Darth Plagueis The only way he was beaten was in his sleep, as he was betrayed by the one person who he believed would protect him with his life. Because of this immense power that Darth Plagueis had, it's a safe bet that Darth Vader would not be able to overpower him in a fair fight.
As Darth Vader, he was one of the strongest beings in the entire galaxy. But even then, he was never able to surpass his master, Darth Sidious. A Sith Apprentice can only become the master when they murder the one who trained them.
According to Darth Sidious, Darth Plagueis was a powerful Sith Lord who was able to use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life, a power that was reportedly to be extremely rare for one sensitive to the Force to possess, and could even be used by certain Sith Lords to prolong or even cheat death.
However, minor elements of Sidious' character betray the extent of his power, and it's hinted that in the end, it was his underestimation of his Master that led to Palpatine's death in Star Wars, which means that perhaps Plagueis truly was more powerful all along.
Was Darth Vader More Powerful Than Plagueis? [Star Wars Explained]
Who is more powerful than Palpatine?
Speaking for Legends, the best Sith Lord to rival Palpatine is Darth Vitiate, also known as Valkorian and “the Sith Emperor”. He consumed all Force energy and all living things on Nathema and Ziost, turning them into Forceless and lifeless voids.
The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. He became so powerful… the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did.
Palpatine explains that Plagueis was so powerful and wise, he had mastered the dark side of the Force to such an extent that he could cheat death and create life; unnatural abilities which are unknown to the Jedi.
However, given that this confirmation was never made into the movie, nor was it ever revisited, the idea that Darth Plagueis created Anakin remains just a theory. The same applies to whether Palpatine created Anakin, which has never been confirmed by the Star Wars canon.
Vader Outranked only by Sidious - CON: The only thing I can find that says Tarkin outranked Vader is a quote by David Filoni in 2015 during an interview about Rebels. He actually says that Tarkin outranks Vader.
Yep. Darth Maul didn't really say or show straight up that he "feared" Darth Vader, but he openly stated his belief that he could not defeat Darth Vader without the help of the Jedi, therefore on his own.
Kylo Ren is not weak, his potential is certainly as high as any of the Skywalker lineage, but I believe he simply has a misunderstanding of how the Force works, and because of this misunderstanding, he has made himself weaker.
This caused him to attempt to assassinate him in his sleep. Needless to say, Kylo Ren is almost definitely a significant threat. However, we cannot definitively say that he is more powerful than Luke. Kylo's powers are vast but they are still highly unbalanced and difficult to control.
He has decades of experience and even though Rey's brute power has seen her through every fight, Vader has the power and the skill, something Rey lacks in comparison. Rey just couldn't match up to Vader.
With Anakin's mother dead, his padawan Ahsoka estranged and his faith in Obi-Wan and the rest of the Jedi council fading, Padmé was all he had left by the climax of Revenge of the Sith. By eliminating her, Palpatine would be the only one left for Anakin to turn to and therefore would have complete control over him.
Has anyone ever told you the tragedy of Darth Plagueis?
Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?" "No." The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise was a "Sith Legend" that was shared with Anakin Skywalker by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who was secretly Darth Sidious.
No, because Darth Plagueis was superior to Sheev Palpatine when it came to lightsaber skills and combat, and Plagueis could move soo quick that he was just a blur to everyone else; Palpatine included.
For one thing, the cybernetic limbs and life-support system Palpatine installed to keep Vader alive and functioning ended up hindering him. Because of his suit, Vader was unable to use Sith lightning, forcing him to resort to other powers—like Force choking—to improve his ranged combat.
Multiple times throughout the canon Marvel comics series titled Darth Vader, Palpatine attacks Vader every time he shows weakness. He often refers to Vader as a tool that can be discarded when he is no longer of any use, and yet still Vader obeys.
