Warning: the story below contains spoilers for the first two films of the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

A new Star Wars fan theory claims villain Kylo Ren is actually a double agent secretly acting for the greater good.

The theory has emerged on Reddit, where some have speculated that while Adam Driver’s character is a definite villain on the surface, he might have more complex motivations than initially thought.

Kylo was introduced in the sequel trilogy as the son of Harrison Ford’s Han Solo and Carrie Fisher’s Leia Organa.

He infamously killed his father in The Force Awakens (2015) and by all intents and purposes consolidated his allegiance to the dark side in The Last Jedi (2017).

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Show all 13 1 /13 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Who are you, Rey? It seems extremely likely (some might even say crystal clear) that The Rise of Skywalker will shed light on Rey's origins – namely her possible Skywalker heritage. It is unknown exactly how this will play out, though. Is Rey a Skywalker by blood, or by spirit? YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown The return of the lightsaber Rey still has the blue lightsaber she inherited from Luke! And it works! YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown This fighter means trouble It definitely looks like the fighter Rey is about to jump over (and presumably damage with her lightsaber) is Kylo Ren's. YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Dark warrior Speaking of Kylo Ren, what is he up to? Well, he's definitely up to no good. And he's accompanied by a Stromtrooper, which rarely means good news. YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown On the mend Kylo Ren's helmet is shown getting re-forged. YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Duo In case any one had doubt: Poe and Finn are back. YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown A new friend Looks like BB-8 has a new droid buddy! Very cute. YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Co-pilot Look at Chewbacca flying the Millenium Falcon with Lando Calrissian! YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Big reveal Speaking of Lando, the trailer marks the return of Billy Dee Williams, who last played the character in Return of the Jedi 36 years ago. YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Wait a minute Eagle-eyed viewers have pointed out on Twitter that this medal is extremely similar to the ones Luke and Han Solo receive from Leia during a ceremony at the end of A New Hope. YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Leia's return Carrie Fisher's Leia can be seen in the trailer giving Rey a heartfelt hug. Deleted scenes from The Force Awakens were used in order to feature Fisher, who died in December 2016, without resorting to CGI. YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Wreckage It looks like Rey is staring at the Death Star II here, possibly on Endor. YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Listen Yes, this is a dark screen. At the end of the trailer, the screen goes black, and Palpatine's cackling laugh can distinctly be heard – a surprise that few saw coming. YouTube / Star Wars

One fan, however, posited that Kylo might actually have a plan to “end” the dark side – which would involve acting like a villain in the first place.

“So, Kylo Ren killed his dad to become closer to the dark side so he could draw out Palpatine and finally end it? Does this theory make any sense?” the fan wrote on Reddit.

Some agreed with the theory, including one person who has shared a similar inkling since watching Kylo kill his father. “Totally makes sense,” that Reddit user wrote. “Ever since the first time I watched that scene of Kylo killing Han I thought it seemed like he was doing it for a bigger purpose and I think Han might have even understood what was going on.”

Some pointed to a specific line uttered by Kylo moments before killing his father, in which he said: “I know what I have to do but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it.”

“I posted a theory on here a ways back that kinda echoed this, with me theorizing that Kylo is infiltrating the dark side from within with the help of the spirit of Anakin, but maybe got a bit too lost in the darkness along the way,” one person chimed in. “Ever since his ‘I know what I have to do’ line, I’ve been suspicious about his true allegiances.”

Another Reddit user said they believe Kylo’s motivations to be “the main twist of this trilogy”, while the mystery surrounding Daisy Ridley Rey’s parentage would be a “red herring”.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

Some, however, were unconvinced by the theory, arguing that Kylo seems far too involved with the dark side for it to be a secret play on his part.