YouTube user HelloGreedo made what is IMO the best critique of how Palpatine is portrayed. When he first appears in the OT he was inspired by the Roman and Chinese Emperors of old, but the prequels made him so goddamn evil, more akin to a mythological creature from the Underworld.
From what I’ve read about The Rise of Skywalker (I refuse to watch that movie), Abrams cranked up the whole evil entity to a ludicrous level.
I would argue he’s already there in the OT. He definitely had that impression on me as a kid. He’s so evil that he’s willing to let Luke kill him if it will make Luke become evil. I actually don’t like that about Dark Empire, it tries to retcon this into being because he has a clone body backup.