The Star Wars renaissance has been quite glorious. Since Disney bought the property from George Lucas and set out to make a really good series of follow-up movies to the original, classic trilogy from the ‘70s and ‘80s (or at least better than the “prequels” of the ‘90s and 2000s), fans have delighted in revisiting Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia, while also falling in love with new characters like Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren via The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.
Shortly after the release of The Last Jedi last December, a brief and amusing internet fad emerged: “The Kylo Ren Challenge.” There’s a scene in the movie in which Adam Driver appears out of his Kylo Ren costume—as in, he’s shirtless. He’s also totally ripped, a far cry from the lanky, gangly character he played on Girls.
I need to see more shirtless kylo in IX, JJ! ??#reylo #rey #kyloren pic.twitter.com/Kso5qiaAXX
— Kylo Rey (@jediren_) December 15, 2017
However, in spite of being fit, Ren kind of looks like a dork, what with those pants pulled up to his nipples like he was an old man. Spurred on and exemplified by a John Mayer Instagram post, lots of dudes started posting selfies of themselves with their pants hiked all the way up their shirtless bodies.
But that was then, and this is now. The newness of Kylo Ren and “The Kylo Ren Challenge” can never topple the warm nostalgia of old-school Star Wars. The new hotness: “The Leia Challenge.”