Anakin Originally Killed Mace Windu!? [Alternate Ending]

Most Star Wars fans remember the shocking moment in Revenge of the Sith when Mace Windu is struck down during his duel with Darth Sidious, with Anakin ultimately sealing Windu’s fate by cutting off his hand. But what if that scene had played out differently?

In early drafts of the script, George Lucas toyed with a far darker twist — one where Anakin Skywalker didn’t just assist in Windu’s downfall, but personally struck the killing blow. This alternate ending would have made Anakin’s betrayal even more brutal, fully cementing his fall to the dark side in one decisive act.

Anakin Joins the Dark Side Before the Jedi Attempt to Arrest Palpatine

As we know from Episode III, after Anakin’s conversation with Palpatine, he goes to Mace Windu and reveals that the Supreme Chancellor is actually the Sith Lord they have been searching for. This leads Windu and several other Jedi Masters to confront Palpatine, resulting in the tragic sequence we’re all familiar with.

However, in the early draft of the story, George Lucas originally planned for Anakin to embrace the dark side before the Jedi confronted Palpatine. In this version, Anakin would already be aligned with Sidious when the Jedi arrived, changing the entire dynamic of the confrontation.

With this information, we can begin to see how the alternate version of events may have led to a shocking twist — one where Anakin himself, not Sidious, was the one to kill Mace Windu.

From the script:

“The following is a summation of Anakin’s turn as originally written and filmed: Palpatine reveals his true identity to Anakin, telling him that the Jedi are planning to take over the Republic and to accept the Sith and the dark side. Anakin is conflicted but distrusts the Jedi — his mind is being influenced by the dark side already and he chooses to stay with Palpatine, essentially accepting the Sith in this scene. Mace and the Jedi then enter Palpatine’s office — with Anakin present beside Palpatine. Mace tells Anakin to get behind him but Anakin remains where he is. When the Jedi ignite their lightsabers to arrest him, Palpatine uses the Force to retrieve Anakin’s lightsaber and the fight begins.”

The Revenge of the Sith Game Reveals Anakin Killing Mace Windu

From the script, we only know one clear detail: Anakin was already standing with Palpatine — essentially aligned with the Sith — before the fight between Windu and Sidious began. What’s missing in that draft is Anakin directly taking part in the duel against Mace Windu.

This is where Revenge of the Sith: The Video Game becomes really interesting. The game was developed using early drafts of the script, so it includes material that never made it to the final film. For example, we actually see Anakin face Jedi Master Cin Drallig, a sequence that was even filmed for the movie but later cut because of how violent it was. Instead, the final version reduced it to a brief hologram — if you remember the scene in the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan and Yoda watch security footage of Anakin cutting down Drallig and the Padawans. This hologram is the only surviving glimpse of that original duel, serving as a chilling reminder of how far Anakin had fallen.

But the game goes even further. Alongside the Drallig fight, it also shows a shocking alternate version of Mace Windu’s death. In this version, it isn’t Sidious who delivers the fatal blow — it’s Anakin himself. During the duel with Palpatine, Anakin stabs Windu straight through the stomach, making his betrayal far more direct and brutal.

It’s unclear whether this exact sequence was ever fully planned for the film or only explored in drafts and game adaptations. What we do know is that George Lucas originally considered versions of the story where Anakin personally killed Windu, before the final cut shifted the emphasis to Sidious striking him with Force lightning.

In case you’ve never seen it, here’s the video of that alternate fight: