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The Mandalorian: How Did Boba Fett Survive?

This Mandalorian Theory Might Explain How Boba Fett Survived

Watch out! This post contains spoilers.

THE MANDALORIAN, Tusken Raider riding a Bantha, (Season 2, premiered Oct. 30, 2020). photo: Disney+/Lucasfilm / Courtesy Everett Collection

The season two premiere of The Mandalorian, "The Marshal," seems to hold the answer to how Boba Fett survived his supposed death. During the episode, Mando arrives on Tattoine under the impression that there's another Mandalorian he can ask for help in returning The Child to the Jedi. Instead, he finds an imposter named Cobb Vanth, who wears the armor as a way to protect his town, and the two eventually team up with the Tusken Raiders to defeat the Krayt Dragon. It's after the defeat of the Krayt Dragon that we see a lone figure, played by Temuera Morrison, watching as Mando heads off in search of a real Mandalorian. When Morrison first turned around, we couldn't help but think that he had to be playing Boba Fett, but how did Fett survive certain death during Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi? For that, we're looking at clues found throughout "The Marshal."

The armor Cobb Vanth wears is unmistakeable — it's the same armor Fett wears in Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. While Cobb and Mando are heading to meet with the Tusken Raiders, Cobb reveals how he was able to buy it from the Jawas, who salvaged the armor from a Sarlaac Pit. As seen throughout The Mandalorian, it's pretty evident that the only way you can part a Mandalorian from their armor, is if they're dead and surviving the fall into a Sarlaac Pit, let alone a Sarlaac, seems pretty unlikely. However, the idea that the Krayt Dragon could kill a Sarlaac and live in the abandoned pit suggests that there was a small window Fett had to escape after all.

"It's pretty evident that the only way you can part a Mandalorian from their armor, is if they're dead."

As seen in the episode, the Tusken Raiders have the greatest knowledge when it comes to the Krayt Dragon and its habits. Had Fett been able to escape because of the monster, leaving his armor behind, he likely would've come into contact with the group. Previously on The Mandalorian and in "The Marshal," Mando demonstrates that he can speak to the Tusken Raiders through sign language. If the Mandalorians place importance on being able to converse with different alien species, then Fett may have been his salvation. At the end of the episode, Fett seems to be dressed in Tusken Raider garb, complete with a scarred face and lacking hair of any kind, which likely makes it easier to wear the Tusken Raider masks. That's right — Fett has probably been kicking it with the Tusken Raiders this entire time. It's not like he really had much going for him once he fell into the Sarlaac Pit.

Why Fett's kept a low-profile this long, we have no way of knowing — unless it's a storyline season two decides to visit. We also aren't even entirely sure Morrison actually is playing Fett, as the credits don't list his character and many fans have theorized he could be playing Captain Rex or an entirely different clone. That being said, we're pretty certain he's playing Fett as all other clones were genetically engineered to age faster than humans, while Fett was unaltered so his father, Jango Fett, could raise him as his own. Either way, we're ready to see more of Morrison on our screens and can't wait to see what else there may be in store for Mando in relation to the fabled bounty hunter.

Image Source: Everett Collection
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