Anakin Skywalker starts as a heroic Jedi Knight and ends as Darth Vader, a Sith Lord who is ultimately redeemed and dies saving his son.

Quick Scoop: What Happened to Anakin Skywalker?

  • Anakin is born a slave on Tatooine, discovered by Jedi Master Qui‑Gon Jinn, and trained as a Jedi because he is believed to be the Chosen One destined to bring balance to the Force.
  • Over time he grows powerful but also unstable and fearful of loss, especially of his secret wife, PadmĂ© Amidala.
  • Manipulated by Chancellor Palpatine (the Sith Lord Darth Sidious), Anakin falls to the dark side, takes the name Darth Vader, and helps exterminate the Jedi during Order 66.
  • On Mustafar, after choking PadmĂ© unconscious in a rage, Anakin duels Obi‑Wan Kenobi, is defeated, dismembered, and left burning; Palpatine rescues him and encases him in the black life‑support armor that makes him the iconic Vader.
  • For years he serves as the Emperor’s brutal enforcer, hunting down Jedi and crushing rebellion across the galaxy.
  • Decades later, when the Emperor tortures Anakin’s son Luke with Force lightning, Vader turns on his Master, throws the Emperor down a reactor shaft, and is mortally wounded in the process.
  • As he dies, he rejects the name Vader, returns to being Anakin Skywalker, has his helmet removed so he can see Luke with his own eyes, and then “slips peacefully away into the Force.”
  • Luke cremates his father’s armor on Endor; Anakin’s redeemed spirit later appears alongside Yoda and Obi‑Wan, watching over Luke as the galaxy celebrates the fall of the Empire.

Different in‑universe perspectives

  • To most people in the galaxy, Anakin simply disappeared during the Clone Wars and was believed killed when the Jedi fell; very few knew he became Darth Vader.
  • Official Imperial‑era claims suggested that Anakin died during the Jedi Purge and that Vader was a separate figure, helping hide the truth.

Why fans still ask “what happened?”

  • Story-wise, Anakin’s fate is about tragedy and redemption: he “kills” his former self to become Vader, then sacrifices Vader to let Anakin return and save his son.
  • In current discussions and forums, people still debate whether Anakin or Vader “really” died on Mustafar or on the Death Star, but canon treats his final act against the Emperor as the moment he truly fulfills the prophecy and becomes Anakin again.

In short: An innocent slave boy becomes a fallen Sith Lord, then dies a redeemed father and the prophesied Chosen One who brings balance to the Force.

TL;DR: Anakin Skywalker fell to the dark side and became Darth Vader, was maimed on Mustafar, lived for years as the Emperor’s enforcer, then turned back to the light, killed the Emperor to save Luke, and died from his injuries, redeemed at the end.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.