The Mandalorian season 1 was originally supposed to include the death of the Armorer. The hit Disney+ show follows the exploits of a Mandalorian bounty hunter who takes on a young charge named Grogu — popularly known as Baby Yoda — defying his duty in the process. The show, which was created by Jon Favreau, stars Pedro Pascal alongside a large supporting cast including Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito, Werner Herzog, Ming-Na Wen, Amy Sedaris, and Mark Hamill reprising his role as Luke Skywalker.
The Armorer plays an important role in connecting Pascal's Din Djarin to his culture. She is a part of the Mandalorian tribe that resides in the underground caverns of Nevarro, operating the forge and creating armor for her compatriots. After Gideon and his troops ransack the city, the Mandalorian compound was raided but the Armorer remained behind to gather materials, ending up using her hammer and tongs to delay the attackers so Djarin and his crew could escape.
Although the Armorer has not appeared in the series since the season 1 finale, there is still a chance for her to return. However, that wasn't originally the case. Per The Direct, at Dragon Con 2021, Armorer actress Emily Swallow revealed that in the first draft of the episode, the Armorer was meant to sacrifice her life defending Djarin. She expressed her relief that Favreau changed his mind, going on to describe the replacement fight scene as "breathtaking" and praising her "amazing" stunt double Lauren Mary Kim. Read the full quote here:
We were being set up for that! Jon [Favreau] told me that he had originally written it that she did sacrifice herself and that was the end of the Armorer. And then he changed his mind, and I was like "Thank you!"
Lauren Mary Kim, my amazing stunt double, was the one who did that fight in actuality. For me, I knew it happened, but I didn't see it until the episode aired when everybody else is watching it. And so it had a similar effect on me as it happened with everybody else. I was like, "Thank you, Lauren Mary Kim, you made that character look way better than Emily would have!" So it was a pretty breathtaking moment that I cheered like a lot of you did.
Generally, The Mandalorian hasn't pulled punches when it comes to character deaths. Indeed, in that very episode at the end of season 1, the droid IG-11 (Taika Waititi) is sacrificed. Certainly, this isn't the last fans have seen of the Armorer. Now that season 2 saw Djarin conclude the mission she gave him to return Grogu to his people, that may be a strong reason for them to reunite in season 3.
It's also important to note that characters who survive on the show have a habit of coming back. Indeed, The Mandalorian has given rise to several spin-off shows featuring characters including The Book of Boba Fett (which will debut on Disney+ this December) and Ahsoka. These characters have also appeared elsewhere in the Star Wars universe so it makes sense for them to break off into their own lead roles. However, there's no reason the Armorer can't make her triumphant return somewhere in the vast world of Disney+ Star Wars content.
Source: The Direct