Kylo Ren destroyed his heavily merchandised mask, leaving Adam Driver’s face exposed for the remainder of his performance.
Having a repaired version appear in Episode IX give the mask a three-film arc, and serve as a metaphor for the conflicted villain.
Rian Johnson purposefully subverted fan expectations in The Last Jedi, throwing moviegoers for a loop with plot twists and changes to iconic characters like Luke and Leia.