My mind was wandering around last night, a common occurrence, and this thought popped into my head. Is Kylo Ren/Ben Solo the Itachi Uchiha of the Star Wars Universe?
Here's what I mean, we learned that Itachi witnessed something near the end of the Third Shinobi War that caused him to manifest the Sharingan, and it affected him greatly, so much so that he would do pretty much anything to achieve world peace. While we don't know (yet) why Ben Solo turned to the Dark Side and became Kylo Ren, I am wondering if it was something similar to Itachi's childhood experience; he saw something that affected him so greatly that was willing to do anything to not see it again. Ben Solo/Kylo Ren is obviously a mix of Jacen and Anakin Solo from the EU Star Wars books, and those who have read the books know that Jacen turned to the Sith partially because he lived through a devastating war that made him truly question his morals and the system he was fighting for. A bit like how Itachi had to question his own beliefs regarding the ninja system and turning to the Akatsuki in their belief of fear being the only way to achieve peace?
My own theory as to why Ben Solo turned to the Dark Side is that he didn't believe he could ever live up to the reputations of his parents and uncle, and in wanting to get out of their shadows, he went down a slippery path that brought him to the attention of Snoke. I remember a line that Kylo said, something about how this pain is tearing him apart, and I wonder if this is the regret he has for the things he has done but doesn't believe he can ever truly go back to Ben Solo, and the only way is to keep moving forward.