In Ukraine, old statue of Lenin becomes tribute to Darth Vader [gallery]

A life-size statue of Vladimir Ilitch Lenin, a former Communist Party leader and one of those responsible for the Russian Revolution of 1917, existed in the coastal town of Odessa until recently. Now in its place is the imposing figure of Darth Vader, the famous character from the Star Wars franchise.

Ukrainian artist Alexander Milov has complied with a request from the President of his country, Petro Poroshenko, to “decommunicate” the monument, but instead of replacing the statue completely, the sculptor has decided to use it as the basis for his new work. He left the Bronze Lenin, as the original piece was known, completely intact, in case anyone ever decided to “exhume” the sculpture someday.

In addition to turning the figure of the Russian leader into one of pop culture's best-known characters, the artist has also added a WiFi connection point to the new image that adorns Odessa, which has been in operation since yesterday. Asked what he thought of the news, the manager of a nearby warehouse philosophized, "Everything shines, everything changes, old figures give way to new ones, and so the world spins."

If you could pay tribute to a pop culture character in your city, what would you do? Comment on the Mega Curious Forum