This article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian.
Earlier this year The Hollywood Reporter wrote that actor Temuera Morrison would be playing famed bounty hunter Boba Fett in season two of the Disney+ show The Mandalorian, thus bringing a fan favourite Star Wars character back to our screens.
Whilst Disney and Lucasfilm naturally refused to comment on the report, everything about it made sense.
Firstly, Boba Fett was teased during season one, when we caught a glimpse at a mysterious figure sporting his trademark spurs, approaching the seemingly lifeless body of Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) during the closing moments of episode five The Gunslinger.
Disney+
And secondly, Morrison played the bounty hunter’s father Jango Fett in Attack Of The Clones, also voicing Boba himself in various Star Wars videogames and for the 2004 DVD rerelease of The Empire Strikes Back.
So if someone was going to play Boba Fett in The Mandalorian, it would be Morrison.
Also, crucially, the popular character was bound to pop up at some point in the show considering he is a major influence on its creation, with showrunner Jon Favreau describing Din Djarin as a Boba Fett like figure in his initial pitch.
Despite Disney’s silence then, we knew it would only be a matter of time.
Disney+
And of course The Mandalorian delivered on this expectation, giving us our first glimpse at Morrison as Boba Fett during the final scenes of the season two premiere The Marshal.
We get a glimpse at Boba as we have never seen him before, a cloaked mysterious figure watching on as Mando rides away with his distinctive old armour.
The scowl on the infamous bounty hunter’s scarred face really does say it all, and we are sure he will return later on during the season, probably to cause trouble for Mando and The Child (a.k.a. Baby Yoda).
Disney+
But what could his return mean for the world of the show? How did he survive the Sarlacc Pit? And how can we be sure that it is even Boba Fett?
Well, let’s take a deep dive into it…
Is That Really Boba Fett?
Lucasfilm
First things first, before we get ahead of ourselves we have to ask the question how can we be sure that this is actually Boba Fett?
In the live-action films we have never seen the character out of his armour, and since we know that Boba is a clone of Jango (who was revealed to the template for the clone army), could this be just another clone?
Of course all of this is true and means right now we can’t be certain Morrison is playing Boba Fett, but we would say we are 99 per cent sure he is.
Disney+
Not only would Boba Fett look like Morrison under the mask (due to the actor playing Jango from which Boba is a clone), but it also makes sense for a popular character to come back to Star Wars, especially in a show which revels in both nostalgia and fan service.
Disney have of course tried to bring him back before with director Josh Trank being recruited to helm a Boba Fett movie.
Trank then left the project with Logan director James Mangold replacing him, but the film was shelved following the disappointing box office performance of Solo.
So the intention to bring Boba back has always been there, and given the success of season one of The Mandalorian, the show presented the perfect opportunity.
Lucasfilm
Also with The Mandalorian taking place many years after both the events of the prequels and the original trilogy, this character is definitely not your bog standard clone trooper as they aged at an accelerated rate, and would therefore be dead or 80 years old.
And of course there is the Cobb Vanth factor too, with Timothy Olyphant’s character wearing Boba Fett’s distinctive armour in the opening episode, then handing it over to Mando.
This may be a red herring put in for some classic misdirection but we highly doubt it.
How Did He Survive The Sarlacc Pit?
Lucasfilm
If it really is Boba Fett, a valid question to ask is how on earth did he survive being pushed into the Sarlacc pit in The Return Of The Jedi, seemingly meeting his end?
Well, you need only look to the Star Wars comics and novels for your answer, with it being revealed in Dark Empire that Boba Fett’s armour enabled him not only to survive inside the Sarlacc, but he also managed to blow the creature up making his escape.
Nursed back to health in The Mandalorian Armor by rival bounty hunter Dengar, he then became a regular character in the Star Wars Legends expanded universe of books, also making cameos in other series.
Dark Horse Comics
In these stories he became the leader of the Mandalorians and had a family, but with these books being non-canonical, it means The Mandalorian might not follow this storyline.
However, these comics and novels do provide a reason why he is alive in the show, answering this important question.
How much the Disney+ series sticks to the rest of Boba Fett’s non-canonical story, well only time will tell.
What Could He Mean For The Show?
Disney+
When it comes to Boba Fett’s part in The Mandalorian and what he means for both the plot and characters, well, this is all currently unclear.
You can look to the original Hollywood Reporter article, which stated Morrison would play the bounty hunter, for some indication as to how large a role he will play though.
That’s because it says “Boba Fett is expected to play just a small role in season two of the series” hinting that he might only pop up again.
However, this doesn’t rule out him becoming a more significant part of the series in later seasons, especially since surely they wouldn’t bring back such a popular character for a mere cameo.
Currently in the storyline, Mando is looking to return The Child to his homeworld, and is searching for fellow Mandalorians to help him on this quest, so maybe he meets Boba on this journey, especially since the bounty hunter might be looking to reunite with his armour which is currently in Din Djarin’s possession.
You also have to ask the question has Boba been tracking Mando, and if so, for how long? Since he too is a famed bounty hunter, he likely heard of the big bounty on Baby Yoda’s head which, of course, the Mandalorian secured.
Boba Fett could be the villain of the piece then being a threat to The Child, or maybe he just wants his armour back, then will help Mando on his mission.
Disney+
What we do know though is that it will probably be a while until we find out, with Morrison only signing on to play a small role in this season.
Still, bring it on!
