Star Wars is a film series known for its iconic and intimidating villains, so when Disney bought the rights to the franchise and announced Episode 7: The Force Awakens, they had to make a good bad guy. Someone who could stand alongside Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and Emperor Palpatine. The writers and filmmakers delivered with Kylo Ren, a.k.a. Princess Leia and Han Solo’s erstwhile son Ben Solo.

Played by Adam Driver, Kylo Ren may have come across as a Darth Vader clone at first. But whether it was his unique crossguard lightsaber, his ability to stop blaster bolts in mid-air, or just the mystery of why he wore that mask, the character made a big impact. The films and supplementary material have painted him as a complex, tough-as-nails antagonist in his own right with the revelation of his parentage making him more intriguing. Ren has made his mark among his contemporaries, which makes one wonder what kind of heinous acts he’s gotten up to offscreen.

Much of the era between Episode 6: Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens is still unknown, with the ultimate fates of several old characters and the origins of new ones unrevealed. But such is the fascination mustered by Ben Solo/Kylo Ren and his turn to the dark side that key details of his life have been told to us. And brother, some of them are a doozy. Here are 20 of the craziest things Kylo Ren did between Episode 6 and 7.

20 He Dug Up His Grandfather’s Grave

One of the first things audiences learned about Kylo Ren from The Force Awakens trailer was that he was in possession of the burned and twisted helmet of Darth Vader. That’s creepy enough by itself, but it becomes worse when we learned who Kylo Ren really was. Knowing that Ren was Vader’s grandson, this means he traveled to Endor and violated his grandfather’s resting place, where Luke Skywalker cremated Vader at the end of Episode 6, to reclaim the helmet. It’d be one thing if Ren were just a follower of Vader’s, idolizing the fallen Sith Lord, but knowing there’s a familial connection only adds to the horror. That he talks to the helmet when he’s alone doesn’t help.

19 He Started A Dark Side Team

He may be the most prominent, but Kylo Ren isn’t the only Ren out there in the galaxy. The surname of Ben Solo’s chosen alias is also used by the cult he founded, a group of Dark Side worshippers called the Knights of Ren. Formed by Ben Solo and several of his fellow students from Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Temple, the group pledged their allegiance to Supreme Leader Snoke and the First Order after destroying their master’s school. Little else is known about the Knights, but they are one of many Dark Side cults that sprang up after the Empire’s fall. Similar groups like the Acolytes of the Beyond scoured the galaxy for old Sith artifacts, like Darth Vader’s lightsaber, treating them as objects of worship.

18  He Destroyed Luke Skywalker’s Temple

What signaled Ben Solo’s turn to the Dark Side was his destruction of his uncle Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Temple. The entire incident was a tragedy, not just because Ben ended the lives of his fellow students, but also because he almost wiped out the last remnants of Jedi history as well.

Following the destruction of the second Death Star, Luke went on a quest to uncover any artifacts about the Force that Emperor Palpatine hadn’t destroyed.

He was successful, finding a sapling from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and a compass to the original temple on Ahch-To among other relics. But even these were nearly lost again when his nephew burned down their new temple. What little remained Luke took with him into exile.

17 He Was Strong With The Force In The Womb

Both Snoke and Luke Skywalker have remarked on how much raw power Kylo Ren has in the Force, partly as a result of his bloodline. This was evident even before he was born. As her pregnancy progressed, Princess Leia could actually feel her unborn son reaching out to her through the Force.

She described him as a band of light struck through with darkness.

His father Han Solo regretted that he couldn’t have the same connection with the boy, but hoped to form a fatherly bond with him despite it. Not to dump on Han, but given that his son would wind up ending his life in the future, maybe he should have tried harder.

16 He Was Born The Day The War With The Empire Ended

From the beginning, it seems like Ben Solo was destined to be at the center of Galactic events. Sure, there were probably plenty of babies born the day the Empire officially surrendered and ended the Galactic Civil War, but none of them were born to people who played such a big part in ending it. This was after the Battle of Jakku, roughly one year after the Battle of Endor when the second Death Star was destroyed. And while this hasn’t been officially confirmed, it’s led many to believe Ben Solo was conceived at the Ewok Celebration seen in Episode 6. Must have been a wild night.

15 He Was Raised By A Robot Nanny

There are downsides to having two prominent war heroes as parents. Though Princess Leia and Han Solo loved their son, they were also extremely busy putting the galaxy back together after the Empire’s collapse. Meaning that the baby Ben Solo was most often left in the care of his droid nanny, T-2LC. This backfired on the married couple though, as Leia’s political rivals bugged the droid to gain dirt on her. It was also loud and would wake up baby Ben on the rare occasions Han and Leia could watch their child themselves.

14 He Played With Han’s Famous Dice As A Toddler

Though they started out as just an easter egg, the Corellian dice Han Solo hung up in the Millennium Falcon have come to the forefront recently. They were an important symbol in Episode 8: The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story. But it turns out they were more meaningful in The Last Jedi then we knew.

A good luck charm of Han’s from his youth on Corellia, his son would actually play with them as a toddler.

The dice were a symbol of young Ben’s adoration for his father. So when the adult Kylo Ren finds them on Crait in Episode 8, or Luke’s Force illusion of them, it’s another insult from his old master. One last reminder of the love he destroyed.

13 He Had A Near-End Experience When He Was 2

One thing most people can tell about Kylo Ren right off the bat is that he’s got a few issues. Part of that’s not his fault though; he’s been through some rough stuff. Like when he was two years old and his family’s cooking droid tried to attack him with a knife. This was part of a plot by Fyzen Gor, an old enemy of Han’s, who used a device to turn any droid into a rampaging monster. The device activated while the droid was preparing Ben Solo a meal and tried to harm him instead. Thankfully the device was stopped in time, but the toddler was still left a whimpering mess from the experience. A trauma like that would affect anyone.

12 He Was Almost In Charge

Princess Leia isn’t just a name, as she actually holds that as a title. Or did, until the Empire blew up Alderaan. Still, she is genuinely a person of importance to that planet, making her son equally important. In fact, Ben Solo was almost granted something of his own. When the Lord of the planet Birren passed, Leia was found to be his closest living relative so the people offered his role to her. She was uninterested in the position and it would have passed to Ben, but he was busy with Jedi training so Leia declined on both their behalves. Ironically the person it would later go to was a collaborator with the First Order, much like the future, Kylo Ren would become.

11 He Learned His Grandfather Was Darth Vader

Out here in the real world, it’s a pretty well-known fact that Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were the same person. But in the Star Wars galaxy, this was a huge secret. So much so that when it was revealed, it ruined both Princess Leia and her son’s life. When the public learned that her real father was the Empire’s brutal enforcer, Leia’s political career was ruined and many friends turned their backs on her. But this truth had a bigger effect on Ben, stirring up all his conflicting feelings and pushing him closer to the Dark Side. Learning his heritage was the first step in his idolization of Vader. The first step toward becoming Kylo Ren.

10 He Was Manipulated From Afar By Supreme Leader Snoke

Ben Solo’s strength in the Force and potential attracted the attention of the mysterious Supreme Leader Snoke from an early age. When exactly he became aware of the boy is unclear, but it did factor into Han and Leia’s decision to send their son away to train with Luke.

Unfortunately, this played right into the ancient Dark Side user’s hands.

Being sent to train with his uncle worsened the feelings of abandonment Ben Solo already had, which Snoke manipulated to turn the young Jedi into a weapon against Luke. Snoke saw great potential in Ben, his bloodline making him a balance between light and dark side, and played on the boy’s insecurities to make him his new apprentice.

9 Luke Skywalker Tried End Him

The Last Jedi showed us the moment that turned conflicted Ben Solo into Kylo Ren. It was surprising because he didn’t fall to the Dark Side as much as he was pushed. Luke Skywalker sensed the darkness growing in his nephew and while checking in on the sleeping Ben, might have sensed Snoke’s corruption at work.

In a moment of weakness, Luke ignited his lightsaber and contemplated ending his nephew’s life for the greater good.

The feeling passed, but not before Ben saw his uncle and master standing over him ready to strike the blow. He defended himself against the perceived threat, bringing the building down on Luke, and felt so betrayed that he burned down the Jedi Temple and slaughtered the students.

8 He Sent Luke Skywalker Into Exile

Ben Solo believed his uncle had perished that night he burned down the Jedi Temple. Unbeknownst to the fallen Jedi though, his uncle survived though not without scars. Luke was so overcome with his failures as a teacher and a guardian to his nephew that he went into exile. He retreated to Ahch-To, the birthplace of the Jedi, and cut himself off from the Force, believing that groups like the Jedi would only make the galaxy a worse place. To him, his nephew was too far gone to be redeemed. Luke made have held out some hope though, because despite intending to live out his life on Ahch-To he left a map to his location with close friends.

7 He Split His Parents

Leia and Han’s marriage was never the most stable. Even after the birth of their son they were always busy and away from each other. Han was trying to find legitimate work outside of smuggling; Leia was establishing the New Republic. They still loved each other and really did think they were doing the right thing by sending Ben to be trained by Luke.

But when they learned what happened at the Jedi Temple, it was the last straw.

With their son gone, their marriage crumbled apart. Han went back to smuggling and Leia started the Resistance against the First Order. They wouldn’t see each other again until Episode 7, and that would be the last time they ever saw each other.

6 He Became Snoke’s Apprentice And Joined The First Order

After his fall to the Dark Side, Ben Solo felt that Supreme Leader Snoke was the only true friend he had. The fallen Jedi eagerly accepted the position as Snoke’s new apprentice and was enamored of the power and prestige he was given. As Leader of the First Order, Snoke played into Ben’s love of Darth Vader by giving him a similar position in the organization’s hierarchy as the late Sith Lord had in the Empire. His followers, the Knights of Ren, were also given purpose in the new order. Now able to interact face to face, Snoke pushed the young man even further to the Dark Side and warped his worldview to better serve him.

5 He Erased His Old Identity

After joining the First Order, the newly christened Kylo Ren did everything he could to erase the memory of Ben Solo. He began wearing a combat helmet to hide his face and modulate his voice to better emulate his idol, Darth Vader. Unlike Vader, this wasn’t necessary for Ren’s survival, merely a psychological device to help separate him from his old self. Snoke also made an official decree that his apprentice’s old name was never to be spoken; he was to only be referred to as Kylo Ren. The soldiers of the First Order had another name for him though.

4 He Built His Lightsaber

Something that immediately caught people’s attention about Kylo Ren was his unique lightsaber. Its design with a crossguard is actually based on old Jedi weapons used during the Sith Wars of the Old Republic era.

The smaller beams of the guard are used to vent excess plasma from the blade.

Ren isn’t the greatest crafter of sabers though as his own design is rather crude. Its kyber crystal is cracked as well, causing the ignited blade to be unstable. It has too much power in a vessel that can’t contain, an apt metaphor for the man himself.

3 He Started A Rivalry With General Hux

Though they share a Star Destroyer and wield the same authority in the First Order, Kylo Ren and General Hux despise each other. Both were rivals for the attention and praise of Supreme Leader Snoke. The source of this mutual dislike comes from how they view each other.

Hux sees Kylo Ren as a novelty and has no regard for his Force powers and mysticism.

Ren has no respect for Hux at all, seeing him as a bootlicking toady who’s all bark and no bite. Their relationship is set to take a turn now that Snoke is dead and Ren has taken his leadership role though. He’ll have less patience for Hux’s grandiosity than Snoke did.

2 He Started Searching For Luke Skywalker

Snoke always believed that Luke Skywalker and a new Jedi order were the greatest obstacles to the First Order’s conquest of the galaxy. It was one of his motivations for turning Kylo Ren to the Dark Side in the first place.

When they both learned Luke was still alive, destroying him became priority number one.

This is what led into the events of Episode 7, as the First Order discovered that an old friend of the Jedi Master, Lor San Tekka, was hiding a map to his location on Jakku. Ren went through several other false leads at first, hunting down old allies for clues as to where his uncle had fled. He was disturbed to learn Luke had survived, which added a personal layer to the search. Kylo Ren thought finding Luke would help him put his past behind him and make his grandfather proud.

1 He Handed A Man To His End During His Search

Kylo Ren retraced much of his uncle’s own journey during his search for the man. One such trip took him to the planet Pillio, where Luke had found a special Jedi compass decades before. Working off information from an old Imperial agent, Ren kidnapped Luke’s friend Del Meeko and brought him to the planet. There he interrogated Meeko with a Force mind probe for any information. Meeko gave Ren the information but as a traitor to the old Empire, it wasn’t enough to save his life. Ren handed him off to the First Order to be executed for his perceived crimes. Just one of many cruelties he distributed in his time.