9 Ways Ben Solo Could Return to Star Wars After Rise of Skywalker

The moment when Ben Solo finds redemption in The Rise of Skywalker is widely considered a highlight of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, despite the fact that his story felt cut short. This has led many fans to hope for his return, a hope that was recently fueled by Disney’s cancellation of a project featuring Adam Driver as Ben Solo.

According to reports, Adan DeLuca’s story idea, originally titled Hunt for Ben Solo, was a complete script developed over two years with Lucasfilm’s backing, and involved collaboration with Steven Soderbergh and Scott Z. Burns. The story aimed to delve deeper into the possibility of Ben Solo’s redemption, but Disney ultimately turned it down because they couldn’t find a way to explain how he could still be alive after his death in The Rise of Skywalker.

With that established, here are a few possibilities for how Star Wars could bring Ben Solo/Kylo Ren back, even though his character seemingly died in The Rise of Skywalker.

9. Ben Solo Can Return As A Force Ghost

The easiest and most established way to bring Ben Solo back would be as a Force Ghost. We’ve already seen characters like Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Anakin, Luke, and Leia continue to exist as spirits after death, guiding those who are still alive with their knowledge.

Given how closely Ben Solo’s sacrifice to save Rey resembles Anakin Skywalker’s redemptive act, it’s reasonable to believe Ben’s spirit could continue to exist within the Force, just like Anakin’s does.

With plans for a new movie focusing on Rey Skywalker and a new Jedi Order, it feels natural to imagine Ben Solo appearing as a Force ghost. Having walked both the path of the Jedi and the Sith, he’d be uniquely positioned to offer advice and help guide the next generation.

8. Cloning Ben Solo’s Body

Even though fans didn’t love how it was used in The Rise of Skywalker with Palpatine, cloning remains a possible way to bring Ben Solo back into the Star Wars story.

Given that Ben Solo died on the same planet where the Emperor was resurrected, it’s possible his body was taken and brought back to life using dark side powers and Sith technology.

Although Lucasfilm likely won’t pursue this idea, cloning Ben Solo presents an interesting scenario. It raises the question of whether a cloned Ben would retain his recent redemption, or if his inner darkness would resurface.

7. Flashbacks To A Younger Ben Solo

If Lucasfilm wants to explore Ben Solo’s story further without bringing him back to life – as some rumors suggest – flashbacks would be a simple solution. Shows like Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi have already demonstrated that viewers are interested in seeing characters’ backstories and the events between films, so why not show Ben’s early years as his uncle’s apprentice before he turned to the dark side?

As a huge Star Wars fan, I always felt we needed more insight into Ben Solo’s journey to becoming Kylo Ren. A film, or even a limited series, could have really explored what drove him down that path and, crucially, shown us exactly how his fall apart fractured Luke’s Jedi training and ultimately led to the collapse of the New Republic and the rise of the First Order. It would’ve added so much depth to the story!

Fans would likely appreciate seeing a flashback featuring Ben Solo, even if it appeared as part of a future Star Wars story.

6. Ben Solo Gets Chosen By The Force Itself (An Agent of Balance)

As a lifelong movie fan, I’ve always felt there’s something bigger at play with the Force – it almost has a mind of its own and a plan unfolding. That’s why I really hope we haven’t seen the last of Ben Solo’s story. It just feels like the Force isn’t done with him yet, and I’d be so intrigued to see where his journey could go.

Similar to his grandfather, Ben Solo was a remarkably powerful Force user, skilled in both the light and dark sides. Some believe, like with Anakin Skywalker, that this made him uniquely positioned to bring balance to the Force, and perhaps even deserving of a return to life.

5. A Kylo Ren Prequel Movie

The story of how Ben Solo became Kylo Ren is one of the most heartbreaking in Star Wars, but we haven’t seen much of it in the films. While comics, such as Charles Soule’s The Rise of Kylo Ren, have explored parts of his journey, a movie or Disney+ series could fully show the tragedy of Ben Solo’s transformation.

Similarly, the current Legacy of Vader comic series by Charles Soule offers a compelling look at Kylo Ren’s time as Supreme Leader between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker – a period that could make for a great Kylo Ren-focused film.

A movie focused solely on Kylo Ren would be a great way to explore his character in depth, and it could also bring Adam Driver back to the Star Wars universe.

4. The World Between Worlds

First appearing in the animated series Star Wars Rebels and later brought to life in the 2023 Ahsoka series, the World Between Worlds is a unique and potentially incredibly powerful element in the Star Wars universe that, surprisingly, hasn’t been explored much.

This is a realm that links all points in time and space using the Force, potentially letting someone change what’s meant to happen. So far, this has only happened once: Ezra Bridger saved Ahsoka Tano from dying and then sent her back to her own time.

According to Lucasfilm’s Dave Filoni, the World Between Worlds is intended for learning and understanding the Force, not for changing the past. While someone like Palpatine might have tried to alter time if he could have reached it, that wasn’t its main purpose.

Considering everything, the World Between Worlds would be perfectly suited to bring back a truly memorable character from the Star Wars universe.

It’s worth noting that Ezra Bridger actually heard Kylo Ren speaking while in the World Between Worlds. This could be a significant clue if they were to try and use that same space to restore Ben Solo.

3. Dark Force Magic Could Bring Ben Solo Back

Although cloning and scientific techniques, like those used to bring back Palpatine with the Sith Eternal, are part of Star Wars, the galaxy also features more mysterious and magical ways to resurrect the dead.

We’ve seen powerful Force users like the Nightsisters of Dathomir practice necromancy in The Clone Wars and Ahsoka, and even fully resurrect the dead, as shown with Asajj Ventress in the 2025 story Tales of the Underworld. This suggests that similar ancient Force abilities and magic could have been used to bring Ben Solo back to life.

Reviving Ben with Nightsister magic could create a uniquely unstable situation, potentially causing him to fluctuate between the light and dark sides as he tries to regain control after returning to life.

2. Ben Solo and Rey’s Unique Force Dyad Powers

The most promising way to move forward might be through the unique connection between Rey and Ben as a Force Dyad. Their bond was incredibly strong, seemingly unaffected by distance, time, or even death. They could share objects, see each other across vast distances, and even heal each other – as seen when Ben transferred his energy to save Rey, at what appeared to be the cost of his own life.

The special connection between Rey and Ben Solo, known as the Force Dyad, hasn’t been fully explained since The Rise of Skywalker. If they’re still spiritually linked, Rey might be able to bring Ben back somehow. It’s possible his mind still exists within her, thanks to their incredibly rare bond – a connection not seen for generations – and could resurface when the moment is right.

1. Ben Solo Never Died At All (He Teleported)

A widely held fan theory proposes that Ben Solo didn’t actually die on Exegol. Instead, he seemingly disappeared into the Force after using his energy to save Rey.

This disappearance probably resembled how Jedi vanish after death, similar to Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope and Yoda in Return of the Jedi. However, the unique connection between Ben and Rey as a Force dyad also introduced the idea of teleportation as a possibility in The Rise of Skywalker.

In The Rise of Skywalker, Kylo Ren and Rey weren’t limited by distance – they could fight each other from anywhere and even switch places. After Kylo, as Ben Solo, turned to the light side, Rey used the Force to send him a lightsaber, which he then used to battle the Knights of Ren.

Considering this, the story could be easily changed to show that instead of merging with the Force, Ben Solo’s body was just moved to another place – possibly even explaining the meaning behind the title ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo’.

2025-10-31 02:32