John Boyega is one of the biggest names in Star Wars movies and TV shows. Although Star Wars: The Force Awakens opened to plenty of fanfare, that quickly devolved into intense backlash and criticism, much of it targeting the cast and characters.

In addition to vitriol from the fanbase, several sequel trilogy actors, Boyega among them, didn't stay silent about their disappointment with the franchise itself. Specifically, Boyega has (rightly) expressed frustrations with the sidelining of Finn, especially in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which was only worsened by Star Wars heavily teasing Finn as a Jedi only to fail to follow through on that in the end. Because of this history, I fully believed John Boyega was done with Star Wars; yet, after attending Fan Expo Philadelphia this weekend, I learned I couldn't have been more wrong.

I Believed John Boyega Was Done With Star Wars

Boyega Was Outspoken About His Disappointment (For Good Reason)

Prior to Boyega's , I was convinced we would not see Boyega or Finn on the Star Wars screen again. In part, I based this on how poorly the sequels handled Finn's character. He had so much potential as a stormtrooper turned Jedi—a truly unique and thrilling story concept for the franchise—and The Rise of Skywalker in particular dropped the ball. I was aware that Finn could potentially return in Rey's Star Wars movie, rumored to be titled Star Wars: New Jedi Order, but that felt a bit too little too late at this point.

I was also interpreting some of John Boyega's comments as reflecting a disinterest in returning to Star Wars, though, and believed Boyega had primarily if not entirely negative sentiments about the franchise. Among other statements over the years, Boyega called out racism in Star Wars, which I'd misread as a sign that Boyega would never accept an invitation to return. Specifically, Boyega said:

"Lemme tell ya, Star Wars always had the vibe of being in the most whitest, elite space.... It's a franchise that's so white that a Black person existing in [it] was something."

I certainly never begrudged Boyega for these comments or for what I perceived to be his subsequent disinterest in returning, but John Boyega's recent comments proved that I completely misread and misunderstood what Boyega really meant with this and similar statements about Star Wars.

John Boyega Has Explained His Perspective In His Own Words

Boyega Just Clarified Beyond A Doubt How He Really Feels

John Boyega is evidently well aware of misinterpretations of his words like mine, as, at Fan Expo Philadelphia, Boyega spoke directly about his actual feelings on Star Wars and how misrepresented they'd become. During his , he explained:

"I just think that it's really weird when you say stuff, and it goes through the filter of hungry journalists who need to have their blogs noticed. Sometimes, they articulate things that are far-fetched from the truth. So wherein in life, we can be two things at once. I can hate a certain element of it but still love it. I think that's what Star Wars is about. Why would we be debating about what we dislike if we disliked the whole entire thing? We just would be like, that's trash, we don't care. But we debate as Star Wars fans. We go back and forth about things because we love it, and we want it to be treated well. That doesn't mean that you just completely lose all like for it. You know, I would say how I've honestly felt and go home and play Battlefront II just to feel better. Yeah, you know? So, it's that relationship I've always had with Star Wars, but I also believe that when it comes to the creative journey of Star Wars, like all of the fans here, you've got to do right by what we know of the lore, of the characters, and what we expect to be, you know, the top of entertainment and the best space opera in the world. You know what I mean?"

Clearly, it isn't true that Boyega is resentful of Star Wars or disinterested in coming back—far from it. Instead, he remains a fan, but one that wants to discuss the issues with the franchise in a way that is honest and ultimately makes it better.

These comments coincided with others made during the same , in which Boyega revealed he'd potentially be interested in returning to Star Wars. Regarding Finn's possible Star Wars return, Boyega said:

"C’mon, yeah, of course. That would be fun to do, but contractually, I’m on three movies, and then after that, we don’t know what’s happening until they, you know, give you a few calls and say ‘You should come back’ and all that kind of stuff. And because of the whole storm after Star Wars, I think Disney felt a little bit like, ‘Does he still want to be a part of it?’ I’m like, damn, like, I can like this franchise and still tell you that certain elements wasn’t all the way there. It doesn’t remove your love for the whole entire franchise.

So for me, everybody knows, it’s dependent on treating the character well, it’s dependent on fulfilling the arc that was teased quite a lot during the process. And hopefully, this time, it’s them approaching it by having a plan of what they’re gonna do throughout the whole series."

Yet again, Boyega reinforced that he's not at all opposed to a Star Wars return, but that he would expect Finn's character arc to be handled much better than it was in the sequels. He also once again made clear that his criticism of the franchise doesn't mean a hatred or rejection of it, and these comments are precisely what made me recognize that I'd been terribly wrong about John Boyega's feelings about Star Wars as a whole.

Boyega's Message Is One That Is So Important To Understand

Boyega Is Right: Calling Out Problems Doesn't Mean Not Loving Star Wars

I'll it that it was during this that my perspective on Boyega's relationship to Star Wars entirely shifted. Just as Boyega called out during that , I'd long been reading his commentary on Star Wars as his general dislike for the franchise, and that was entirely unfair. What I'd been missing—proof of my own bias in this situation—was that John Boyega was calling out issues in Star Wars, including racism, not because he was resentful of the franchise but because he wanted better for it.

These (valid) criticisms were actually coming from a place of love for Star Wars, entirely opposite to what I'd previously thought. And, ultimately, Boyega is of course absolutely right. There are issues within this franchise that need to be addressed, but addressing them is far from a rejection of Star Wars as a whole. Automatically assuming otherwise is in fact arguably symptomatic of the very racism Boyega has previously called out, as it assumes such criticism can't coexist with an appreciation of and even love for the larger franchise.

This touches upon such an important message for the wider fanbase. For years, there has been intense backlash and at times even vitriol within the fanbase, much of it targeting actors of color in newer projects, like the sequel trilogy or The Acolyte. It is so important that those issues be separated from genuine criticism coming from voices like Boyega's, and it's essential to understand that such debate, as Boyega said, is actually a sign that fans want better for the franchise.

I'm Now More Hopeful Than Ever About Boyega's Possible Return

I Was Shocked But Delighted By Boyega's Comments About This Possibility

At the risk of once again reading into John Boyega's comments, which I'm very much aiming to avoid, hearing Boyega's sentiments directly in his own words (and in person) now has me believing we will actually see his Star Wars return. In addition to Boyega's long pause and playful "maybe" when asked whether he'd spoken to Rey actress Daisy Ridley about a possible return, Boyega expressed enthusiasm about reprising his role as Finn a few times during that . Particularly with a Finn and Jannah Star Wars book in the works, this feels more possible than ever.

If true, I will be genuinely delighted because, of all the actors from throughout the Star Wars timeline who I believe deserve a return and an improved arc, John Boyega is very high on that list. As he mentioned during the , Finn's arc (by which he almost certainly meant his Jedi arc) was heavily teased, but we never got to see that. Getting the return of Finn as a full-fledged Jedi would be brilliant, and it would be well-deserved for both the character and Boyega himself.

Ultimately, though, whether Boyega returns in Star Wars or not, his words are critical to hear and understand. It's all too easy to assume that criticisms of Star Wars come from a place of negativity, and while part of that is undoubtedly influenced by the actual negativity that persists in certain sects of the fanbase, it isn't universally true. Based on John Boyega's comments on Star Wars and the potential return of Finn, we can safely say that his criticisms in particular stem from a genuine love of this franchise.