The mysterious character seen in the latest episode of The Mandalorian may actually be the legendary Boba Fett from the original Star Wars trilogy. Boba Fett, the bounty hunter who captured Han Solo for Jabba the Hutt in The Empire Strikes Back, is the character who introduced the famous Mandalorian armor to Star Wars canon. Boba Fett's popularity led to the addition of a whole new race, the Mandalorians, to the Star Wars mythos.
Even though Boba Fett may not be a real Mandalorian, he's the most recognizable character associated with them. After playing crucial roles in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Boba Fett was given an origin story in the second Star Wars prequel movie, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. Attack of the Clones introduced audiences to Boba's father, Jango Fett, who was apparently the previous owner of Boba's famous armor. The movie killed off Jango and gave Boba a reason to become the deadliest bounty hunter in the galaxy that everyone knows him as in the original trilogy. Boba Fett has also appeared in various novels in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, as well as cartoons such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars. A solo Boba Fett movie was even planned for a while but eventually scrapped.
With the release of The Mandalorian episode 5, rumors are heating up that Boba Fett is returning to live-action. In the episode, the titular character, played by Pedro Pascal, travels to Tatooine where he meets fellow bounty hunter Toro Calican (Jake Cannavale) on the hunt for a fugitive named Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen). After a brief team-up and two double-crosses, both Toro and Fennec Shand are killed, and Mando is able to leave Tatooine with Baby Yoda in tow. In the final scene of the episode, an unidentified character dressed in what appears to be Mandalorian armor is seen kneeling next to Fennec Shand's body. No one knows who with this character could be, but there are already theories tying him to established characters in the Star Wars universe, including Boba Fett.
Evidence The Mandalorian's Mystery Man Is Boba Fett
When the mysterious Mandalorian approaches Fennec Shand's body, the sound of boot spurs can be heard. It's same sound made by Boba Fett's spurs in The Empire Strikes Back when he joins Darth Vader in a dining room on Cloud City. The spurs are a key aspect of Boba Fett's character, as they were added to his design to help create the image of a Clint Eastwood-type villain in a science fiction world. There's also the matter of the cape worn by the stranger. Boba Fett wore a cape as well, which strengthens the comparisons between the two bounty hunters.
Does it make sense for Boba Fett to be the armored bounty hunter in episode of 5 of The Mandalorian? Boba Fett was seemingly killed in Return of the Jedi when he fought Han Solo, who accidentally activated Boba Fett's jetpack and sent him into the Sarlacc Pit. Boba Fett should have been eaten alive in the Sarlacc Pit, but the books in the Star Wars Expanded Universe have given Boba Fett a way out. The books have revealed that the bounty hunter crawled out and lived to fight another day. What happened in the books isn't canon anymore, so none of that may have happened, but that doesn't mean Boba Fett is dead. What it does mean is that it's at least possible that Boba Fett did survive.
If Boba Fett did indeed survive the Sarlacc Pit, he could be very much alive (and active) as a bounty hunter. In the timeline of The Mandalorian, five years have passed since the fall of the Empire in Return of the Jedi, so Boba Fett could still be in the prime of his career. It's also worth noting that the setting of The Mandalorian episode 5 curiously matches up with where Boba Fett's final scene took place in Return of the Jedi. The battle that resulted in Boba Fett's "death" occurred on Tatooine, which is where The Mandalorian's mysterious armored warrior happens to be in episode 5. So while Boba Fett could easily have left Tatooine to resume his life as a bounty hunter in the span of five years, it's possible that Boba Fett, for some unknown reason, chose to remain on Tatooine.
Could The Mandalorian's Mystery Man Be Aftermath's Sherrif?
An alternative theory is that the character in The Mandalorian episode 5 is Cobb Vanth, the sheriff of a place called Freetown in Tatooine. Cobb Vanth was introduced in the novel, Star Wars: Aftermath. Similar to The Mandalorian, Aftermath is set between Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Vanth was a former slave on Tatooine who decided to become a lawman. Vanth eventually got his hands on a suit of Mandalorian armor. Dressed as a Mandalorian, Vanth became the Sheriff of Freetown and a warrior who was both well-respected and feared by the people around him.
There's a question of how Cobb Vanth came to be in the possession of Mandalorian armor. It was acquired from a group of Jawa scavengers, but where did they find the armor? It was never made clear where the Jawas found the armor, but given the nature of the Mandalorians, it's hard to believe that the owner of the armor is still alive. Whoever it belonged to must have died on Tatooine. One particular Mandalorian who may have perished on Tatooine is Boba Fett. It was never confirmed, but it was implied that the armor worn by Cobb Vanth in Aftermath is the same suit worn by Boba Fett.
Cobb Vanth may be the character who showed up in episode 5, which would mean that though The Mandalorian isn't using Boba Fett, it could still be making use of his iconic armor. Aftermath is canon in the Star Wars universe, and since it happened just a few years before The Mandalorian, Cobb Vanth is alive and likely still the Sheriff of Freetown at the time of Mando's visit.