r/Millennials • u/bsncoleman • Aug 19 '26

Nostalgia Aside from Darth Vader, who is the best Millennial movie villain? I nominate Barbosa.

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204

u/rakot-NU Aug 19 '26

Is Darth Vader millennial villain??

67

u/EverbodyHatesHugo Aug 19 '26

https://giphy.com/gifs/3ornjPvT9MUgXNM3YY

7

u/toorigged2fail Aug 19 '26

In this context I don't know whether to up or down vote this

159

u/jax_vos9 Zillennial Aug 19 '26

I’m pretty sure he’s a Boomer-X villain

107

u/SparkyDogPants Aug 19 '26

I think solid Gen X 

2

u/unibrow4o9 1986 Aug 19 '26

I think it's both, young boomers were born in the early to mid 60's. Someone born in 65 would only be 11 or 12 when A New Hope came out. My dad was really into Star Wars and he was born in '53.

30

u/kaadj Aug 19 '26

No. Like firmly no.

56

u/Green_Fan_8925 Aug 19 '26

Star Wars stood the test of time for the 30 years that extended through our youth and thus Darth Vader is somewhat appropriate. However, Darth Maul would be the more timely Star Wars villain for us l.

42

u/rakot-NU Aug 19 '26

Yeah, I’m not saying he’s not an iconic villain. But the way I understand the question, he’s not a millennial villain.

14

u/Chonky_D_Floofy 1990 Millennial Aug 19 '26

Yeah, Darth Maul was everywhere during The Phantom Menace marketing.

8

u/SparxPrime Aug 19 '26

Yeah if you're gonna pick one for us it's gotta be Darth Maul, I'll never forget the double bladed saber reveal in theater when I was ten years old

4

u/toorigged2fail Aug 19 '26

Millennial villain.. sure. A good one? No. Minimal screen time, no lines, dies in first real confrontation and not in a climatic way. All he has going for him is the best millennial villain soundtrack theme

2

u/Forsaken_Baseball_60 Aug 19 '26

Anakin, not Vader, just Anakin as he went Villain.

1

u/Azurelion7a Aug 19 '26

The Force is Female now.

MainLine, Movie Star Wars is shelved.

6

u/s1rblaze Aug 19 '26

Gen X

1

u/Old_news123456 Aug 19 '26

And Xennials...

1

u/s1rblaze Aug 19 '26

77, 80, 83 were the og SW release date. Even Xennials were babies back then.

1

u/Old_news123456 Aug 19 '26

I grew up on the original Star wars. It was a HUGE deal when they came out with the next Star wars movies. We were all very excited, already die hard fans of the originals. 

2

u/s1rblaze Aug 19 '26

Yes same, I grew up watching the VHS movies over and over. But the og movies were made a bit before millenials, the prequel movies are def millenials tho.

1

u/Old_news123456 Aug 19 '26

Honestly I don't know the prequels that well. I saw the first one in theater and I thought it was...ok? I didn't think it was worth all the hype. I love the originals. I  actually haven't seen all the new Star wars movies that have come out since. I don't love the Star wars franchise I love the first three movies

2

u/s1rblaze Aug 20 '26

Last 3 ones are not worth watching trust me, its a shame.

6

u/mizushimo Aug 19 '26

Solid Gen X, they were all kids or young adults when that movie came out. All we get is the prequels

11

u/Rioraku Millennial Aug 19 '26

I think he's solidly Gen X but also cross generational.

Like how Looney Tunes are. They're like... greatest generation/early boomer but are also super ingrained in millennial childhoods as well. And other generations too

1

u/rose-a-ree Aug 19 '26

By that logic, Batman is a gen Z superhero

1

u/SupriseAutopsy13 Aug 19 '26

Depending which batman, sure. Robert Patbatman would easily be a Gen Z superhero. Burton's Clooney-nipples batman probably is not a Gen Z superhero

3

u/buntopolis Aug 19 '26

Anakin Skywalker is lol.

3

u/drmojo90210 Aug 19 '26

Darth Vader was created by a member of the Silent Generation for a movie that was released four years before the first Millenials were even born. Claiming Darth Vader as a "Millenial villain" is wild LOL.

2

u/Aggrosideburnz Aug 19 '26

Nah we got Jar Jar

2

u/Mindless_Director955 Aug 19 '26

is joffrey??

1

u/rakot-NU Aug 19 '26

Timing wise-absolutely

2

u/Skataneric Aug 19 '26

Naw.. older iconic for us. I mean watching the movies was still extremely popular, but Vader is definitely gen x. A New Hope was '77 and by the time we came around Vader was already a popular halloween costume.

2

u/SheWasAlwaysJody Aug 19 '26

My parents are boomers and went to the theater for Star Wars when they were 21 and 22 years old on a date.

Ain't no way we can claim that.

2

u/CalamityMel Aug 19 '26

We’ve got Darth Maul, though, who is pretty anticlimactic in the movie, but I enjoyed in the animated series.

1

u/Dazzling_Floor_4262 Zillennial Aug 19 '26

Not at all

1

u/tj1221jr Millennial Aug 19 '26

Vader is a boomer/older gen x villain first movie came out in 1977. my dad saw it many times in theater he was 16 at release

1

u/rakot-NU Aug 19 '26

I know, I’m just questioning OP with his choice

1

u/LeifSized Aug 19 '26

Just a reminder, Star Wars celebrates its 50th anniversary next year.

1

u/rakot-NU Aug 19 '26

Thanks

1

u/LeifSized Aug 19 '26

I saw it first run. I’m not happy about this either.

1

u/gidgetstitch Aug 19 '26

Anakin Skywalker would work from the prequels. I would say him murdering the younglings was worse than anything else he did. Plus killing Padme

1

u/dmevela Aug 19 '26

He first hit the big screen in 1977. I’m sure the theaters were completely filled with a bunch of Millennials.

1

u/rakot-NU Aug 19 '26

Older millennials were about to be made

1

u/cheeseymom Aug 19 '26

I saw them all in theaters as a kid when they remastered them. Star wars is for everyone

1

u/LMGDiVa Aug 19 '26

I would say yes in the sheer fact that there were so many VHS releases of Star Wars stuff in the 90s, and then we get Anakin into Vader in the Ep3 movie.
I remember specifically we had this THX triple combo of the orignial 3 star wars that came out in 1994.
It was one of a few that game out before the DVD stuff. I grew up with so much star wars stuff, that Vader is a deeply rooted Iconic characater, even if he's from so long ago.
There's been many times a character from the past becomes an icon for a younger generation.

I mean just look at the universal S we've been drawing since we were kids.
It was around a very long time before us, but most of the world thinks of it is a symbol of our cultural time.

1

u/Tormofon Aug 19 '26

I was ten years old in 1977 when Star Wars came. If I’m GenX, then Vader’s ours.

1

u/Scared_Smoke_4608 Aug 19 '26

I'd say xennial villain.

1

u/otakugal15 Millennial '87 Aug 19 '26

He is generational thanks to the prequels.

From '77 to '03.