Cara Dune is appearing in new Star Wars toys despite Gina Carano’s firing. A former MMA fighter, Carano has starred in Fast & Furious 6 and Deadpool, but she is most well-known for her role on Disney+’s hit Star Wars series The Mandalorian. Carano appeared in the first two seasons of the show as a former Rebel shock trooper turned marshal of the New Republic. Before her firing, there were plans for Carano to star in her own Cara Dune spinoff series, but some controversial posts on social media forced Lucasfilm to ax the relationship.
During her tenure on The Mandalorian, Carano caused controversy for social media posts that included transphobic jokes, doubting the effectiveness of face masks in stopping the spread of COVID-19, and spouting unfounded voter fraud conspiracies in the wake of the 2020 presidential election. However, the final straw came in February when she made further controversial posts concerning Jeffrey Epstein and the Holocaust and was subsequently fired by Lucasfilm. While Disney also appeared to be cracking down on Cara Dune merchandise, it now seems that may not be the case, at least with some products.
Now, according to Brick Fanatics, Cara Dune is set to reappear in this summer’s new line of Star Wars LEGOs. The set in question is number 75315, which is a Mandalorian set based on Moff Gideon’s light cruiser. Based on a low-resolution image found in a Japanese consumer catalogue, Cara Dune appears to be among the minifigure line-up that also includes Din Djarin, Grogu, Moff Gideon, Fennec Shand, and a Darktrooper. This set is expected to hit shelves in August.
Shortly after Carano’s firing in February, the toy company Hasbro cancelled their Cara Dune action figure. Then in March, a Cara Dune Funko Pop! was cancelled as well. However, based on the new LEGO set, it's possible these steps may not have been taken due to a directive from Disney.
The company appeared to unequivocally cut ties with Carano and her character, so this decision to include Cara Dune in the new LEGO Star Wars lineup certainly raises some eyebrows. It could be argued choosing not to cut her out of merchandise entirely sends some mixed signals despite Disney's strong words at the time of Carano's firing. For now, it’s unclear if LEGO plans to roll out this Star Wars set in the United States as well. If so, Cara Dune could very well be missing when it hits shelves later this summer.
Source: Brick Fanatics
