SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains details about the ending of The Book of Boba Fett, “Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger.” Unless you are caught up with the full story so far, I’d be careful where I was sticking my nose if I were you.
In Chapter 6 of The Book of Boba Fett, which seems to have evolved into The Mandalorian Season 2.5 as of late, Star Wars fans were treated with an onslaught of mind-blowing cameos and references to the extensive lore of this galaxy far, far away. Of course, one moment that has gotten the most attention (following previous rumors of his live-action debut) is the stirring, sinister appearance of Cad Bane.
However, to those less familiar with much of the related content outside of the main Star Wars movies, the character may have inspired the thought, Who is this strange hybrid of Clint Eastwood and Squidward Tentacles? Well, since he never bothered to give Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) his name before getting the best of him in their shootout, it looks like it is up to us to fill you in on who this Star Wars villain is and how he may affect the Disney+ series going forward. The following are some of the most essential facts from Cad Bane’s backstory so far, starting with the basics.
Cad Bane Is One Of The Galaxy’s Most Feared And Elusive Bounty Hunters
Created by George Lucas, Dave Filoni, and Henry Gilroy, Cad Bane was first introduced on a 2009 episode of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He was played by prolific voice actor Corey Burton, who has since reprised the role on The Bad Batch and The Book of Boba Fett (along with Dorian Kingi’s physical portrayal).
Born on the planet Duro, Bane gained notoriety during the Clone War era as one of its most successful and dangerous bounty hunters, having started at an early age and mastering his skill under the guidance of Jango Fett. He would eventually cross paths with his mentor’s son, Boba, but not before making a name for himself in the time between.
Darth Maul Hired Cad Bane To Steal A Padawan From An Auction
As seen in a 2017 issue of the Darth Maul comic book series, Cad Bane was hired by the prolific Sith Lord prior to the events of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. He and other bounty hunters were assigned to abduct a Jedi Padawan being auctioned off by a criminal syndicate purely because Maul wanted to satisfy his bloodlust. The Padawan was purchased by a Moogan gang whom Bane, Maul, and the others brutally ambushed in their own starship, which soon crashed into a moon.
The auction host caught on to their thievery and ordered the other criminals in attendance to hunt them down. Maul had Bane and the others hold off the syndicate and look for a new ship while he stayed behind to duel with the Padawan. After effortlessly mowing down the goons, Bane and the other hunters considered just killing Maul, but greed and the Sith lord’s impressive fighting skills convinced them otherwise.
Cad Bane Has Taken On Some Famous Jedi
Cad Bane’s association with the Sith has led to him going toe-to-toe with some of the Jedi’s most iconic names. For instance, on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Darth Sidious hired him to steal a data storage device called a holocron, which put a task force led by Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano hot on his trail. However, after forcing Anakin to open the holocron for him by threatening to kill Ahsoka, he managed to escape by posing as a Clone Trooper and blasting a ship from a Republic cruiser into hyperspace.
Darth Sidious would then order Bane to use the holocron to find and kidnap Force-sensitive younglings, and he snatched two before Anakin and Ahsoka apprehended him. After the combined efforts of Anakin, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Mace Windu failed to convince Bane to reveal the location of the children with a Jedi Mind trick, he agreed to defer, only to lead Obi-Wan and Mace into a trap that contained the stolen holocron but none of the children he claimed were there, allowing him to escape again.
Jabba Hired Cad Bane To Save And, Later, Eliminate A Hutt Clan Member
Another time that saw Cad Bane at odds with Obi-Wan Kenobi was on a later episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars after the bounty hunter was hired by Jabba the Hutt to help release fellow Hutt clan member Ziro from the Galactic Republic’s imprisonment. He and his assembled crew of fellow hunters took the Senate building hostage, forcing Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to free Ziro.
Jabba would later hire Bane again to, this time, kill Ziro after he escaped imprisonment on Nal Hutta. Also looking for Ziro were Obi-Wan Kenobi and Quinlan Vos, who interrupted Bane’s hunt before it was discovered that Ziro’s lover murdered him. Bane and the Jedi Masters turned on each other, with Bane proving victorious and Obi-Wan getting electrocuted by the hunter’s gauntlets.
A Disguised Obi-Wan Stopped Cad Bane From Kidnapping Palpatine
Obi-Wan Kenobi’s adversarial relationship with Cad Bane reached its peak in a most badass way on a later episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Bane allowed himself to become captured by the Republic, who held him captive at a complex in Coruscant. However, in truth, the surrender was part of an assignment given to him by Count Dooku to help a man named Moralu Eval escape.
Accompanying them was fellow bounty hunter Rako Hardeen, who joined them and other criminals at a tournament held by Dooku on Serenno to decide whom he would hire to capture Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Bane was made leader of the final crew, which also included Hardeen. However, as it turned out, Hardeen was really Obi-Wan Kenobi in disguise, allowing him to successfully put an end to the kidnapping and finally arrest Bane.
Cad Bane Was A Mentor To Boba Fett
According to The Galactic Explorer’s Guide, it was near the end of the Clone Wars when Cad Bane met Boba Fett. He took the young, aspiring bounty hunter under his wing as an apprentice in order to repay his late father, Jango, for being his teacher. However, their relationship would take a dark turn, as seen on an unfinished episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
The two bounty hunters came into opposition and engaged in a stand-off that resulted in both of them being shot in the head. It was Bane’s blast that created the iconic dent in Boba Fett’s helmet, which we can imagine could be brought up when the former allies reunite on The Book of Boba Fett.
Fennec Shand Once Stole Cad Bane’s Bounty
Temuera Morrison’s titular crime lord is certainly not the only Book of Boba Fett character who will endure a bitter reunion with Cad Bane. The Disney+ animated series, The Bad Batch, would reveal that the bounty hunter did manage to survive Boba Fett’s shot and, after recovering, took a job kidnapping a special clone named Omega. However, after he successfully snatched her from Clone Force 99 on the planet Bracca, she was taken from him by Fennec Shand, also voiced by Ming-Na Wen on the show.
So, it appears that Cad Bane has a couple of scores to settle, in addition to his main objective as the Pyke Syndicate’s Tatooine representative. All we know for sure at this point is that, with just two episodes left in the season, his introduction on The Book of Boba Fett has caused a great disturbance on the series that is sure to make things even more interesting.
