What happened to Boba Fett after Return of the Jedi is something fans have wondered for years, and Disney's new Star Wars canon has an answer. When viewers last saw the fierce bounty hunter on-screen, he was gobbled up by the dreaded Sarlacc during the scuffle on Jabba's sail barge. However, due to his incredible popularity, and the unfitting nature of his supposed demise, many fans weren't ready to accept that Boba Fett's story had ended. Also, with the way the Lucasfilm Story Group has handled the question of his survival, the jury is still out.
First introduced in the maligned 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special, Boba Fett was a near instantaneous hit with fans. His unique look and no-nonsense attitude was intriguing, to say the least. Though his character was never truly fleshed out in the films, he gained a mythology with fans that grew exponentially with time. So much so that he was even briefly featured in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones as a young boy, and later in a handful of episodes of the The Clone Wars TV series.
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With the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, fans have begun to speculate if the Boba Fett character could possibly appear, given his adoption of Mandalorian armor. Though not a Mandalorian himself, as he's a clone of Jango Fett, the association is there, so fans have brought the character back to the forefront of public consciousness once more. But of course, since the series is set five years after the events of Return of the Jedi, Fett's true fate would need to be decided upon first.
Boba Fett After Return of the Jedi in Star Wars Legends
After the events of Return of the Jedi, Fett was revived in the now-defunct expanded universe, rebranded as Star Wars Legends once Lucasfilm was bought by Disney. In that continuity, Boba Fett managed to escape the Sarlacc Pit, although near fatally injured. Thanks to the aid of a fellow bounty hunter, Dengar, who found him while scavenging, Boba Fett was nursed back to health. Soon enough he was able to resume his work, this time teaming up with Dengar as the two had become close friends.
While he gained an ally in Dengar, it would still be some time before he mended any more bridges with old rivals. The bitter rivalry between he and Han Solo continued for years after, as they clashed on many occasions. During their final fight, the two ageing combatants decided to put their feud to rest and go their separate ways. Soon after, Boba Fett began going by the name of Mandalore and bravely led the Mandalorians. It was with them that he continued his work as a bounty hunter and mercenary.
Not long after, the Yuuzhan Vong, a warlike race not unlike the canon Grysk race that nearly destroyed the New Republic, arrived. At first he was willing to work alongside them, but with time, Boba Fett realized it would be in his and the Mandalorians' best interest to fight with the New Republic to defeat the Vong once and for all. After the Vong were defeated, an elderly Boba Fett would resume his bounty hunting activities. One of his final notable acts was training Jaina Solo, daughter of Han Solo and Leia Organa, to fight her brother, Jacen, who had fallen to the dark side and taken up the mantle of Darth Caedus.
Boba Fett After Return of the Jedi in Star Wars Canon
Here is where the situation gets a bit hazy. Unlike the Expanded Universe, which gave Boba Fett plenty to do beyond his misstep in Return of the Jedi, the new Disney canon has left the fabled bounty hunter on the shelf, for the most part. He did get a bit of expansion in his developmental years in The Clone Wars, but his story post-Return of the Jedi is far less certain, with Lucasfilm having canceled their once-planned Boba Fett spinoff movie. Though it is implied that he is dead, given he was last seen being eaten by the Sarlacc, there is a bit more ambiguity to it all when discussing the matter with those associated with Lucasfilm.
Boba Fett's is believed to be dead, but he can always return should Disney's Lucasfilm want him back at the forefront. After all, George Lucas and Star Wars fans considered Emperor Palpatine to be dead until the studio decided to bring him back in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Where Boba Fett may go in the new Star Wars canon is a question only time can answer. For now, the character is effectively dead. There haven't been any stories set after the events of Return of the Jedi that have confirmed Boba Fett's fate - one way or another - but that could be because there's simply no reason to revisit the character.
With The Mandalorian surging in popularity at the moment, there doesn't seem a need for another armored bounty hunter in the spotlight. Boba Fett was only ever a bounty hunter and not a Mandalorian, which is why he had hit in perfectly in the original trilogy but could be out of place with the new stories. But then again, with the criminal underworld after Return of the Jedi being the focus of the series, The Mandalorian could act as the perfect place for Boba Fett to make his long awaited return to the Star Wars franchise and simply confirm what happened to him. Is there a need? Some argue there is, while some feel there isn't, but at this juncture, fans may never know until the perfect opportunity arises.