Obi-Wan Leaving Anakin On Mustafar Wasn't A Mercy - It Was A Botched Death Blow

Summary Obi-Wan Kenobi's decision to leave Anakin alive wasn't merciful.

The Revenge of the Sith novel reveals that Obi-Wan knew killing Anakin would be kinder.

In the end, Obi-Wan's decision not to kill Anakin was the right call.

Obi-Wan Kenobi's choice to leave Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader to die on Mustafar rather than kill him in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith was not the sign of a master too pained to kill his former apprentice but rather a mistaken belief that Anakin was already on death's door. Revenge of the Sith is one of Star Wars' best movies, and Anakin and Obi-Wan's epic battle on Mustafar is one of the greatest fights in all of Star Wars. However, the scene on Mustafar is also one of the saddest in Star Wars' movies and TV shows.

After Revenge of the Sith showcased the love and closeness that Obi-Wan and Anakin felt with one another early on in the movie, by the end of Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan has left his once-beloved Padawan for dead after chopping off all his limbs and letting him burn. To some, the decision to stop there rather than deal a death blow could be read as a kindness, perhaps even signaling Obi-Wan's hesitancy to kill someone he once loved. However, one Star Wars story reveals that the truth was so much more crushing.

Related Revenge Of The Sith's Mustafar Duel Broke A Star Wars Record The set built for Mustafar in Revenge of the Sith broke a Star Wars production record, paving the way for The Mandalorian's Volume tech.

There Was A Sinister Reason Obi-Wan Left Anakin On Mustafar

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It's easy to read Obi-Wan's decision to leave Anakin alive on Mustafar following their battle in Revenge of the Sith as merciful. After all, Obi-Wan looks pained by Anakin's burning body and even tells Anakin that he was his brother and he loved him. However, the truth is even darker than it would have been had Obi-Wan simply put Anakin out of his misery then.

In the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith novelization, written by Matthew Stover, it is revealed that rather than sentimentality or lingering attachment being the reason Obi-Wan didn't execute Anakin on Mustafar, it was a grim, even calculated decision:

"Obi-Wan looked down. It would be a mercy to kill him. He was not feeling merciful. He was feeling calm, and clear, and he knew that to climb down to that black beach might cost him more time than he had. Another Sith Lord approached."

The Revenge of the Sith novelization is explicit that Obi-Wan wasn't being merciful; killing Anakin would have been the mercy in this situation. Instead, Obi-Wan knew that he had to leave before Emperor Palpatine arrived, and allowing Anakin relief from his now scorched and dismembered body didn't warrant risking crossing paths with the Sith Lord. This explanation comes in stark contrast to how the scene is so often read in the movie, with many seeing Obi-Wan's decision to not kill Anakin as a sign of his conflict. After all, he did tell Yoda he wouldn't be able to do it.

Killing Anakin would have been the mercy in this situation.

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Obi-Wan's Dark Decision Saved The Entire Galaxy

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In truth, as dark as it was, this decision by Obi-Wan to leave Anakin on Mustafar was the right call. For one, as seen in the Obi-Wan Kenobi show, Obi-Wan believed he had killed Anakin. He no doubt thought that dealing a death blow at the time would have expedited things—therefore being mercy—but he believed that, regardless, Anakin would die. While he was incorrect and Anakin went on to rule beside Emperor Palpatine as Darth Vader and cause unspeakable damage, his decision was still the right one, and it saved the galaxy.

So much hinged upon what happened following Obi-Wan leaving Anakin on Mustafar. As Obi-Wan sensed, Palpatine was on his way. Given that he had just defeated Master Yoda in battle and Obi-Wan had just had an extensive fight with Anakin, it's very unlikely that Palpatine could have bested Palpatine, particularly when he ultimately arrived flanked by troopers. Had Obi-Wan stayed and died, not only would he not have been able to go on to help Luke and Leia move into position to restore the Republic and the Jedi, but also, he wouldn't have gotten Padmé off Mustafar.

Had Palpatine then discovered Padmé, he would have either killed her or taken the twins or both. While it's true that Obi-Wan's perspective in the Revenge of the Sith novelization is bleak, his decision was the right one. In the end, however, it's clear that Obi-Wan Kenobi's choice to leave Anakin Skywalker to die on Mustafar in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith was not a mercy whatsoever.

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