"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" was notable for numerous reasons. Not only did it bring back a plethora of famed characters while also giving audiences new heroes to rout for. 

Yet there is likely one moment that dominates the entire film that has major implications for future films to come: (SPOILER ALERT) The death of Han Solo. 

Not only did killing off arguably the greatest hero in franchise history have a visceral impact for fans, but it altered the way that another major character in the movies was to be perceived - his son Kylo Ren. 

Ren's killing of his father will probably forever make him a hated Star Wars villain, making any possible redemption difficult for viewers. Yet there are reasons to believe that when all is said and done, the Darth Vader wannabe could end up being the hero of the franchise. Here are a few reasons why. 

1.       Han Solo's faith

Han Solo's final act was to touch his son's face in a demonstration of love and forgiveness. He died still caring deeply for his son and sought to help him because he saw that there was conflict in Ben and still much good. Even Leia notes that she still sees the light in him. 

Moments later, Kylo Ren is literally scarred on his face by Rey, expressing outwardly the mark that Han's final act has likely left on his own son. We have yet to see how killing his father has impacted Ren, but it is likely that he continues to feel that light calling out to him. 

2.       Skywalker Legacy

For all the talk of Rey being Luke's daughter, the reality that she might simply be a stranger whose role is to save the Skywalker legacy. How? By helping continue it. 

The only real Skywalker that we know of to this point in the new generation is Kylo Ren and like Anakin and Luke before him, it will be his job to restore the balance in the force to the light side. That Kylo Ren feels the pull to the light is no accident and even with the murder of his father, the possibility of his redemption is still rather pronounced. 

Star Wars has always been about the Skywalker legacy and there can be no doubt that if Kylo Ren is the only one of the family in the younger generations, then it will be his job from a mythological perspective to propagate the line. It is unlikely he does that without turning back to the light. 

3.       Darth Vader

Ren wants to be like Darth Vader, but one thing few people realize is that despite all the talk of the iconic depiction of villainy that has been associated with the character, Vader is a rather emotionally unstable man in the movies. "Empire Strikes Back" aside, in what movie can we actually pinpoint Darth Vader as a Alpha-male bad guy? He registers all of 10 or so minutes of screen time in "Episode IV: A New Hope" and is the number two behind Grand Moff Tarkin for most of the film. And in "Return of the Jedi," he is driven by his attachment to his son and is also the second-in-command to the Emperor for most of the film. Obviously the prequels further this notion that Vader is not the fearsome villain we all know in pop culture. 

So what does this have to do with Kylo Ren? "The Force Awakens" has gone out of its way to link the two repeatedly and Ren seems to have little understanding of who his grandfather really was. Yet they seem to be following the same trajectory, thus hinting that this character will on some level follow the path toward some form of redemption.