Dave Filoni has sparked rumors about Captain Rex appearing in The Mandalorian season 2. Introduced in The Clone Wars animated film, the character was voiced by Dee Bradley Baker and went on to play a recurring role in the Clone Wars cartoon series that followed. A legend among clone troopers, Rex was distinguished by the blue markings on his armor and the drawings on his helmet (including, tally marks representing his kills). He would later return to the animated side of the Star Wars universe in Star Wars Rebels, which takes place 14 years after Revenge of the Sith. Due to the clones' accelerated aging, Rex had a much older appearance on Rebels.
Rex is one of a number of animated Star Wars characters fans have been clamoring to see in live-action, much like his fellow Clone Wars and Rebels veteran Ahsoka Tano. With Rosario Dawson confirmed as a cast member for The Mandalorian season 2 and heavily rumored to be playing Ahsoka, some have wondered if her old pal Rex will similarly show up on the live-action Disney+ series. The idea seemed to gain traction recently, but it appears to be a false alarm (for now at least).
SWNN's Jason Barney recently noted Filoni - who worked on Clone Wars, created Rebels, and is a director on The Mandalorian - has what he believed to be brand-new artwork of Ahsoka and Rex as his Twitter banner, seemingly hinting at the pair reuniting in The Mandalorian season 2. However, as he discussed in a subsequent update, it turns out the artwork has been around for years. In fact, it's been featured as a cover photo on Filoni's Facebook page since December 2015.
Rumors aside, Rex appearing on The Mandalorian season 2 seems like a legitimate possibility. Rebels confirmed Rex was still alive during Return of the Jedi (which is set five years before The Mandalorian) and even fought in the Battle of Endor. Because of his accelerated aging, the character would be much older than he was on Rebels around the time The Mandalorian picks up, and presumably retired from a life of combat. In theory, he could even be brought to life by Temuera Morrison; the actor portrayed bounty hunter Jango Fett, whose DNA was used as the basis for the Clone Army, in Attack of the Clones and continued to voice the clone troopers in Revenge of the Sith. Failing that, The Mandalorian season 2 could offer fans closure by having Ahsoka - assuming Dawon's playing her - reveal what happened to Rex following the defeat of the Galactic Empire.
After season 1 included The Darksaber, there's reason to think The Mandalorian season 2 will delve even deeper into the mythos of the animated Star Wars shows, starting with Ahsoka's live-action debut. In doing so, the show could serve to further bridge the gap between the two sides of the Star Wars universe - not to mention, encourage those who haven't to finally give Clone Wars and/or Rebels a watch. There's no guarantee Rex will be included as part of that effort, but until Filoni or someone in an equally authoritative position says otherwise, fans are free to continue hoping for the best.
The Mandalorian season 2 is tentatively slated to begin streaming on Disney+ in the U.S. this October.
Source: James Barney/Twitter, Dave Filoni/Facebook