It was always presumed that some big characters would be kicking the bucket in Star Wars The Last Jedi, but one death stood out.

Barely anything is known about Snoke, the main villain and Supreme Leader of the First Order.

A human-looking and heavily scarred figure, who only appeared as a hologram in The Force Awakens.

Who is he really and how did he rise to power after the fall of Emperor Palpatine?

With your standard Light vs Dark storytelling (ala Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings) you’d expect the main baddie to be defeated at the very end of the saga, after a huge struggle and battle.

But no. Rian Johnson, who wrote and directed Star Wars The Last Jedi, tore up the rulebook and surprised his audience in the most shocking way.

Just half way through the second movie, Snoke was killed at the hands of Kylo Ren by being cut in half – really quite easily – with Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber.

Many hardcore fans have expressed their disappointment at the shocking move, but was it really as simple as it seems? Some aren't quite so sure, as seen in the tweets below.

The Last Jedi was full of some pretty bold moves – especially with deaths – after JJ Abrams’ paint by numbers purist take with The Force Awakens.

With this in mind it wouldn’t be surprising if Snoke returns in Episode IX, after all his death was so sudden, too easy and too early.

It’s exactly the sort of big twist Johnson would pull off with the final film’s director JJ Abrams. But how would he return? We’ve only got two years left to find out.

Star Wars The Last Jedi is out now.