For all the debate surrounding the Star Wars sequel trilogy, it gave us one of the franchise's most compelling modern figures: Kylo Ren. Adam Driver's intense portrayal brought depth to the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, a man torn between the light and dark, ultimately finding redemption at a great cost. But the films left many questions about his journey unanswered—questions that comic book writer Charles Soule has been eagerly tackling.
Soule, known for his work on Daredevil, has become a key architect of Ben Solo's expanded story. His 2019 limited series The Rise of Kylo Ren depicted the character's fall to the dark side and his alliance with the Knights of Ren under Supreme Leader Snoke. Now, with The Fall of Kylo Ren, he's exploring the period between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, showing how the villain seized control of the First Order.
In a recent interview at FanX Salt Lake City, Soule shared his creative process with Collider. "Whenever I get one of these chances to expand the story of a really well-known character in Star Wars—right now, we're talking about Kylo Ren, but I've also gotten to do it with Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker—I feel very honored," he said. "Usually, I start with trying to figure out if there's actually a story to tell, and for me, that begins with the questions that the films and maybe TV shows don't answer."
For The Fall of Kylo Ren, those questions centered on the character's mindset after the events of The Last Jedi. "He's killed his dad, he's met Rey, he's had this confrontation with Luke Skywalker," Soule explained. "All these things have happened in a very short period of time, because Episodes VII and VIII take place over, I don't know, a week or two. So all of these life-changing things for this young man, to me, it felt like there was a ton of rich story ground to cover."
Soule's work has been praised for adding nuance to Kylo Ren, much like Driver's performance did. By filling in the gaps left by the films, he's made the character more interesting in retrospect. "The movies implied a lot of interesting things, but they didn't outright state them," he noted. "So, to me, as a storyteller, it was like, 'Wow, there's a lot of questions I can answer here.'"
His approach has been well-received by Lucasfilm and Marvel, who have been supportive of his ideas. "I brought those questions to Lucasfilm, and I worked with the executives and the story group," Soule said. "They were very receptive and very enthusiastic, and I think the work is great."
The final issue of The Fall of Kylo Ren is set to release on October 21, with the Supreme Leader forcing the Knights of Ren to submit to his will. As the First Order faces threats from within and without, the series promises to reveal secrets about the Knights and their connection to a mysterious artifact and an ever-evolving droid.
Fans of the sequel trilogy and comic book enthusiasts alike will find much to appreciate in Soule's exploration of one of Star Wars' most complex villains. For more on the expanding universe, check out our analysis of storytelling trends and other streaming arrivals.
