Star Wars fans are debating an iconic Revenge of the Sith scene that's now one of the saga's biggest 'what if' moments

1. Entertainment
2. Movies
3. Sci-Fi Movies
4. Star Wars Movies
5. Star Wars

Star Wars fans are debating an iconic Revenge of the Sith scene that's now one of the saga's biggest 'what if' moments News By Emily Garbutt published 9 March 2026

Obi-Wan and Anakin's iconic duel is up for debate

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Lucasfilm)

• Copy link
• Facebook
• X
• Pinterest
• Flipboard
• Email

Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful

An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter

Star Wars fans are debating one of the franchise's most iconic fight scenes – and its biggest 'what if' moment.

Towards the end of Revenge of Sith, Anakin and Obi-Wan fight it out on Mustafar in their now-iconic lightsaber duel after Obi-Wan discovers that Anakin has turned to the dark side and pledged allegiance to Palpatine. Obi-Wan eventually wins the duel by taking the high ground, which allows him to sever Anakin's arms and leg, before he's left to burn in the lava.

But one fan on Reddit is wondering: would Anakin have fared better if he and Obi-Wan had stayed on a level playing field, so to speak?

You may like

• Star Wars fans have uncovered a new dimension to Qui-Gon and Darth Maul's Phantom Menace showdown
• Hayden Christensen says Robert De Niro visited the Revenge of the Sith set to watch Anakin and Obi-Wan's duel
• Star Wars fans are debating whether Obi-Wan Kenobi forgot about Leia being Luke's sister in The Empire Strikes Back

"If it wasn't the High Ground, it would have just been something else. Obi-Wan knows Anakin's patience will wear thin and he'll slip up," someone else answered.

"The RotS novel (if I recall correctly) goes into detail about how when Obi-Wan is on the defensive, he’s channeling the Force itself," another explained. "He's the master of a defensive fighting style, drawing energy from the Living Force itself. He could battle Anakin for days while Anakin would burn through his energy reserves."

"No. The thing about this fight is that Anakin was never in the right headspace to fight Obi-Wan," someone else chimed in. "The entire time Anakin is trying to kill him, Obi-Wan is looking for an opportunity to end the battle. Anakin was unbalanced, he really never stood a chance. The high ground move was just Obi-Wan's first and best opportunity to stop him."

"On a side note this is probably the stupidest move made in a lightsaber duel by a fully trained force user," noted someone else. "I don't know what he was thinking jumping over Obi-Wan so close. He left himself completely open, you can see it very clearly if you slow down the jump."

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Up next from the galaxy far, far away is Maul – Shadow Lord, which takes place after the events of Revenge of the Sith (but before A New Hope). The animated show sees the former Sith attempt to rebuild his criminal syndicate away from the Empire, where he crosses paths with a disillusioned young Jedi Padawan.

Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord arrives on Disney Plus on April 6. In the meantime, check out our guide to the other upcoming Star Wars movies and shows on the way.

TOPICS Disney Lucasfilm Emily GarbuttSocial Links NavigationEntertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related. I help bring you all the latest news, features, and reviews, as well as helming our Big Screen Spotlight column. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.

View More

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more Star Wars fans have uncovered a new dimension to Qui-Gon and Darth Maul's Phantom Menace showdown    Hayden Christensen says Robert De Niro visited the Revenge of the Sith set to watch Anakin and Obi-Wan's duel    Star Wars fans are debating whether Obi-Wan Kenobi forgot about Leia being Luke's sister in The Empire Strikes Back    Star Wars fans are debating Disney's "abandoned" saga decisions    Hayden Christensen brushes off Kylo Ren and Anakin Skywalker question, and it has Star Wars fans speculating    Andor fans are split on whether a subtle season 1 ending change was a good idea    Latest in Star Wars Movies Kathleen Kennedy says Dave Filoni taking over as Lucasfilm co-president has "been a 10-year mentoring process"    Kathleen Kennedy insists Baby Yoda won't speak in The Mandalorian and Grogu    Rotta the Hutt becomes Rotta the cut in our best look yet at the surprisingly muscular Mandalorian and Grogu villain    Pedro Pascal says it makes "perfect sense" for Din Djarin to remove his helmet in The Mandalorian and Grogu    After fake Mandalorian and Grogu image of Rotta the Hutt took off online, ILM animator debunks the picture: "It's BS"    Lucasfilm boss Dave Filoni says The Mandalorian and Grogu is "a big celebration" of the Star Wars duo    Latest in News Dragon Age 2 was originally planned to be "much bigger" before EA made other demands, says series lead    Battlefield 6 devs reportedly hit with layoffs after what EA called "the biggest launch in franchise history"    Pokemon and Palworld clones are officially out of hand, as fans react to "lawsuitmaxxing" new game Pickmon    Resident Evil Requiem actor says Capcom wanted "cinematic performances" to keep up with the technical side of the game    Arnold Schwarzenegger says he'll be in the next Predator movie and a Conan the Barbarian sequel    Elijah Wood says he "wouldn't want anybody else to play Frodo", and now we're thinking he's in The Hunt for Gollum    LATEST ARTICLES

1. 1Pokemon and Palworld clones are officially out of hand, as fans react to "lawsuitmaxxing" new game Pickmon and its "straight up rip-offs" of iconic 'mons like Charizard
2. 2After years of torturing myself over NES color accuracy, it turns out there is no consensus for how the retro console should look
3. 3Kinda sounds like Elijah Wood WILL be in Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, as he admits he "wouldn't want anybody else to play Frodo"
4. 4Resident Evil Requiem Grace actor says Capcom wanted more "cinematic performances" to keep pace with the devs "leveling up" the technical side of the horror game
5. 5How many areas there are in Pokemon Pokopia?