Oh dear, Kylo Ren's been worshiping the wrong Darth Vader helmet

Star Wars: The Force Awakens' churlish villain would likely throw the nearest Stormtrooper through the hull of Starkiller Base if he knew the truth behind his most beloved possession. Kylo Ren cherishes his charred Darth Vader helmet. It's a motivating force in his mission; when he talks to it, it's his equivalent of talking to his (spoiler alert!) granddaddy's gravestone. The thing is - it's not the real helmet.

Star Wars actor David Prowse knows a thing or two about the matter as he played Darth Vader. Recently he posted an image of Vader's helmet from Return Of The Jedi to his Facebook page, the very one Luke burns on a funeral pyre on Endor. And it's the prop used in this scene that Prowse revealed to the world:

One glance and you'll know it's not the same one Ren obsesses over. But is it a surprise that the prop crew on The Force Awakens opted for a new one? After all, the mask's grown a beard and the helmet now includes a mullet.

Directed by JJ Abrams and starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Andy Serkis, Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is in cinemas now.

Images: David Prowse, Lucasfilm

Gem Seddon

Gem Seddon is GamesRadar+'s west coast Entertainment News Reporter, working to keep all of you updated on all of the latest and greatest movies and shows on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Outside of entertainment journalism, Gem can frequently be found writing about the alternative health and wellness industry, and obsessing over all things Aliens and Terminator on Twitter.