The Sith were powerful enemies of the Jedi in Star Wars Legends, but Disney canon has made them even more savage than they were in the old Expanded Universe. In both continuities, the Sith were compelling villains in every era, whether they were an empire that rivaled the Jedi in size or an Order of two that worked from the shadows. Star Wars Legends' decades worth of stories mean that there were countless Sith Lords who had plenty of vicious moments in their stories. However, Disney canon has managed to introduce new aspects of the Sith that make the order even more brutal as a whole.
One character who has served as a catalyst for how savage the Sith are in canon is Emperor Palpatine. While Palpatine cheated death in both canon and Legends, his comeback was even more terrifying in canon, displaying unbelievable dark side abilities and commanding an entire legion of Sith acolytes. The Disney canon comics expanded on Palpatine in the prequel era too, where he had a young Darth Maul breathe in the ashes of fallen Sith, that way he would have a terrible vision and hate the Jedi. It was Palpatine in the comics who introduced the most savage aspect of the Sith in canon: their red lightsabers.
