The Acolyte’s [SPOILER] look was inspired by a Guillermo del Toro horror movie and Gollum’s early designs
My precious
![Vernestra Rwoh in The Acolyte episode 8](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7zSHZy3QHYxmhgcArvhxHh-320-80.jpg)
The Acolyte ending may have wrapped up a fair chunk of the story in a galaxy far, far away – but a surprise villain is still waiting in the wings.
Now, creator and showrunner Leslye Headland has opened up about the reveal of the mysterious figure, and what inspired its distinctive look.
Spoilers for The Acolyte finale follow. You have been warned!
In The Acolyte finale, a shadowy, imposing – yet oddly frail – figure emerges from the shadows of Qimir’s island cave. Star Wars fans will know its name, if not the look: it’s Darth Plagueis, who would go on to be the Sith master of Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine.
"I'm very proud of the character design. It took a long time," Headland told Collider of Darth Plagueis’ squid-like features.
Headland also mentioned how it was a "Crimson Peak reference", a nod to Guillermo del Toro’s 2015 horror movie and (presumably) the red ghosts found within.
"This should not feel like a display of power, this should feel creepy. I think we achieved that," Headland explained.
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The design of Darth Plagueis in was inspired by Legends and @RealGDT’s Crimson Peak“Obviously the species has been determined, if not by canon, then by Legends & definitely by head-canon for everybody. So when we were designing him & talking about his appearance, it was a lot… pic.twitter.com/JZHsYuDAVAJuly 18, 2024
In a separate interview with IndieWire, the showrunner also opened up about the "physicality" of Plagueis – or lack thereof – to “create the sense that Plagueis and the Sith aren’t the armor-clad, visually imposing, powerhouse villains we sometimes associate with the Sith.”
But we have to head to Middle-earth to see how it all ties together – particularly with an eye to The Acolyte season 2.
"The reference that I used was Gollum in Fellowship of the Ring," Headland told Collider, a reference to how Gollum’s initial design is relatively different to what we see when the character emerges into the light in The Two Towers. "You don't want to totally reveal the character design right now, but you definitely want to see enough of it that you understand this is gonna be a player."
Bad news, potentially, for the emerging partnership of Qimir and Osha. Still, at least they got to hold hands.
For more on The Acolyte, check out our latest coverage below:
- The Acolyte episodes 1-4 review
- The Acolyte episode 5 review
- The Acolyte episode 6 review
- The Acolyte episode 7 review
- The Acolyte release schedule
- What is the Great Hyperspace Disaster?
- What is cortosis?
- What is vergence?
- What is The High Republic? The Acolyte’s new Star Wars era explained
- When does The Acolyte take place on the Star Wars timeline?
- Who is the masked villain in The Acolyte? What we know about the Star Wars Sith explained
- New Star Wars show The Acolyte's sets were so big and detailed, the actors needed a map to get around and were literally “tripping on mushrooms”
- Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae on joining The Acolyte, making history as a Jedi, and why he thinks Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland has a "fresh take" on Star Wars
- The Acolyte creator talks pitching The High Republic – and the biggest challenge behind the new Star Wars era
- Star Wars' cute new droid has an incredibly wholesome inspiration behind it
- The Acolyte crew built lightsabers for the new Star Wars show that could be used "the way Darth Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn use them"
- Upcoming Star Wars movies
- Star Wars timeline
- How to watch the Star Wars movies in order
I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.