A Mandalorian season 2 fan poster imagines Mace Windu becoming Baby Yoda's teacher. This latest season of the hit Disney+ show has brought back notable characters from different Star Wars mediums, including Ahsoka Tano from the animated series The Clone Wars and Rebels in episode 5, and Cobb Vanth, who originally appeared in the Star Wars Aftermath book trilogy, in episode 1.
In season 2, episode 3, despite Din being told by Bo Katan to take Grogu to Ahsoka Tano in the hopes of leaving the child with people of his own, Tano sensed too much fear and attachment in him to keep and train. However, their journey to her wasn't completely without hope, as Tano pointed the travelers in the direction of a Jedi temple on Tython, which harbors a beacon to connect with other Jedi. So far, guesses as to who will answer Baby Yoda's call are unknown, with some fan art imagining it to be classic Star Wars main character Luke Skywalker. While Luke would be a one of the very few major Force users at that point in the timeline, the possibility of the call bringing Mace Windu back has often arisen. Although Windu was last seen falling from a great height at the end of Revenge Of The Sith, over thirty years prior to The Mandalorian in the Star Wars timeline, the Jedi master is never actually seen dead.
In a new fan made poster, Instagram user spdrmnkyxxiii's latest post sees the character of Mace Windu in the style of the official Disney+ Mandalorian marketing campaign. Still intended to be portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson, the actor behind the character for every live action appearance, the art sees him styled in similar robes from those appearances, yet aged, with scarring and facial hair. Check out spdrmnkyxxiii's poster below:
The idea of Windu being alive at this point in the timeline has been around for a while. In fact, Jackson himself actually theorized as to how his fan favorite character survived the fight with Emperor Palpatine, which saw him defeated and fall from a skyscraper window. With Mace Windu consistently depicted as one of the most powerful Jedi throughout the prequel trilogy, or at least a very high standing member of the Jedi Council, the idea that he's long gone is somewhat dubious. As shown by spdrmnkyxxiii's fan art, it would make total sense for the Jedi master to have been in hiding for a while, explaining his absence throughout the original trilogy, only to reappear during The Mandalorian, having sensed Baby Yoda's strong connection with the Force. It would follow suit with recent popular returning characters on the series providing pivotal story elements, with the Jedi tuition of Baby Yoda seemingly being where the plot is headed.
Knowing Jackson has previously stated that he himself doesn't believe Mace Windu is dead seems to be a promising sign that spdrmnkyxxiii's The Mandalorian fan art may hopefully ring true one day. As the show has already proven, it's not afraid of taking risks and tying together different parts of Star Wars cannon, and with it's current plot trajectory, Windu would fit absolutely perfectly.
Source: spdrmnkyxxiii