The tease of Boba Fett in season 1 of The Mandalorian might not actually have been the iconic bounty hunter. Debuting on Disney+ in November of 2019, The Mandalorian quickly became an instant streaming hit. With everything from Baby Yoda capturing the hearts of practically the entire planet to Gina Carano's Cara Dune arguably becoming the show's breakout character, The Mandalorian would emerge as among the most universally-beloved installments of the Disney Star Wars era.
With the show's second season set to arrive on Disney+ in October, the news that Temuera Morrison will appear as Boba Fett has upped the anticipation considerably. It's also sent many looking back to the fifth episode of season 1, with the final scene now seeming to verify previous suspicions that Boba Fett was the unidentified figure seen in the last few seconds of the episode. While there's certainly plenty to point to as evidence of that, it may not capture the full picture of what's taking place.
Though it is hard to ignore that the series has led viewers to believe that this figure was indeed Boba Fett, it could instead be the case that The Mandalorian has concocted a way to tease him without actually showing him. Of course, this leaves open the questions of what purpose this would serve, along with who else the nameless individual in question could be. There could be a very clever act of deception going on here — one which also works as a Boba Fett tease in itself — that could set up a surprise reveal of another character in season 2.
The Mandalorian Season 1's Boba Fett Tease Explained
The tease of Boba Fett comes in the closing moments of the first season's aforementioned fifth episode, titled "The Gunslinger." After Ming-Na Wen's Fennec Shand had been shot and seemingly killed by Jake Cannavale's Toro Calican earlier in the episode, an unidentified figure is seen approaching her body in the final scene. Between the familiar spur noises and the recognizable tech sound effects, many viewers were swiftly convinced that this was Boba Fett, with the cape the figure is seen wearing only adding greater credence to that theory.
With Boba Fett set to appear in season 2, it's tempting to think back to this moment as an early tease of his appearance on The Mandalorian. Considering the breadcrumbs are already laid out, it's not difficult to see the validity behind the theories that Boba Fett is seen in the final moments of the fifth episode. However, aside from the details of Boba Fett's role in season 2 still being up for speculation, there could be more going on with this scene than the clear cut character setup that it appears to be.
Why Mandalorian's Boba Fett Hint Is A Tease & A Trick
To be clear, the ending of season 1, episode 5 does indeed work as a tease of an upcoming appearance by Boba Fett; however, it is equally possible that Boba Fett himself may not be the figure in this scene (his armor is even said to be worn by numerous characters in season 2.) Instead, this could be a case of his future debut on the show being hinted at, while the scene itself is also an intentional act of misdirection.
While Fennec Shand has not been outright confirmed to be returning for season 2, the framing of the last few seconds of the episode sends a rather difficult-to-deny indication that her time on The Mandalorian has not yet ended. At the same time, it also seems to signal that her return, whenever it hypothetically happens, will involve Boba Fett — perhaps even setting up his entrance onto the series. In turn, this could be the show pulling the wool over the eyes of its audience, hinting at Boba Fett's debut with a different character intentionally meant to throw viewers off. As to who the mysterious figure could actually be, two possible candidates could take the pay-off for this scene into a completely different direction than where it seems to be heading.
Who Else The Figure Could Be (Besides Boba Fett)
When it comes to the identity of the shadowy stranger approaching Fennec Shand's body, rather than being Boba Fett himself, it could instead be the other big Star Wars legacy character said to appear in season two, namely a disguised Ahsoka Tano, who will reportedly be portrayed by Rosario Dawson. In fact, she might even be the perfect character to utilize for the scenario of misdirection to work best, with The Mandalorian teasing the appearance of one character by using another, keeping the true nature of how both Boba Fett and Ahsoka Tano enter the picture in season 2 under wraps and laying the foundation for both without anyone realizing it.
The other possibility is that The Mandalorian could be using a red herring, just like Star Wars: The Last Jedi, by making the mystery character essentially a nobody. More specifically, it could turn out that Fennec Shand's body was found by another generic Mandalorian, and going this route would serve the exact same function as revealing the figure as Ahsoka Tano. Boba Fett himself having already been clearly teased, his first appearance in season 2 could end up revealing him to be disconnected from Fennec Shand in season 1, with the actual figure being someone entirely different with an overall Boba Fett-like appearance intentionally designed as a bait-and-switch.
Whoever the unnamed figure who finds Fennec Shand's body turns out to be, the structure of the scene itself makes it evident that they will have a significant part to part to play in season 2, while also alluding to the return of Fennec Shand herself. While everything in the final moments of the episode seems to point to the individual in question being Boba Fett, that could be only half the story, with the ending instead creating a tease for him while using someone else to do it. For its second season, The Mandalorian likely has a few surprises up its sleeve to add to the Star Wars canon, and a fake-out Boba Fett tease with a completely different character could certainly be quite the unexpected curveball for it to throw.