Why Anakin THOUGHT Padme Was CHEATING on Him?

The moment Obi-Wan appears on Mustafar, Anakin’s done. You can see it in his face—he doesn’t care what Padmé says after that.

I used to think it was just about anger, but turns out, there’s more going on there. I started finding out what built up to that moment, and now the whole thing makes a lot more sense.

Palpatine Planted the Idea, But It Was Already Building

What really pushed Anakin into thinking something was going on between Padmé and Obi-Wan wasn’t just his own paranoia—it started with Palpatine. In the Revenge of the Sith novelization, there’s a moment where Palpatine tells Anakin that Obi-Wan had been seen leaving Padmé’s apartment and that they’d been spending more time together. It was subtle, but it hit exactly where it hurt. Palpatine knew what he was doing, and Anakin couldn’t shake it.

That one suggestion was enough to start twisting everything in his head. Anakin was already dealing with fear, stress, and the visions of Padmé dying. Now he had this new idea creeping in—that he might lose her to Obi-Wan too.

And it didn’t come out of nowhere. The novel makes it clear that Anakin already felt like the people closest to him were turning against him. The Clone Wars showed how possessive he could be, especially in the Rush Clovis arc. Just seeing Padmé talk to another man set him off. He never really worked through that. It all just kept building until it finally broke him on Mustafar.

Seeing Obi-Wan on Padmé’s Ship Was the Breaking Point

When Anakin sees Obi-Wan step off Padmé’s ship on Mustafar, that’s it. You can actually see the moment he snaps. From his point of view, it looked like the rumor was true. He fully believed she brought Obi-Wan there to kill him.

I don’t think it was just anger. It was panic. It was heartbreak. He felt completely betrayed. That’s when he choked her – not because she did anything wrong, but because he couldn’t handle the thought that she’d chosen someone else over him.

The whole thing hit harder because Padmé never told him Obi-Wan had visited her. And honestly, I get why she didn’t. Anakin wasn’t in a good place, and she probably knew that hearing about that meeting would only make things worse.

It Was Never About Cheating – It Was About Fear

The sad part is, Padmé never cheated. She never betrayed Anakin. But he thought she did. Between Palpatine’s lies, Obi-Wan’s unexpected appearance, and his own fear of losing everything, Anakin lost control.

He didn’t need much to fall apart – just a small push. And when that happened, it was over.