ben solo and the underworld

Ben Solo is no stranger to death. By all rights, at the beginning of the sequel trilogy, Ben Solo is dead. Kylo Ren boasts as such when reunited with Han Solo; and we see this continuously throughout the films. Kylo Ren is a ghost, tied deeply to the underworld, and cannot touch the land of the living: he visits "dead" planets such as Jakku, apparently resides on Starkiller (a frozen planet, sure, but also a dead one, whose core as a Light Side staple has been hollowed out to become a weapon of mass destruction), and stays aboard mechanical star destroyers.

Many people over the years, have pointed out this habit of Kylo Ren only being able to visit other dead locations, with the exception of how the Force Awakens plays with the Hades & Persephone myth: Rey's first introduction to Kylo Ren plays out like the Kidnapping of Persephone from Greek Mythology: this is the only time that we see Kylo Ren on a planet that can be considered living, and it is to steal a young maiden (Rey was even seen eating a fruit resembling a pomegrante a few scenes prior!) to take back to the underworld (Starkiller) with him, and despite being present (to Rey) on Ahch-To, the audience only ever sees him separate from the life that is rife on the planet.

On Starkiller, Kylo Ren tells Han that he has destroyed Ben Solo. Han denies this, that Ben Solo is still alive, buried beneath Kylo Ren's mask, but Ren assures him this is not the case. Ben Solo is functionally dead, and Kylo Ren's appearance proves it: his apperance is demonic, calling forth similarities to Ghostface from Scream, whose mask is meant to be a stylistic ghost, the way that stormtroopers are meant to be stylistic skeletons. In the Force Awakens, he takes on the role of Hades - stealing Persephone, and he's never seen on a living planet again, until the Rise of Skywalker, which crucially takes place a year later in the timeline.

He arrives on Kef Bir for a similar reason he leaves Takodana: he wants to take Rey with him to Exegol (functionally, the underworld). So it's Hades returning for Persephone, for the next cycle of autumn and winter. But Rey is still enraged from his betrayal aboard the Supremacy, and in her own flirtation with the dark side - kills Kylo Ren. She does then heal Ben Solo before leaving, but now functionally...Kylo Ren is dead also. If Ben and Kylo are both dead, then what does that mean?

So then we get Ben having his conversation with memory/ghost Han; communing with the spirit of his father at the very least, and Han declares his son to still be alive. Which, yes, Rey did functionally heal Ben enough we can say that he is "alive" now, but for how long? You'd have to give everything of yourself to bring someone back from the dead. So...where does Ben go from here?

He goes back to the underworld. Only this time, it is to save Rey from the ruler of the Underworld, who wants her to take his place and rule his kingdom; it is now Ben Solo trying to save Rey from the very thing he used to try to entice her with. But then, whilst in the underworld, Rey dies.

But Ben/Kylo has been functionally dead all along, except for what little life Rey gave him before: so he gives it back to her, in his final journey back to the underworld in order to save her from it. In doing so, he finishes what his grandfather started (saving the woman he loves from death), and becomes one with the Force.

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