Is there more to The Force Awakens' Kylo Ren than meets the eye?

When is a Sith not a Sith? 

Empire's exclusive photo gives us a good look at Ren's raw, jury-rigged lightsaber 

With his hooded black cloak, brutal broad-saber, and what appears to be a rather ornate paint-ball mask, no one would blame you for thinking Force Awakens baddie Kylo Ren was a Sith. Turns out that's not the case - while he does bat for the dark side of the Force, Ren doesn't belong to the same order that spawned Dooku, Vader, Maul and Sidious. Unlike the Darths of yore, Kylo's villainous services are engaged by the Knights of Ren, a shadowy faction under the supervision of Andy Serkis' Supreme Leader Snoke.

"Kylo Ren is not a Sith," JJ Abrams told Empire magazine. "He works under Supreme Leader Snoke, who is a powerful figure on the Dark Side of the Force.”

We know that Serkis, who has made performance capture his bailiwick, is playing a digital character, but apart from that, little else about Supreme Leader Snoke has been revealed. 

Away from the subject of villains, Abrams talked a little about the state the universe is in when The Force Awakens kicks off, as well as dropping an intriguing hint about the true nature of The First Order, the evil military force that fills the vacuum left behind by the Old Empire. Up until now, it was assumed The Order was a consolidation of the Empire's remaining forces. Abrams comments, however, cast these imperial upstarts in an entirely new light, suggesting that they are a new outfit, one that worships Vader and wants to rekindle the Empire's plans for galactic domination.

A fanatical cult that worships the Dark Side of the Force? Sounds intriguing. I'm sure we'll learn more about this in the coming months, especially as we draw nearer and nearer to The Force Awakens December release.