Another Star Wars fan here. Definitely one of the most iconic villains in cinema history. Watching the prequels, you can't help but feel a sense of foreboding knowing how the little boy Anakin became the leader of the Empire and then met his tragic death.

Villain or hero? I think he is both. We first met him as the unsympathetic villain, but after six movies, we learn that he is more than that. His story unfolds more like a classic tale of the tragic hero to me. Someone who went from idealistic to jaded, then evil, before redeeming himself. But then, despite the redemption, we can't overlook all the evil he has done. Death was the only way his story could've ended.