The orange-yellow eyes of Sith lords are a distinctive mark of their dark side powers. In the case of Anakin, his eyes turned that color soon after he became Darth Vader.
Yet, Count Dooku’s eyes never changed.
Why do we have this divergence? Much of the explanation has to do with their relationship to the dark side.
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Why Did Anakin’s Eyes Go Orange So Quickly When Dooku’s Never Changed?
In Revenge of the Sith, when Anakin transformed into Darth Vader, his eyes changed to the Sith orange-yellow color.
We see a glimpse when he decimated Separatist leaders on Mustafar, but the full realization after his loss to Obi-Wan when he had attempted his fateful leap and lost three of his limbs.
As he looked up at Obi-Wan, his eyes completely became Sith-like.
One reason Anakin’s eyes turned orange so quickly is that “Vader was a lot different.” Anakin’s transformation into Vader was fueled by hate and anger, especially after his loss to Obi-Wan.
In contrast, Dooku was “not controlled by hatred or anger” and thereby not completely “consumed by the full power of the dark side.”
Even before, Anakin had anger issues, as reflected in his decapitation of Dooku. Dooku instead strove to be in control even when lightsaber fighting.
In his duel with Obi-Wan and Anakin in Attack of the Clones, Dooku appeared calm and ready to handle both combatants.
Another reason for this quick change and no-change scenario concerns the Sith.
As this video explains, yellow-orange Sith eyes are “not merely a physical trait but a symbol of complete surrender to the dark side’s corrupting influence.”
Anakin became consumed by this corrupting influence, while Dooku did not, but the latter was also “an outlier” and “master of Sith alchemy.”
Dooku used the mask technique to conceal his allegiance to the dark side and maintain his composure at all times.
This aspect of Sith alchemy was not widely used and distinguished Dooku and Palpatine by their control over it. In this case, Dooku could rely on it to conceal the color of his eyes.
Anakin and Darth Vader did not master this aspect of the Sith, nor do they need to, given Anakin’s willful rage and Vader’s concealed face.
What Else Explains the Change in Anakin’s Eyes?
A third reason why Anakin’s eyes changed so rapidly was to announce the emergence of Darth Vader.
In other words, his yellow-orange eyes served as “a visual representation of his descent to evil” for audiences watching the third prequel.
This visual cue completes Anakins’ character arc and showcases his final downfall.
This visual transformation was not popular with George Lucas at first.
Actor Hayden Christensen proposed it for Anakin’s final descent but wanted the transformation in eyes to occur after Anakin had sided with Palpatine over Mace Windu.
He thought the visual cue would have made more sense when Anakin was knighted as Vader.
Interestingly enough, Lucas mainly resisted the changing eyes moment because Dooku did not have such eyes and so they were not a universal trait of the Sith.
In the end, Lucas changed his mind and applied the announcement of Vader to the scene after the duel with Obi-Wan.
Anakin and Dooku’s Eyes
Anakin’s eyes changed quickly to orange because of his complete submersion into the dark side and because of the visual effects.
Dooku did not transform because he did not submerge himself so completely and he used Sith alchemy to control and conceal his appearance.