Did Anakin Kill Padmé?

Not with his own hands, but Revenge of the Sith makes him the cause. He choked her on Mustafar, and she died after giving birth because, in the medical droid's words, she had lost the will to live. Here is what the film shows and what it leaves to the viewer.

By Joe GarrattPublished 9 Oct 2026

Anakin didn't kill Padmé outright, but Revenge of the Sith makes him the reason she died. He choked her with the Force on Mustafar, and although she survived to give birth, the medical droid says she was physically healthy and simply losing the will to live. Palpatine then tells Vader that he killed her in his anger. (Revenge of the Sith)

What happened on Mustafar#

Padmé goes to Mustafar after Obi-Wan tells her Anakin has turned to the dark side. She begs him to come away with her and help raise their child. He tells her he's more powerful than the Chancellor and that together they could rule the galaxy. She says she doesn't know him any more. (Revenge of the Sith)

Then Anakin sees Obi-Wan in the doorway of her ship. He shouts "Liar!" and accuses her of bringing Obi-Wan there to kill him, then chokes her with the Force until she drops. Obi-Wan tells him to let her go. Anakin's answer, "You turned her against me!", shows he blames everyone but himself. (Revenge of the Sith)

What the film says about her death#

After the duel, Obi-Wan carries Padmé to a medical centre. Her first question on the ship is whether Anakin is all right. The medical droid's report is the closest thing the film gives to a cause of death: "Medically, she's completely healthy. For reasons we can't explain, we are losing her." It adds that she has lost the will to live, and that they must operate quickly to save the babies. (Revenge of the Sith)

She gives birth to twins and names them, Luke and then Leia. Her last words are to Obi-Wan: "There's good in him. I know. I know there's... still..." She dies before she finishes. (Revenge of the Sith)

At the same moment, on Coruscant, the burned Anakin is sealed into the Vader suit. His first question is where Padmé is and whether she's safe. Palpatine answers, "It seems, in your anger, you killed her." Vader insists he couldn't have, that she was alive and he felt it, and then breaks the room apart in grief. (Revenge of the Sith)

So did he kill her?#

The film supports three readings, and it doesn't pick one.

He killed her in the plain sense. The choke is the last thing done to her before she dies, and Palpatine, who is there when Vader wakes, puts it that way. (Revenge of the Sith)

She died of a broken heart. The droid says her body is healthy. What's gone is her will to live, and the thing that took it was watching her husband become a murderer who tried to kill her. In this reading Anakin is still responsible, just not through physical injury. (Revenge of the Sith)

Palpatine's version is a lie, or half of one. Interpretation: Palpatine wants Vader to believe it. A Vader who thinks he killed his wife has nothing left to go back to except his master. Some viewers go further and suggest Palpatine drained her life to keep Vader alive, but nothing in the film shows that, so treat it as a fan theory. (Revenge of the Sith)

Interpretation: the cruelest part is that Anakin turned to the dark side to stop the death he'd foreseen, and turning is what brought it about. Whichever reading you take, his fear made the vision come true. (Revenge of the Sith)

What came after#

Padmé's last belief turns out to be right. Decades later, in Return of the Jedi, Luke refuses to fight Vader any further, and Vader turns on the Emperor to save him. Dying, Vader tells Luke, "You were right. You were right about me. Tell your sister... you were right." Padmé never hears it, but her children do. (Return of the Jedi)

These answers come from canon, mainly Revenge of the Sith itself. Legends books and comics tell the same scenes, but the film's version is the one every later story builds on. (Revenge of the Sith)

Frequently asked questions

What did Padmé die of?: The film never names a physical cause. The medical droid says she is medically completely healthy, that they can't explain why they are losing her, and that she has lost the will to live. She dies shortly after giving birth to Luke and Leia.
What were Padmé's last words?: She names the twins, Luke and then Leia, and tells Obi-Wan that there is still good in Anakin. She dies before she can finish the sentence.
Who told Vader that Padmé was dead?: Palpatine. The first thing Vader asks in his new armour is whether Padmé is safe, and Palpatine tells him that it seems, in his anger, he killed her. Vader insists she was alive and that he felt it.
Did Vader know Padmé had twins?: Not when she died. He learns about Luke after the Battle of Yavin, and only in Return of the Jedi does he sense from Luke's mind that he has a twin sister.