A major Star Wars villain actor teased a major Sequel Trilogy retcon with another possible comeback. 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker unexpectedly brought back Emperor Palpatine, a villain deemed dead at the end of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. The Emperor's dark essence had endured through forbidden Sith rituals and a hidden cloning program on the ancient Sith world of Exegol. While he was ultimately defeated by Rey Skywalker, a new update teased another potential return. Speaking at his panel at SpaceCon San Antonio (via Popverse) in June 2026, Ian McDiarmid teased his potential return to the Star Wars franchise, admitting that he doesn't really believe Palpatine is truly dead: "But think I’m dead now, but don’t quote me….I don’t believe he’s dead.” Read full article on The Direct.