As Powerful As Darth Vader Was, Palpatine Was Always Greater Vader didn't stand a chance against Palpatine because Palatine had the upper hand from the beginning.
As the Chosen One in his prime, it's quite possible that Anakin would have had a strong chance of defeating Palpatine aka Dark Sidious. Palpatine himself told Yoda before their Revenge of the Sith duel on Coruscant that Darth Vader would become more powerful than either of them as he continued to grow in the dark side.
The light side is said to be stronger than the dark, but Palpatine's connection to the Force appears to have grown far stronger in Return of the Jedi. So while Luke may have bested him in terms of athletics, Palpatine's Force-powers could very likely give him the victory.
Anakin Skywalker is the most powerful individual there ever was and ever will be in Star Wars, that statement should give quite a brief and conclusive answer to the question. To explain further though, Rey was a Palpatine. Her grandfather, Sheev Palpatine/Darth Sidious, was one of the most powerful beings to ever live.
Nevertheless, it's fascinating that the one Star Wars character who knows their abilities best is willing to consider that Darth Vader may genuinely be stronger than Palpatine.
3 Deleted Scenes LITERALLY CHANGE how Anakin Became Vader
Can Vader beat Palpatine?
Vader knew that he could never defeat Palpatine by himself (especially after his master bested him on Exegol as well), which is why he tried to recruit Luke to help overthrow him during the Empire Strikes Back. He may have not been able to overthrow the Emperor, but he could throw him over the railing to save his son.
Despite being the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker was not the most powerful Jedi in Star Wars, as that honor goes to Ahsoka Tano. The Star Wars prequel trilogy focused on Anakin's desire to become the most powerful Jedi, and while he became very strong in the Force, his lust for power drove him to the dark side.
George Lucas has stated that while Anakin had the most potential, in the form of a high midichlorian count, Luke Skywalker is the most powerful Jedi of all time — yes, topping Yoda, Revan, Nomi Sunrider, etc. This is due to more refined power.
As the grandson of Anakin Skywalker (on his mother's side), one of the most powerful Force users in the galaxy, Kylo Ren has the appropriate bloodline to destroy Palpatine. It was a redeemed Anakin Skywalker who killed Palpatine the first time, and the same midi-chlorians flow through Ren's veins.
Yoda still stands as one of the most powerful characters in Star Wars, yet even he couldn't defeat Palpatine. After their battle in Revenge of the Sith, Yoda felt beaten and fled into exile on Dagobah, where he hid away for 19 years.
Even though Palpatine's kindness towards Anakin was always fake, he still had respect for Anakin's power. But now that Anakin is beaten and scarred, Palpatine has lost all respect for him.
Obi-Wan faced off against Darth Vader four times and physically beat him twice while beating him through his Force development in a third fight. Obi-Wan Kenobi had the high ground that led to Vader's disfigurement and becoming the ultimate Star Wars cyborg.
The realistic answer seems to be, yes, Anakin in his prime could have defeated Luke Skywalker (in the current canon) if they battled one-on-one. The main reason behind this is Luke's lack of formal Jedi training, at least when it comes to combat.
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.
In those movies, Mace was someone who loved confrontation, with his bullish ways usually winning arguments. However, he rubbed many the wrong way, and as the novel detailed, he was someone vehemently against Anakin joining the Jedi Order.
Vader had been using all his energy to intimidate Luke, so when the actual fight began in a flash, he was already weak and panting. This leads to another huge factor, which is the age difference. While Luke was a young and spry 23-year-old, Vader was reaching his late 40s.
Yoda's presence on Dagobah was likely hidden due to his mastery of Force Stealth and the planet's connection to the Force. Yoda, with his enhanced Force abilities and potential home-field advantage, would have had the upper hand against Darth Vader if they engaged in a lightsaber duel.
if you mean: 'more evil,' then I would say Palpatine. He tortured a child who was trying to protect his father, and he didn't even blink in hesitation, in fact, he actually seemed to enjoy himself.
