Mace Windu vs. Darth Vader: Who Would Win?

There are a lot of powerful characters in the world of Star Wars, and two of them happen to be Jedi Master Mace Windu and Darth Vader, a dark lord of the Sith. These two are some of the most ferocious combatants in the storyline of Star Wars because they are strong in the Force and are incredibly dangerous in a straight-up lightsaber duel. That is why they are often considered two of the strongest Force users in the galaxy. But who would win in a fight between Mace Windu and Darth Vader?

A fight between Mace Windu and Darth Vader can go either way. Windu was one of the strongest combatants in the Jedi Order and defeated Palpatine in a duel. On the other hand, Darth Vader has killed his fair share of powerful foes and is incredibly strong in the Force.

Many things need to be considered regarding a fight between Mace Windu and Darth Vader because they both have their own fair share of feats. They are also very skilled fighters that have been able to overpower foes with their lightsaber skills. As such, let’s look at this fight in greater detail to understand why this is a duel that could go either way.

Fighting skills

Mace Windu was said to be the strongest duelist of the Jedi Order because he was a fierce fighter that had no equal among the Jedi. He specialized in Form VII: Vaapad, which is a form that is based on Form VII: Juyo but without the ill effects of the dark side and the recklessness that is associated with Form VII.

He can utilize his inner rage and emotions as fuel in a fight without giving in to the dark side. And it was through this that he could defeat Palpatine in a duel.

Even before he fell to the dark side, Darth Vader was already the most skilled in the use of Form V: Djem So in the Jedi Order. When he lost his limbs, he lost his mobility but ultimately focused more on the fundamental side of Djem So instead of doing the acrobatic and mobile attacks that he used to do when he was still a Jedi Knight. Vader’s skills with a lightsaber were up to par with the Jedi Masters as he could defeat Jedi Masters and Sith Lords alike with his lightsaber skills.

Even though Darth Vader was as unstoppable as anyone in the use of a lightsaber, Mace Windu was the champion of the Jedi Order for a good reason. And he proved his might as a combatant by being the only canon character to ever defeat Palpatine in a duel.

Windu 1, Vader 0

Force Powers

Despite his prowess as a lightsaber duelist, Mace Windu was also equally skilled in the Force. He favored telekinesis and was skilled enough to crush multiple battle droids with a single move.

Windu also specialized in seeing shatterpoints, important events that can change the tide of an entire battle or even the course of history. And he also utilized the Force to bolster his speed whenever he fought with his saber.

Anakin Skywalker was supposed to be the greatest Force user of all time until he lost his limbs and couldn’t reach his full potential. Nevertheless, as Darth Vader, he was a destructive being that could crush entire rooms and make the ground tremble with his ability to command the Force.

Vader was even strong enough to deflect lightsabers and blaster bolts using the Force. In that regard, his telekinetic skills were second to none during the height of his powers.

While Windu is incredibly skilled with the Force and has many different Force abilities, Darth Vader’s sheer destructive power whenever he uses the Force is almost unmatched.

Windu 1, Vader 1

Experience

By the time he was supposedly killed, Mace Windu was already in his 50s. By then, he had fought in the Clone Wars and participated in many Jedi missions throughout the galaxy. He had fought many enemies, but only during the Clone Wars did he start seeing opponents that could hold their own in close combat, especially with a lightsaber.

As such, while he has had his fair share of different battles, it was only during the Clone Wars that his skills were truly tested.

On top of the fact that he was a veteran of the Clone Wars, Darth Vader spent more than a decade hunting down Jedi survivors and killing them in cold blood. He also spent time hunting rebels down during the reign of the Empire. As such, he not only had his fair share of fighting skilled marksmen but also faced a lot of skilled lightsaber users, regardless of whether they were Jedi or Sith allies.

It might be true that Windu was older and more experienced. But the thing that needs to be considered is that the quality of experience that Vader had was unmatched because he constantly faced lightsaber users during the Clone Wars and defeated incredibly skilled fighters during the Imperial era.

Windu 1, Vader 2

Feats

When it comes to his feats, Mace Windu was the only one to ever defeat Palpatine in a straight-up duel. Some people tend to dismiss this feat as a plot device that allowed Palpatine to convince Anakin to turn to the dark side, but unless otherwise stated, Windu defeated Palpatine and was about to kill him and singlehandedly end the tyranny of the Sith.

On top of that, he also defeated Mother Talzin, who wasn’t a known warrior but was the most powerful out of all of the Nightsisters.

Darth Vader had his own fair share of great feats, starting with the defeat of Count Dooku, who was a powerful Sith Lord and an incredibly skilled duelist. He went on to face numerous Jedi Knights and Masters during Order 66 and the reign of the Empire. Vader struggled against Cere Junda but defeated the Jedi Master in a duel.

He could also easily overpower Ahsoka Tano, Kanan Jarrus, and Ezra Bridger numerous times.

It might be true that Vader has killed his fair share of Jedi Masters, but the fact that Mace Windu is the only one to ever defeat Palpatine gives him the slight edge here.

Windu 2, Vader 2

Intelligence

During his time as a member of the Jedi Council, Mace Windu’s influence was second only to Yoda because he was known as a wise Jedi Master that could see into the will of the Force.

He was a superb battlefield commander and an expert on military tactics and strategies. However, for all of his wisdom and intelligence, Windu often failed to see the bigger picture and the things that were beyond the control of the Jedi. And this ultimately led to the downfall of the Jedi Order.

He may have been reckless during his youth, but Darth Vader eventually grew to become wiser and more careful.

Vader was always a superb battle commander who used unorthodox strategies and tactics that were often considered reckless but very effective. He was also intelligent enough to know how to fix droids and other cybernetic objects. But his ultimate weakness lay in the fact that he often allowed his emotions to get the best of him.

Both Windu and Vader were great commanders who were as wise and intelligent as their peers. And both of them suffered similar weaknesses. Windu was close-minded in his approach due to his stringent belief in the Jedi Code, whereas Vader often allowed his emotions to overpower his logic.

Windu 2, Vader 2

Mace Windu vs. Darth Vader: Who wins?

With all that said, we can say that both Mace Windu and Darth Vader were incredible users of the Force during the height of their abilities. They were superb lightsaber combatants and were much more skilled and gifted in the Force. Windu and Vader had their own fair share of strengths and weaknesses, and that’s why we can’t really conclude who would win in a duel between these powerful Force users. As such, a fight to the death between these two could go either way.

Who do you think would win in this fight? Let us know in the comments below!