Star Wars couldn’t have asked for a more foreboding cabal of villains than the dreaded Sith Lords, many of whom vary in power in both Legends and canon. These nefarious individuals wield the immense power of the dark side of the Force, in direct antithesis to their Jedi competitors. As a result, the two factions have fought relentlessly for thousands of years, building up a series of pivotal moments in the history of the Sith Order.
Sith become more powerful as they unlock secrets of the dark side, and certain practitioners have gone down in legend as the best of the best. These fearsome foes channeled all their hatred, malice, and passion, wreaking havoc across the galaxy in both continuities. It’s worth noting that many of the more powerful Sith are reserved for Star Wars Legends, but many impressive feats are also canon. While it’s challenging to fully quantify the most powerful Sith considering non-canon events and the sheer variety of dark side abilities, here are 26 of the most powerful Sith Lords in Star Wars.
30 Darth Malgus
Darth Malgus may be familiar to those who know the history of the Old Republic. Physically, he resembles Darth Vader in many ways, right down to his choice of attire. Malgus was singular in his goals and immensely powerful in the dark side of the Force. After receiving severe injuries in battle, Malgus did as many Sith do, relying on a special mask to help him breathe. He wielded a variety of Force abilities with frightening ease, driven entirely by his anger. Yet, for all his hatred, Malgus was rather pragmatic, as opposed to cruel, like many other Sith.
Malgus’ main appearances in Star Wars come from the video game, Star Wars: The Old Republic. The canon status of this game is unclear, to say the least. While never confirmed as canon, the game takes place so far before the Skywalker saga began that it could easily be part of the official continuity. If this was the case, Darth Malgus would be canon also, after appearing in the game and its many expansion packs.
29 Kylo Ren
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Manipulated from a young age by Darth Sidious via Supreme Leader Snoke, Ben Solo was enamored by the dark side and the power he could draw from it. A seeming act of betrayal by his uncle Luke Skywalker was all that was needed for Ben to take the final plunge into darkness, drawing upon his rich bloodline in an attempt to emulate his grandfather, Darth Vader. Although having redeemed himself before death, Kylo Ren demonstrated a range of abilities that many Force users haven’t been known to use, including freezing blaster bolts in mid-air for a prolonged period of time.
Kylo Ren was not technically a Sith, though it could be argued that his manipulation by Darth Sidious put him in the same category.
Despite this, Kylo Ren was not technically a Sith, though it could be argued that his manipulation by Darth Sidious put him in the same category. Ren’s power with the dark side of the Force could easily see him ranked as a Sith Lord, without ever officially earning the title. His apprenticeship of Snoke – and therefore Sidious – certainly positions him as a Sith apprentice as part of Star Wars’ Sith Rule of Two. Kylo first appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens before playing a big role in the next two movies of Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy.
28 Asajj Ventress
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Asajj Ventress was once the trainee of Count Dooku until she realized she’d never be able to rise the ranks due to the Rule of Two that Darth Sidious adhered to. She was also blessed with a streak of goodness that eventually overcame her evil ways, prompting her to change her life around for the better. She turned to bounty hunting, but her background as one of the Nightsisters meant that she was more powerful in the Force than many realized. Her people drew on ancient Force powers resembling witchcraft and darkness in order to fuel their rage and strength.
Similar to Kylo Ren, Ventress was never officially initiated into the Sith during Star Wars: The Clone Wars, where she first appeared in Star Wars canon. However, her role as an apprentice of Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus meant that she was taught in the ways of the Sith. As a result, she can be classified as a Sith during her darkest point in the Clone Wars, though her somewhat redemption can make her inclusion in the Sith category somewhat murky.
27 Ulic Qel-Droma
A former Jedi, Ulic fell to the dark side of the Force and has since become a storied member of the Sith religion. Qel-Droma’s gifts were largely natural, as his training was minimal during his younger years. Nevertheless, Qel-Droma rose to become one of the most profound Sith in history. His corruption opened the door to many Force abilities that had previously been off-limits. Mind control and increased agility are two that he often used during his skirmishes. In the end, Qel-Droma abandoned the Sith ways and reverted to the light side, until he was slain by a vengeful Jedi.
Similar to Sith Lords like Marka Ragnos, Qel-Droma first appeared in the Tales of the Jedi comic series, specifically Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi — Ulic Qel-Droma and the Beast Wars of Onderon. This was during Ulic’s Jedi days, before going on to appear in the miniseries of Tales of the Jedi – Dark Lords of the Sith after falling to the dark side. Due to his natural power in the Force, Ulic Qel-Droma ranks among some of the most powerful Sith Lords in Star Wars Legends.
26 Savage Oppress
Though his time as an agent of the Sith was brief, the history of Savage Opress in the Star Wars timeline is nevertheless impressive. Having been created by the Nightsisters before being trained by Count Dooku, Savage Opress successfully killed Jedi for his master during the Clone Wars, and even survived an attempt at killing Dooku himself thanks to the Nightsisters’ manipulations. Savage is also credited with bringing about the return of his brother Darth Maul to the galaxy.
Finding a new master in Maul, Savage helps his brother establish his own power base in the galaxy’s criminal underworld. This resulted in the takeover of Mandalore as a means to draw out Obi-Wan Kenobi. However, Savage and Maul were eventually seen as rivals to Darth Sidious’ power, resulting in Savage’s murder and Maul’s temporary capture at the hands of Palpatine himself.
25 Darth Maul
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Darth Maul represents the epitome of elite Sith physical training, tied directly into the dark side of the Force. Raised from a young age by Darth Sidious, Maul was forged in the fires of hatred and destruction, becoming a living weapon with a frightening degree of power. As a Sith Lord, Maul worked clandestinely from the shadows to undermine his master’s opponents and pave the way for his Order’s ascension. After being vanquished in a fight with Obi-Wan Kenobi, he lost his master’s favor and Maul became a renegade seeking to undermine the Sith, all while amassing power for himself.
Had Maul continued as Sidious’ apprentice, he may very well have succeeded in taking his place. Maul debuted in George Lucas’ first prequel film, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. After his supposed death, the character’s rage-fuelled journey continued in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, making him one of Star Wars’ most powerful canon Sith Lords.
24 Darth Desolous
Having first appeared in Legends as a foe to be fought by Starkiller in The Force Unleashed video game, Darth Desolous may have been one of the Lost Twenty, a group of Jedi Masters who left the Order such as Darth Tyranus, though Legends suggests he was expelled. A Pau’an Dark Lord of the Sith, Legends saw Desolous raising an army in revenge where 2,000 Jedi were killed in the ancient past. While it’s unknown if that event remains canon, Deslous himself was canonized thanks to the Sith Eternal legions in The Rise of Skywalker.
23 The Stranger
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Introduced in The Acolyte, the being known as the Stranger – who sometimes goes by the alias of Qimir – lived a hundred years before the Skywalker saga. Another former Jedi, the Stranger combined a cortosis helmet and gauntlet with unusual lightsaber forms that meant he could even single-handedly take on entire groups of Jedi. Like many of the most powerful Sith, the Stranger could conceal his own darkness to the extent he played the fool in front of Jedi Masters, who were unable to sense his true intent.
The Stranger’s Force powers are quite unusual; at one point, he even demonstrated the ability to heal with the dark side, something that had previously been thought impossible in canon. His true power is still something of a mystery, but it seems to be tied to his cortosis helmet, which blocks Jedi from sensing his attacks while also allowing him to focus in the dark side. More will surely be revealed should The Acolyte be renewed for a second season.
22 Marka Ragnos
The first Sith Empire had many legends, and one of its most fearsome was the dreaded Marka Ragnos. This dark side practitioner was one of the most infamous Sith Lords, helping to forge the direction of the Sith movement as the centuries rolled on. He’s one of the most fabled figures in Sith lore and was said to be even more powerful than the wisest and most skilled Jedi. So powerful was his dark side training that Ragnos could maintain his spirit many millennia after his death, awakening during the time of the New Republic to try his hand again.
Like Darth Malgus, Marka Ragnos was mentioned plenty of times in the Star Wars: The Old Republic video game. However, Ragnos’ first appearance came in the sixth issue of Tales of the Jedi – Dark Lords of the Sith, a Legends comic book miniseries. The comic was written by Tom Veitch and Kevin J. Anderson and centered on the exploits of other Sith Lords, including Ragnos.
21 Freedon Nadd
One of the key figures in Old Republic lore, Freedon Nadd was Exar Kun’s master and a major player in the galaxy for generations after his physical death. He ruled Onderon for a hundred years after subjugating the world, but his true power extended far beyond. Originally a member of the Jedi Order, Nadd abandoned their teachings and went on to lay the groundwork for the Sith’s ascension. He would even serve as master to future Sith Lord Exar Kun, a being so powerful that he would haunt the Massassi Temples on Yavin 4 long after his demise.
Freedon Nadd was a Legends Sith Lord, who first appeared in the aforementioned Tales of the Jedi comic series. Going on to appear in the miniseries spinoff – Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith – as well as being mentioned in Legends games such as Star Wars: The Old Republic and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Nadd was an exceptionally powerful Sith. Like the other Legends Sith on this list, Nadd could easily be made canon due to his reign early on in the Star Wars timeline.
20 Darth Zannah
The apprentice of Darth Bane, Darth Zannah has only been name-dropped in canon; in Legends, though, she’s an absolute powerhouse. Zannah is a skilled warrior, and she perfected the defensive form Soresu to such an extent she was able to weave Sith incantations during the fiercest duel. This was Zannah’s true power; she was a Sith sorceress of prodigious talent, able to drive Jedi mad or summon destructive tendrils of sheer darkness. Zannah could conceal her presence even from her fellow Sith.
19 Exar Kun
Exar Kun was introduced in the same Star Wars Legends comics as his master, an ancient Sith Lord who haunted the Massassi Temples on Yavin 4 which were used by the Rebellion as seen in A New Hope. Years later, Kun managed to corrupt one of Luke Skywalker’s Jedi disciples and turn him into a weapon before his influence was broken. It took the combined efforts of Skywalker’s entire academy to overcome Kun’s will and banish him back into the darkness. In his prime, Kun was so unbelievably powerful that even his dark side-imbued lightsaber could corrupt stalwart Jedi Masters.
18 Darth Tyranus
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Darth Tyranus represents a typical being corrupted by the dark side through the desire to do good. Once a predominant member of the Jedi Order before he became frustrated with its inefficiencies. Dooku eventually left the Order to expose the Republic Senate’s corruption and pave the way for change. This led Dooku down a complicated path towards his Sith ascension which was hinted at during his first appearance in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Since then, Dooku has appeared several canon projects including the animated miniseries Tales of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Darth Sidious capitalized on this desire to turn Dooku to the dark side, and Darth Tyranus was born. He mistakenly believed that he could bring the galaxy together by doing away with galactic corruption, but in truth, he was just a pawn for Sidious to assume absolute power and crown himself Emperor of a new Galactic Empire. Even in his advanced years, Dooku’s main source of power was his incredible skill as a lightsaber duelist, often ranking among the best seen in the Jedi Order or among the Sith Lords.
17 The “Rogue Sith”
Star Wars’ new “Rogue Sith” was encountered by Luke Skywalker between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Not unlike Momin, all the pain and darkness of this unnamed Rogue Sith was used to maintain his spirit within his own Sith kyber crystal long after his death. As such, Luke confronts this living pain during an attempt to heal the kyber, finding himself in a spiritual manifestation of the Sith warlord’s great hall. As such, It certainly seems as though this Rogue Sith had great influence and power during one of the various Sith empires of the Old Republic.
16 Lumiya
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Palpatine’s successor to lordship of the Sith, Lumiya was skilled and powerful enough to take on Luke Skywalker at the height of his powers. Although best known for her lightsaber whip, Lumiya was trained in many Force talents that made her a potent warrior. Ironically, though, she suffered the same handicap as Darth Vader; a cyborg, her cybernetic limbs disrupted her connection to the Force, limiting her potential. That’s probably a good thing for the galaxy; even with these limitations, she was a force to be reckoned with.
15 Darth Malak
One of the main villains of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Darth Malak was a fallen Jedi who became one of the most terrifying Lords of the Sith. A skilled Sith sorcerer, he could summon whirlwinds in the Force, utter screams that paralyzed his opponents, and even suppress the Force powers of another for a time. Most disturbing of all, he learned the secret of draining the life essence of another into himself, restoring his own strength.
14 Darth Revan
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Revan was an ancient Sith who started as a powerful Jedi, becoming disillusioned by the death and destruction wrought during the Old Republic’s war with the Mandalorians and deciding to forge a new path for himself. Revan was seduced by the dark side and intended to use his power to bring order and peace to the galaxy, by any means. The Jedi managed to wipe his memory, giving Revan a second chance to redeem himself, eventually leading to him averting a galactic catastrophe by confronting his former pupil, Darth Malak, and defeating him in combat.
The powerful Sith Lord verges closest on being canon out of all his Legends counterparts.
Darth Revan was first introduced as the playable character in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Since then, Revan has become an immensely popular Old Republic-era character, going on to appear in a vast number of stories. While much of the Old Republic is still classed as Star Wars Legends, Revan appeared in a deleted scene during Star Wars: The Clone Wars and was the namesake for a Sith Eternal legion in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, meaning the powerful Sith Lord verges closest on being canon out of all his Legends counterparts.
13 Darth Bane
Darth Bane is a historical figure in the Star Wars universe, having existed a thousand years before the Clone Wars. Bane’s power took on many different forms, from being the only Sith to survive the Jedi-Sith war to single-handedly establishing the Rule of Two, designed to circumvent the competitive nature of the Sith. This allowed the Sith to remain cloaked in the shadows for a thousand years while the Republic and Jedi Order became complacent. Darth Sidious affirmed Bane’s faith in the belief when he successfully orchestrated a plot to give himself ultimate power and create a Sith-based Galactic Empire.
Originally, Darth Bane was a character from the Star Wars Expanded Universe, introduced around the time of Lucas’ prequel trilogy. However, Bane was implemented into Star Wars canon much in the same way Darth Revan was. An appearance in Star Wars: The Clone Wars officially cemented the powerful Sith Lord as canon in the eyes of Lucasfilm after the studio established the animated series as part of the Star Wars franchise’s canon.
12 Darth Sion
Almost all Sith pursue immortality. Darth Sion is one of the few to have learned the secret – albeit in the most horrific manner possible. His anger and hatred was so great that he was able to repossess his broken body after any defeat, essentially making himself unkillable. Darth Sion’s strength in the dark side made him immune to almost any dark side attacks, while he could manifest a staggering variety of offensive abilities. As seen in Knights of the Old Republic, Sion could only be defeated when he was persuaded to let himself die.
11 Darth Nihilus
Few Sith were as haunting and terrifying as Darth Nihilus, a Sith Lord who was almost an apparition, rather than a man. He barely spoke, preferring instead to communicate through the Force, which made him almost impossible to reason with. He was also monstrously powerful and capable of incredible feats of dark side prowess.
Nihilus had an inexhaustible hunger that drove him to drain the life force of other beings to satisfy himself. When the ravages of his affliction became too much to handle, Nihilus was forced to bind his spirit to a ceremonial mask and a suit of armor in order to remain pinned in physical form. He was regarded as a “wound” in the Force; a dark anomaly the galaxy had never before seen.
Nihilus was first introduced in the same era as Darth Revan, Darth Bane, and many other notable Sith Lords: the Old Republic. Nihilus’ first appearance came in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords. This, along with many other Old Republic stories, fleshed out his backstory. While this story has since become Legends under Disney, Nihilus as a being is canon, though his history remains at Disney’s mercy to retell or re-canonize.