This story is literally riddled with Star Wars: The Last Jedi spoilers. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, fellow Kylo crushers. 

In a galaxy far, far away lives a bad boy villain with a hero’s heart who’s deeply misunderstood. His name is Kylo Ren—but his family calls him Ben—and I’d burn down the damn galaxy for him. 

As I watched The Last Jedi, I found my erstwhile unshakeable loyalty to the Light Side of the Force wavering greatly. In Rian Johnson’s first instalment of the new trilogy, we see Kylo laid bare before our eyes. And, by the end of the movie, I was rooting for the dark side. 

So, what exactly is so fanciable about Kylo, I hear you ask? His dark and brooding nature and his stormy good looks make him a kind of Space Snape crossed with Mr Darcy. Moreover, Kylo has an intense and palpable sensitivity and vulnerability; the likes of which we haven’t seen before in an on-screen villain.

In The Last Jedi, we begin to gain an understanding of the inner machinations of Kylo’s mind. This villain isn’t sadistic, nor does he want to fuck shit up just for the sake of it. He’s young and scared and—like so many of us—he wants to be recognised for who he is, and not what his legacy demands of him. “Let the past die if you have to,” he says. “That’s the only way to become what you were meant to be.” This struggle to break ties with his parents to forge a new path for himself is a universal struggle which feels particularly human. 

While many of you may disagree with me on this next point, it behooves me to say that there’s something brave and admirable in finding the courage to forge a new path for yourself, independent to that of your parents.

Kylo oscillates between anger and fear and uncertainty for most of the film. At several points, he appears on the brink of tears. As a person with a penchant for men in touch with their emotions, I find this sensitivity very endearing. Kylo’s just a big bundle of raw emotions. 

Casting my mind back over our movie bad boy crushes of the past, I can’t think of anyone else who shares Kylo’s emotional rawness. Cruel Intentions’ Sebastian Valmont doesn’t really give us a glimpse of ANY emotion until he accidentally falls in love with Annette. 10 Things I Hate About You’s resident misunderstood bad boyPatrick Verona’s only vulnerable moment is when he sings “I Love You Baby” at the top of his voice. You wouldn’t catch Kylo doing that. And, Draco Malfoy (my high school crush) isn’t on the same emotional echelon as Kylo, either. And he certainly lacks the guts to disobey his parents’ wishes. 

But, the final straw in my switching to the Dark Side for me came when Kylo tell us his side of the story about what really went down with Luke Skywalker in the first Jedi temple. A side of the story which doesn’t quite match up to Luke’s version of events. 

Needless to say, if you’ve not seen The Last Jedi yet, you literally need to stop reading right now. (You also need to take a long hard look in the mirror and get the hell down to the cinema!) The very fact that Luke Skywalker LIED about the fact he tried to kill Kylo made any remaining trust in the Light Side completely evaporate. 

My mind is made up: Kylo Ren is the man I’m following into battle. The days of the Light Side are numbered. 

Read more: http://mashable.com/2017/12/20/last-jedi-kylo-ren-crush/