.

Rey is angry that Ben is shutting her out.

Rey and Leia talk. Leia tells Rey not to worry about Ben, that he has always been able to take care of himself even as a child. He shuts people out to protect himself.

Finn and Poe still argue with Rey about how she is doing nothing but training instead of being out there fighting. She tells them that she doesn’t want to make it difficult for Ben. They make bitter comments about how if Ben is good now, why is he still attacking them. They imply that Ben is using Rey. Rey gets mad and walks away.

Ben/Kylo and Hux are shown walking to greet a landing ship on the new First Order starbase. Hux questions Ben/Kylo about this sudden new ally. Ben/Kylo tells him that he doesn’t know more than him.

The doors of the ship open and Sith soldiers walkout followed by a cloaked figure.

The cloaked figure walks up to Ben/Kylo and Hux.

“It is an honor to meet the grandson of Darth Vader. I see you inherit his strength, let us hope you didn’t inherit his weakness too”

The cloaked figure pulls back his hood to reveal a young clone of Palpatine. (Played by Matt Smith)

“So, I distract you?”

“Very much so,” Ben slips. Rey smiles.

Ben tells Rey that she needs to focus. He tells her that Palpatine cloned himself and just told him and Hux the location of the Resistance’s hidden base. Ben urges Rey to get the Resistance out as soon as possible since he can’t stop Hux’s attack.

Rey fully wakes up and alerts the whole base.

With the heads start, the Resistance escapes. Poe is badly injured while escaping. Rey heals him and then passes out. (Baby Yoda style).

Rey wakes up completely panicked. She tells Finn, Poe, and Leia that Ben has been discovered and that he needs her help.

They stop her from running off to find him. They convince her that she needs to rest some more and that they will work out a plan to rescue Ben when they have the resources to do so. Leia is broken up that her son is in danger, but her practice side wins out. (Rey pretends to listen to them and then sneaks out later that night to steal a ship).