All too easy!
Darth Vader, the Mustafar menace, evil Sith Lord, and Star Wars icon, defeated his arch-nemesis Obi-Wan Kenobi to win the championship in This Is Madness: The Star Wars Character Tournament, StarWars.com's annual competition in which fans vote for their favorite heroes and villains. This marks the first title win for Vader and, as is fitting for a Sith, cold-hearted revenge. In 2013 and 2014, the Sith Lord lost in the final to Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi, respectively. This year, fans embraced the power of the dark side, giving Vader decisive victories over major characters in each round, including wins over Count Dooku (88%-12%), Darth Maul (75%-25%), and Jabba the Hutt (54%-46%), before his ultimate triumph over Kenobi (57%-43%). Vader's dark shadow continues to loom over the Star Wars universe, and he has been especially prominent in 2015, with appearances in the hit animated series Star Wars Rebels, as well as his own ongoing comic book series from Marvel.
For the second straight year, StarWars.com and Wookieepedia joined their combined strengths for "Predict the Madness," sponsored by SMS Audio, giving fans the chance to fill out their own tournament brackets and win some amazing prizes. Winners will be announced tomorrow for the following prizes: 1st Prize: SMS Audio Star Wars First Edition Collectors Pack (Galactic Empire, Rebel Alliance, Boba Fett, Storm Trooper); 2nd Prize: SMS Audio Star Wars First Edition On-Ear Headphones, Galactic Empire and Limited Edition Star Wars T-Shirt; 3rd Prize: SMS Audio Star Wars First Edition On-Ear Headphones, Rebel Alliance and SMS Audio Snap Back Cap; and more, including prizes from Sideshow Collectibles. Which fans tuned into the Force and saw the future correctly? Winners will be announced tomorrow.
This Is Madness 2015 featured some of the most intense and close matchups in tournament history, as well as a few surprises. Ahsoka Tano, the fan-favorite Jedi-turned-rebel in Star Wars Rebels, won an initial Play-In matchup over three opponents, including Luke Skywalker, to gain entrance into the full tournament. Darth Maul emerged victorious over his old Master, Emperor Palpatine, 51%-49%, and in the Light Side Conference final, Obi-Wan Kenobi narrowly defeated Han Solo by less than 300 votes -- but a repeat championship was not in Obi-Wan's destiny. Never underestimate the power of the dark side.
StarWars.com and Lucasfilm thank all who voted this year, and congratulate Darth Vader and his devotees. Impressive. Most impressive.
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