Boba Fett is coming back in Disney+’s The Mandalorian, but why did it take Disney so long to bring him back? The Star Wars universe is full of interesting characters – from humans to aliens and droids – and it doesn’t take much screen time for some of them to become widely popular. The original trilogy introduced the audience to the heroes and villains that led this and part of the sequel trilogy, and some of them returned for the final trilogy, while others were left behind despite being among the most popular characters in the saga.

Such is the case of Boba Fett, the bounty hunter whose first appearance was in the Star Wars Holiday Special in 1978, but as it’s considered non-canon, his proper debut came in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. He came back in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi only to leave fans with a big mystery that made way for various theories and explanations: the last time he was seen, he fell into the Sarlaac’s mouth, and it was unknown if he survived. Boba Fett was absent in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but in May 2020 it was revealed that he’s going to appear in The Mandalorian season 2, but Disney took way too long to bring him back.

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As mentioned above, Boba Fett didn’t have enough screen time for viewers to get to know him, but it was enough to make him a big fan-favorite. Boba Fett returned to the Star Wars saga in the prequel trilogy but not as the bounty hunter fans knew. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones featured a young Boba Fett who was revealed to be an unaltered clone of Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison). Following the acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney, the studio began to develop not only a new trilogy but also anthology films, among those one focused on Boba Fett. After a couple of obstacles in pre-production, the project was canceled and Disney instead focused on developing The Mandalorian, passing the Boba Fett torch to the title character (played by Pedro Pascal).

Boba Fett about to fire a blaster pistol

Disney has chosen to focus on new characters rather than on the ones from the past, even if they are as popular as Boba Fett – and a prime example is what it did with Leia, Luke, and Han Solo in the sequel trilogy. What Disney has been doing is bringing the Star Wars universe to new generations, and Boba Fett is a big name for no narrative reason, so putting him aside for a while makes way for other characters to be introduced and their stories to be explored. Still, Disney missed the chance to bring Boba Fett back before the Mandalorian took over his place, and even though he’s one of the most beloved characters of the saga (and will now be played by Temuera Morrison), the audience’s reaction to his return isn’t as good as expected, and it’s all due to Disney not using him in any major canon.

The Mandalorian is a character fans are curious to know more about and are ready to continue watching for as long as Disney allows it, so it’s understandable that Boba Fett’s return wasn’t received with as much excitement as it would have been a few years ago. Depending on how his return and arc are handled in the series, Boba Fett could go back to being an exciting character to watch, and Disney could make up for all the lost time.

Next: Star Wars: What Happened To Boba Fett After Return Of The Jedi In New Canon