We know that Vader suffered devastating burns after his lightsaber duel with Obi-Wan. He had to transition into his famous armor to protect him from them. Yet, if he hadn’t been burned on Mustafar, what would his outfit have looked like? He most likely would have followed in the path of Anakin-turned-Vader.
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What Would Vader Wear If He Had Not Burned on Mustafar?
Determining what Vader’s outfit would have looked like rests on the thinking about what would happen to Vader if he had not burned on Mustafar. The burns he suffered were the most devastating part of his loss to Obi-Wan and made his custom-made suit necessary.
As this video explores, if Vader lost to Obi-Wan, but did not get burned, he would have still undergone an operation for new cybernetic legs and an arm. Vader was also still filled with anger after Palpatine told him that he had killed Padme, and he fully transitioned into a dark lord. Yet, Vader would wear “all dark robes and chest armor” and have his face exposed, possibly like the Battlefront 4 concept art.
This possibly seems probable since even Vader’s real suit followed “an ancient Sith tradition” of wearing heavy armor. Of course, Vader’s armor completely sealed him in to protect his burned lungs and skin. A modified suit would not need a life-support system and accompanying protective helmet.
One answer to our question then is Vader would wear a slimmed-down version of his actual armor with probable enhancements for his replacement limbs.
On the other hand, Vader could have adorned something that approximated an outfit from the comics. In Darth Vader #50, the finale of the series, he creates his own “Death Star Armor” with enhanced strength and technology incorporated into it. We could imagine that Vader bulked up his suit, instead of slimming it down.
Would Vader Have Looked More Like Anakin?
However, we could also see how Vader may dispense with the armor and look more like Anakin with a dark outfit. On that note, fans have commented on the potential for Vader/Anakin to look the way the Ahsoka show depicted him. This is an equally compelling idea.
In Episode 4 of Ahsoka, we saw the return of Anakin/Vader when Ahsoka fell into the World Between Worlds. We can rewatch part of the scene here and take note of Anakin/Vader appearing as he had in Revenge of the Sith, albeit slightly older.
At this point, we could view this Anakin as a “more balanced Vader” who has reconciled his connections to both the light and dark sides of the Force. Anakin/Vader reflects a “duality” with his warm Jedi and anger-filled Sith sides. We could claim that if Vader had not burned on Mustafar, he could have appeared this way too.
This animated video brings us in a similar trajectory, but depicts Anakin/Vader fueled by the dark side. Since he did not have to spend time confined in his suit or in a meditation chamber, Vader/Anakin could focus on getting stronger and retaining a more flexible outwear. He might lose some of his intimidation factor, but gain freedom from his prison suit.
Which Outfit Would Vader Wear?
We have several possibilities for what Vader would have worn if he had not been burned on Mustafar. Most likely Vader would have retained the dark outfit that he wore as a Jedi-turned-Sith.
He would have wanted to continue his progression into Anakin-Vader following the fight with Obi-Wan. This outfit version also corresponds with how we saw him in Ahsoka, which provided a window into what could have been.