Star Wars has a habit of bringing characters back from the dead, and Samuel L Jackson has long posited that Mace Windu may actually be alive. Well, we’ve now found a theory which proves the Jedi Master is out there somewhere.
In the culmination of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Revenge of the Sith, Mace Windu seemingly falls to his death after an encounter with the ultimate Star Wars villain, Darth Sidious. But, if we’ve learned anything from watching the Star Wars movies in order over and over again, it’s that anything is possible through the power of the Force.
After bringing an end to his time in the Star Wars cast, Samuel L Jackson began suggesting Mace Windu wasn’t dead after all. The Jedi may have lost an arm, been struck by Force lightning, and fallen from a massive building, but that doesn’t matter. As this Reddit theory says, “no Jedi has ever died from any or all of those things. Therefore Jedi Master Mace Windu survived as well.”
First of all, the Redditor lists all the Star Wars characters who have lost a limb and survived. Anakin Skywalker is the prime example: he loses a hand in a duel with Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones, and later has his other arm and both legs when he fights Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar. But, spoiler alert, he still doesn’t die, and even goes on to become the formidable Darth Vader.
Then, we have Count Dooku, who loses both his hands when Anakin apprehends him in front of Chancellor Palpatine. It’s not until Anakin is told to “do it” and Dooku loses his head (literally) that he actually dies. Another Sith to survive dismemberment is Darth Maul, who is very literally cut into two pieces, and yet still, somehow, returns.
Now, you might think a healthy dose of Force lightning would be enough to send you to the grave, but not if you’re a Jedi, it seems. Think about Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi. He’s blasted by Emperor Palpatine for a good few minutes, and sure, he might have ended up dead had Vader not intervened, but he handled it like a champ for longer than you’d expect.
Throughout the course of Star Wars history, no Jedi or Sith has actually died from Force lightning attacks. And before you ask, no, Darth Vader wasn’t killed by the lightning, “the force lightening malfunctioned his suit, which was life support.” A very good point.
As for falling from a great height – forget about it. Remember in Attack of the Clones when Anakin goes on a huge bounty hunter chase and falls for like 15 seconds before landing on a moving vehicle? Jedi are like cats: they always land on their feet (sort of). So, all in all, I have to agree with the Redditor, and the claim that “Due to the incredible resilience… of Jedi and Sith, there is no way, with the evidence in mind that Mace Windu is dead.”
That idea of surviving a great fall is something Samuel L Jackson addressed in a video on Twitter, where he said: “In my mind, I’m not dead. Jedi can fall from incredibly high distances and not die.”
The legendary actor also spoke of his hopes for a return to the franchise at some point: “There’s a huge history of people with one hand returning in Star Wars… The only person I’ve ever said that to, about coming back, was Bryce Dallas Howard… So, ‘You think you might be able to hook a brother up? You like me, right?’ And she’s like, ‘I love you! You’re amazing!’ So, ‘Put me back in there. Put me in, coach, I’m ready!'”
So, let’s get this straight: Samuel L Jackson wants to come back, his character almost definitely isn’t dead, Disney loves the idea of legacy actors reprising their roles, and I’m pretty sure the fans would go nuts for a new Star Wars movie or Star Wars series starring the big man himself. Somebody, please, make this happen.
Like a classic Star Wars hero, I would give my right hand to see more of Mace Windu slicing up bad guys across the galaxy as a weary Jedi Master. Until then, we’ve got the Andor season 2 release date and The Acolyte release date to look forward to. But, if you don’t fancy any more Star Wars right now, you can focus on new movies like Deadpool 3 and Avatar 3 instead.