Until The Mandalorian's second season, the most infamous bounty hunter in the galaxy hadn't appeared to do much more than track down Han Solo, look intimidating in Jabba's palace, and flail to his death into the Pit of Carkoon. Before he appeared as a stormtrooper bashing badass, his reputation had been shrouded in mystery since Return of the Jedi, forcing fans to look to Star Wars Legends (the comic books, novels, and other media released prior to Disney purchasing Lucasfilm in 2012) to understand his legacy.
Fans will have to wait for The Book of Boba Fett on Disney+ to see the full scope of his skills, but the spin-off series won't account for the period of time when he was building his reputation as a tactical genius and a fearless combatant. From dueling the Dark Lord of the Sith, to ending an alien invasion as the Mandalore in his 70s, here are all the things Fett has done that sadly aren't canon anymore.
Set The Sarlacc On Fire
After a jetpack malfunction, the galaxy thinks Fett is sarlacc grub. According to "A Barve Like That" from Tales from Jabba's Palace, Boba Fett not only finds a way to escape, but also regains his -and his jetpack's- reputation in the process.
As he's slowly being digested for years, Fett forms a mental bond with the sarlacc through the memories of its victims, lulling it into a false sense of security. Eventually, he finds a way to trip his jetpack's mechanisms undetected and blast out into the desert, scorching the sarlacc's guzzle in the process.
Went Another Round With Han Solo Crippled And Dying Of Cancer
In "The Last One Standing: The Tale of Boba Fett" from Tales of the Bounty Hunters, both Boba Fett and his nemesis Han Solo are going through a bit of a mid-life crisis. Fett has to cope with a cybernetic leg and a rare cancer after escaping the sarlacc, and Solo wants a taste of his old life back as a smuggler.
Fett learns that Solo is telling yarns of the old days on Jubilar and decides to ambush him. They engage in a climactic showdown, though their reflexes aren't what they used to be. The duel ends with them about to deliver death blows, but having spent enough time contemplating their own mortality, they both choose to live to die another day.
Dueled Darth Vader (And Continued To Work For Him Later)
Boba Fett is just about the only person who can talk back to Darth Vader and live, indicating a strong working relationship. In fact, the Dark Lord engaged Fett's services on many occasions, some of them -as told in Boba Fett; Enemy of the Empire- so volatile that it's a wonder they ever worked together again.
After a mission to Maryx Minor, in which Fett secured -but failed to hand over- a valuable artifact for Vader, the Sith lord dueled Fett over a molten pit. Fett shot Vader point black in the head, and Vader nearly squeezed the life out of Fett with the Force. Finally, Fett kicked the artifact into the lava and Vader had to choose between recovering it or ending Fett's life.
Got The 5 Million Credit Bounty With Nothing But A Bow And Some Arrows
Despite possessing a deadly arsenal, Boba Fett didn't rely on technology to get his mark, even discarding his beskar armor when he tracked the Butcher of Montellian Serat. Once he found out the perimeter defenses of the Devaronian's compound could be triggered by his tech, he opted to infiltrate with nothing but a crossbow and a knife.
Knowing a Devaronian would only need to use the waste facilities once a week, Fett waited until his target relieved himself at the open-air toilet to bring him in. The price tag on the Butcher's head was the highest in the galaxy at the time; over five million credits.
Outsmarted All Vader's Bounty Hunters To Become Jabba The Hutt's Champion
After Boba Fett was instrumental in capturing Han and Leia, he was given three hundred thousand credits by the Empire in addition to receiving Solo's frozen body as his prize. Unfortunately, he had to fight off every one of Vader's bounty hunters to ensure he got the two hundred and fifty thousand credits promised by Jabba the Hutt.
When he reached the outskirts of Jabba's palace, Vader's mercenaries were looking for him, so Fett used a spare suit of armor as a decoy while he got Solo inside. Later, Jabba would make him the champion of his demolition games for using cunning (and explosion-loaded decoys) to transform his gambling empire.
Went Toe To Toe With Mace Windu
After the death of Boba Fett's father Jango at the hands of Mace Windu, he swore vengeance against the formidable Jedi. When he had learned the ways of the Mandalorians, he had his chance to finally rid the galaxy of Windu when he ambushed him to the Senate building on Coruscant.
In a scene right out of The Princess Bride, Fett approached Windu and explained that he was going to avenge his father's death. The two dueled -with Fett stabbing the Jedi Master in the ribs- until both were left utterly broken. Ironically, it was Palpatine who ended up halting the fight before Fett could deliver a killing blow.
Dueled Jedi Fugitive Obi-Wan Kenobi
When Fett was on the payroll of an Imperial Grand Inquisitor, his task was to find valuable information about Padme Amidala. He teamed up with a bounty hunter named D'harhan, and ended up following Jedi to the planet Bellassa, where they were working to stop a Rebel uprising.
On the dying stars known as the Red Twins, Fett engaged in battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi, a fugitive at that point, nearly killing the Jedi Master and driving him from the system. Years later, he would storm Old Ben's hut on Tatooine and nearly gun down a callow Luke Skywalker.
Collected The Bounty On His Own Client After Losing A Bet
Who'd have thought Boba Fett would be so savage in an animated series? In the '80s cartoon Star Wars: Droids, Boba Fett is hired by Sise Fromm to take out an elite racing team as they prepare their landspeeder for the Boonta Speeder Race. Fett tries to sabotage their speeder before the race, but is later forced to enter himself.
Unbeknownst to Fett, his client has planted a bomb in his target's speeder, which ends up directly threatening Fett's safety. When his target ends up winning anyway, Fett is so fed up with the entire affair that he turns Fromm in for a bounty from Jabba the Hutt.
Turned The Tide Of An Invasion As The Leader Of Mandalore In His 70s
Decades after the Battle of Endor the Yuuzhan Vong invaded the galaxy in The New Jedi Order books, proving to be an even greater threat than the Empire. The leader of Mandalore at the time, Boba Fett led the Mandalorian fleet to take on Vong forces but the Vong, unaware that Fett was helping the New Republic, enlisted them as mercenaries.
Fett and his warriors maintained the ruse, all the while continuing to feed information to New Republic Intelligence. Fett kept training militias of Mandalorians to repel the Vong, and once they were defeated, he helped the Mandalorian Protectors liberate Vong-controlled planets.
Trained Han Solo's Daughter To Take Down A Sith Lord
When Boba Fett found out that Han Solo's son Jacen had become Darth Caedus (and the new Dark Lord of the Sith), he was appalled. He sent Solo some beskar armor with a simple note that instructed him to "throttle the life out of his vermin spawn."
Impressed by what Fett had sent to the family, Han's daughter Jaina decided to use the old bounty hunter's hatred for Jedi to get him to agree to help her hunt Caedus down. Fett agreed to train her in the ways of a bounty hunter, even though his days of Jedi killing were behind him.