The Acolyte’s [SPOILER] look was inspired by a Guillermo del Toro horror movie and Gollum’s early designs

Vernestra Rwoh in The Acolyte episode 8 — (Image credit: Lucasfilm)

The Acolyte ending may have wrapped up a fair chunk of the story in a galaxy far, far away – but a surprise villain is still waiting in the wings.

Now, creator and showrunner Leslye Headland has opened up about the reveal of the mysterious figure, and what inspired its distinctive look.

Spoilers for The Acolyte finale follow. You have been warned!

Latest Videos FromGamesRadar+

Watch full video here:

In The Acolyte finale, a shadowy, imposing – yet oddly frail – figure emerges from the shadows of Qimir’s island cave. Star Wars fans will know its name, if not the look: it’s Darth Plagueis, who would go on to be the Sith master of Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine.

"I'm very proud of the character design. It took a long time," Headland told Collider of Darth Plagueis’ squid-like features.

Headland also mentioned how it was a "Crimson Peak reference", a nod to Guillermo del Toro’s 2015 horror movie and (presumably) the red ghosts found within.

"This should not feel like a display of power, this should feel creepy. I think we achieved that," Headland explained.

The design of Darth Plagueis in was inspired by Legends and @RealGDT’s Crimson Peak“Obviously the species has been determined, if not by canon, then by Legends & definitely by head-canon for everybody. So when we were designing him & talking about his appearance, it was a lot… pic.twitter.com/JZHsYuDAVAJuly 18, 2024

In a separate interview with IndieWire, the showrunner also opened up about the "physicality" of Plagueis – or lack thereof – to “create the sense that Plagueis and the Sith aren’t the armor-clad, visually imposing, powerhouse villains we sometimes associate with the Sith.”

But we have to head to Middle-earth to see how it all ties together – particularly with an eye to The Acolyte season 2.

"The reference that I used was Gollum in Fellowship of the Ring," Headland told Collider, a reference to how Gollum’s initial design is relatively different to what we see when the character emerges into the light in The Two Towers. "You don't want to totally reveal the character design right now, but you definitely want to see enough of it that you understand this is gonna be a player."

Bad news, potentially, for the emerging partnership of Qimir and Osha. Still, at least they got to hold hands.

For more on The Acolyte, check out our latest coverage below: