Obi-Wan Kenobi brings back James Earl Jones to voice Darth Vader

Spoilers ahead! If you haven't watched episode three of Obi-Wan Kenobi, turn back now!

It's official: James Earl Jones has returned to the Star Wars universe.

Obi-Wan Kenobi viewers might've noticed a familiar voice in the latest episode, which features the Jedi master battling it out with none other than Darth Vader.

While some speculated that the voice could easily be that of a different actor (seeing as Jones' involvement in the new series had not been previously announced) others insisted that there was no replacing or replicating those iconic vocals - they were right.

Jones made his Star Wars debut back in 1977, voicing Darth Vader in A New Hope. The actor reprised the role in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back – delivering the classic line that's been cemented in pop culture history: "I am your father" (which is commonly misquoted as "Luke, I am your father"). He returned to voice Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi and more recently Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and the animated series Rebels.

The actor also provided the voice of Mufasa in Disney's The Lion King in 1994, and played him yet again in Jon Favreau's computer-animated reimagining of the film in 2019.

Zach Braff also makes a surprise voiceover cameo in episode 3 as Freck, a transport driver devoted to the Empire. Much like Jones, his participation in the series was not announced.

Check out our Obi-Wan Kenobi release schedule to find out when the next episode drops on Disney Plus.