According to the Mirror, one determined bidder gave a Los Angeles auction house $898,420 for the fiberglass and foam headgear on Thursday (Sept. 26). That $898,420 along with other fees led the buyer to over $1 million for the helmet.
The screen-worn helmet was expected to fetch $250,000 – $450,000, but soared to a final price of $1,152,000 (Including buyer's premium). The auction also included a set of Darth Vader's formidable shoulder armour, also worn by Prowse on-screen in the film, which sold for $76,800.
How much is the original Darth Vader helmet worth?
Darth Vader's helmet becomes one of the most expensive Star Wars collectibles ever at $1million. Do not underestimate the strength of the Star Wars fandom, they may not have a catchy moniker like 'Trekkies' or 'Whovians', but they certainly have deep pockets.
The costume itself is owned by Bryce "Kermit" Eller, who landed a gig in 1977 making personal appearances as Darth Vader all over the country, from film premieres to book signings and even the 1978 Academy Awards. "Sometimes it was just going to a hospital and visiting sick kids," Eller said.
Original 'Empire Strikes Back' Darth Vader Costume Goes To Auction In LA
Who owns Anakin's lightsaber?
The Skywalker lightsaber eventually fell into the possession of Maz Kanata, a friend of the Skywalker family who kept the Jedi weapon hidden in her castle on Takodana during the New Republic Era.
From the Wookieepedia article on Darth Vader's armor: "The disfigured helmet of the infamous suit was scavenged from the funeral pyre,[6] and eventually found its way into the possession of Vader's grandson, Kylo Ren, a Force-sensitive dark side practitioner of the First Order."
During the battle, Anakin, who had been known as the Sith Lord Darth Vader, was redeemed by Luke and brought balance to the Force. However, the redemption cost Anakin his life, having been mortally wounded by the Emperor, Darth Sidious, while killing his former Master.
In addition to causing content pain and itchiness, the suit is so constricting that it causes him to suffer from claustrophobia. He can only find relief by meditating in specially-constructed pressurized chambers where he can temporarily take off his suit and survive.
Could be any number of reasons ranging from faulty surge protection anodes, to Starkiller and Palpatine having vastly different current frequencies and voltages in their force lightening.
Well, unless you have a cool $18.3 million lying around. The folks at Shade Station compiled the cost of Vader's suit, the majority of which goes to the $12 million base suit, as it would need to have NASA-like properties for the villain to withstand long-term exposure in space.
It would seem the obvious answer to the mystery is that Kylo Ren went to Endor and found Vader's helmet himself. Such an artifact is worth a personal mission, and it's doubtful the Ewoks would ever lay their paws on Vader's charred armor.
That is, until he duelled with Rey in a Force-connected lightsaber battle in The Rise of Skywalker, which saw the pair, who together make up a Force dyad, inadvertently destroy Vader's helmet.
Kylo Ren, while remaining anonymous, hired a bounty hunter to retrieve it from an ex Imperial stormtrooper named Jor Tribulus. Canon information states that Darth Vaders helmet was taken from his funeral pyre located on Endor in 4 ABY.
Acting primarily as a life support system, Vader's suit keeps him alive, but Sidious ensured it also kept him in pain. Vader constantly experiences excruciating pain due to the suit's design.
The heroes, including a redeemed Anakin Skywalker (a Jedi once more and now clad in an all-white version of the life-support suit he wore as Vader), agree to help the Rebels to hunt him down, with Luke saying the Emperor doesn't stand a chance.
But Palpatine also knew that, like any good Sith, Vader may one day try to usurp him. This informs his decision to give Vader obsolete tech for his suit. A cheap move perhaps, considering the technology keeping Vader alive is technically older than anything used during the Clone Wars by a decade, but an effective one.
A year later, in 4 ABY, with his health rapidly declining, Yoda died of old age when Skywalker returned to see him. He became one with the Force, shortly before Luke redeemed his father Anakin, who fulfilled his destiny as the Chosen One by killing Sidious.
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader was 45 years of age when he died. People ask for Anakin's / Vader's age at various times in his life, and I've made a timetable for major events in his life and his age at that time. It's based on canon sources.
Kylo Ren dies on Kef Bir (the ocean moon of Endor) shortly after Rey deals a mortal wound during a lightsaber duel on the wreckage of the second Death Star. Though Rey Force-heals him, saving his life physically, this blow, coupled with the memory of his mother and father, destroys the man known as “Kylo Ren” forever.
Kylo Ren idolizes a different version of Darth Vader's story, unaware of his eventual redemption and return to the light side. The mystery surrounding how Kylo Ren obtained Vader's helmet after the Battle of Endor is never addressed, leaving fans with unanswered questions about its origin and significance.
As further highlighted by Vader and Kylo's redemption stories, it was a lesson that Kylo Ren never fully learned himself, which makes Darth Vader the more powerful user of the Force between the two of them in Star Wars.
Vader's suit took care of most of his need, which also included food. The suit feed Vader nutrients, which gave him the energy he needed to continue throughout his days. He also consumed RepMed vita paste through a straw, which was located within the grills of his mask.
