After almost a year of waiting, The Mandalorian Season 2 is finally within reach. With the release of the trailer, speculation about Din Djarin and Baby Yoda's next adventure is at an all-time high. Whether it's who that mysterious stranger is or the specific rules of space wrestling, there's much to decode. And while you may have noticed that the legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett isn't present in the new trailer for The Mandalorian Season 2, an intriguing new theory explains how he could still be alive and make an appearance in the Disney+ show.
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In a post on the Star Wars Speculation subreddit, u/iamaNerd7 draws a parallel between the mysterious figure seen approaching Fennec Shand in Season 1 and a character from the canon Aftermath trilogy by Chuck Wendig, which take place after the original trilogy. In one scene from the books, recurring character Cobb Vanth stumbles upon a complete set of Mandalorian armor, which is quite the find within the Star Wars universe. Considering he's on Tatooine at the time, it's assumed the armor belonged to Boba Fett.
Many fans thought the figure seen approaching Shand was Fett as well, despite his death in the Sarlacc Pit. (And after the Season 1 finale, the obvious guess became Moff Gideon.) However, it could be Cobb Vanth wearing his second-hand Mandalorian threads. This also lines up with reports that Timothy Olyphant will join the Mandalorian cast in Season 2 as a character wearing Boba Fett's armor. That could mean he's Fett, but it seems more likely that Olyphant is playing Vanth.
A shadowy figure looms over Fennec
That's not all the Aftermath books tell us about Boba Fett, however. In the third book in the trilogy, the Sarlacc is found dead with its stomach cut open. It's explained away as wounds caused by Jabba's sail barge, but perhaps Boba cut his way out from inside the belly of the sandworm (or whatever that thing is).
This would make for the perfect meeting of the minds. Considering how Temeura Morrison is reportedly signed on for Season 2, an older Boba could stumble across a young upstart wearing his armor. But as Mandalorians are all about honor — in the books, Cobb cleans up his act and becomes a sheriff — Boba might let him continue to wear the armor. Basically, Boba Fett becomes the Star Wars equivalent of the Dread Pirate Roberts, more of a legend than an actual person.
Boba Fett and his armor may both be around in Wendig's books, but they could be separated in The Mandalorian Season 2. Cobb Vanth wearing Fett's armor could mean an instant kinship with Din Djarin if the two ever cross paths. After all, neither is Mandalorian by blood, but they've both adopted the creed and way of life.
Of course, there's plenty of potential for a bloodier outcome to a hypothetical meeting between Cobb and Boba. But the possibility of Star Wars' most iconic armor being passed down to a worthy successor is intriguing and could lead to a new armor bearer in time.
The Mandalorian Season 2 premieres on Disney+ on October 30.
