Revan, a Sith Lord, lent his name to the Revan Legion within the army of the Sith Eternal. The significance of Revan's name was understood only by Sith cultists, as the history of the Sith was concealed from the galaxy. During 3 ABY, within the catacombs under the Sith Citadel on the planet Exegol, cultists chanted Revan's name, along with other Sith names.
Each legion of Sith troopers was not only identified by a number but also by the name of a past Sith Lord. The Revan Legion became active in 35 ABY, joining the rest of the Sith Eternal's forces in the war between the First Order and the Resistance.
The character of Revan, an ancient Sith Lord, was reintroduced to the official Star Wars canon through a mention in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary. This reference book from 2019 was authored by Pablo Hidalgo, a member of the Lucasfilm Story Group. This visual dictionary was released alongside the film Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, both of which debuted on December 20.
Revan's initial appearance was within the Star Wars Legends continuity, specifically in the 2003 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, developed by BioWare and LucasArts. In Legends lore, Revan began as a Jedi Knight who then left the Jedi Order to become a Dark Lord of the Sith. He subsequently established a Sith Empire and initiated a war against both the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic. Suffering from amnesia, the former Sith underwent retraining as a Jedi to oppose the Sith Empire he himself had created. As the character controlled by the player, Revan's appearance and gender were customizable; however, the 2005 reference book The New Essential Chronology established Revan as male and canonized the light-side ending. Following the game's events, Revan ultimately confronted the true Sith and aided in the destruction of its leader.
Originally, Revan was planned to make an appearance in "Ghosts of Mortis," a third season episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars in 2011. He was intended to appear as a Sith Lord, serving alongside Darth Bane as advisors to the powerful Force wielder known as the Son. However, these characters were ultimately removed late in the production process.
Dave Filoni, the show's director, felt uneasy about including the scene. George Lucas requested its removal because he believed that the existence of Sith Lords beyond death or outside of the Force contradicted the established meaning of the light side. Despite this, the idea was acknowledged and progressed significantly in development. Filoni also expressed his enthusiasm for the potential inclusion of Revan and Bane in the TV series. The scene was developed to the animatics stage and is accessible as bonus content on the Blu-ray edition of Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season Three. In this deleted scene, Revan's design was based on his Legends appearance.
The deleted scene featuring Revan unfolds in the Well of the Dark Side on the planet Mortis. Here, the Son confronts dark-side spirits regarding the recent death of his sister, the Daughter, which he caused. The spirits urge the Son to embrace his pain and resentment. When he inquires about their identities, colossal apparitions of Darth Bane and Darth Revan materialize before the Son, declaring their intention to ensure the dark side's dominance. Alluding to the existence of another who will control the galaxy, Revan and Bane caution the Son that controlling Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One, is crucial to the Son's success.