In a news development that probably had Imperial March enthusiasts reaching for their wallets, the original helmet worn by David Prowse when he portrayed Darth Vader in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back has sold at auction for a sum large enough to make even Jabba the Hutt reconsider his investment portfolio. The menacing black mask, famously part of the galaxy’s most ominous breathing apparatus, fetched a whopping $1,512,000 through Heritage Auctions, in a galaxy not far away but rather in Dallas, Texas.
The helmet, which comes complete with the dome, face mask, and accompanying back-and-neck brace, offers purchasers the rare chance to own a piece of cinematic villainy that once loomed over Luke Skywalker while possibly fogging up with the wearer’s own exasperated breath. It was described as “screen-matched and production-made,” fancy auction house talk for “this is the real deal and we double-checked.”
David Prowse, the actor inside the iconic suit, brought a certain gym-trained gravitas to the character who probably had a much easier time climbing stairs before taking up a career in ominous corridor pacing. While James Earl Jones supplied the voice that made “I am your father” send shivers down 1980s spines, Prowse’s physical performance gave the Sith Lord his imposing silhouette and perhaps the galaxy’s most dramatic posture.
The auction also featured a variety of other pop-cultural artifacts from film and television, but none stole the scene quite like the helmet that once told a generation of kids that heavy breathing could actually be terrifying. Heritage Auctions said it attracted “intense interest,” suggesting that even in today’s market, nostalgia trumps financial caution and logic finds itself in a chokehold once again.
May the buyer’s financial advisor be with them.