Andy Serkis Teases Snoke's Possible Return In 'Star Wars: Episode 9'

Andy Serkis isn't fully convinced we've seen the last of Supreme Leader Snoke in the Star Wars films.

I spoke with the actor yesterday about his work in Marvel Studios' Black Panther, in which he reprises his role as the villainous Ulysses Klaue, and I couldn't resist asking him a quick question about the recent events in a galaxy far, far away – specifically, how he reacted when he first read about Snoke's ultimate fate in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. But his answer implied that perhaps that memorable scene wasn't quite as final as it appeared.

Major spoilers occur below, of course.

My full conversation with Serkis from the Black Panther junket will hit the site soon, but there was one particularly intriguing section that I thought was worth sharing before the rest. Here's what happened when I raised the Star Wars topic and asked about his reaction to Snoke's demise:

Look, it's Star Wars, so you never know how life, or whether life can be come back to or not. Whether you can be resuscitated or brought back. I was shocked. Dramatically, it felt absolutely right for that moment in the film, so I didn't question it. I just think it's a very, very important scene, so I didn't question it. But I do, I know it's left fans feeling like, that they were really searching for something there. And what I'm saying is, who knows?

I followed up and asked if he'd spoken with J.J. Abrams, who introduced Snoke in The Force Awakens and will be returning to complete the trilogy by co-writing and directing Star Wars: Episode 9, but Serkis said he hadn't spoken with him yet.

Is there any way a Snoke Episode 9 appearance would make sense? We saw him get sliced in half, so it seemed pretty clear he was a goner. But maybe – and this is a huge reach on my part – what if he's so powerful in the ways of the Force that he was projecting not just an astral projection, but a physical version of himself into that throne room?

Now the question becomes: should Snoke come back? Personally, I think it would undercut one of The Last Jedi's best scenes (be sure to read our extensive oral history of Snoke's death and that throne room lightsaber fight) if Abrams brought him back, but I'm sure there are people out there who would argue that a case could be made for his return. I think it's far more likely that if Snoke managed to survive that encounter, fans would see more of the Supreme Leader in novels, video games, or other additional materials outside the movies, because The Last Jedi makes it clear that Kylo Ren's arc is reliant on him graduating to the role of the big bad in the next film.

But I want to toss it to you. Can you think of a satisfying way for Snoke to come back in Star Wars: Episode IX? Is that something you'd want to see?