Across the first half of its first season, Disney+'s The Mandalorian has given Star Wars fans a lot of what they were looking for from the franchise's first live-action TV show. Unless they're looking for extended backstories and secrets about any of the show's main characters. Particularly curious is Carl Weathers' money-loving bounty hunter Greef Carga, whose initially protagonistic behavior gave way to something more sinister after Mando's decision to save old Baby Yoda from The Client and Dr. Pershing. But what's his deal, really?
As the head of the bounty hunters' Guild, it's clear that Greef Carga is a character worth exploring in more detail, but it turns out fans will have to wait a while to dig deeper into Greef's mindset and history within this universe.
I think [Greef’s backstory] is more saved for Season 2. But you get some glimpses at Greef and who he is through the stories in the first season. There’s some real strong indications that give you some idea of who he is. But we never let on completely.
So far, The Mandalorian has done a great job at keeping several of its characters straddling the line between moral and villainous behavior, to the point where it wouldn't be that hard to convince a random viewer that Mando is actually a bad guy. He gets hired to traffic living material to a creepy old guy, then after the mission is a success, he doubles back and kidnaps Baby Yoda, despite the fact that he doesn't actually know if what Dr. Pershing is doing is bad or not. Sure, we can assume the worst, but what do we know?
Carl Weathers' Greef isn't quite as stealthily nuanced, and seems much more willing to holler at someone across a crowded cantina than to contemplate things silently. But is he truly innately a jovial guy who runs the guild with a forgiving mind, or is that all an act to hide a more devious and greed-driven personality?
Fans are going to have to wait until Season 2 to get a more definitive take on Greef's lifestyle choices, and that's the kind of character development that Carl Weathers can get behind. As he put it to Games Radar, it's a lot more interesting for an actor to take on a part like Greef where he's not just making one-dimensional decisions every time you see him, and isn't falling on the same old patterns that good guys and bad guys settle into.
Intriguingly, Carl Weathers leaves things with a tease that will make all of the character's actions with scrutinizing over:
Certainly with Greef, you have to really keep your eye on him.
Whenever people aren't keeping their eyes on Baby Yoda, that is.
Greef will certainly have some harsh words to say to Mando should the characters cross paths again in Season 1. Considering Pedro Pascal's Mando went against the Guild's rules on several occasions during the Baby Yoda rescue, I can't imagine Greef and the other bounty hunters will be so forgiving in the future. But hey, maybe Carl Weathers' character will be revealed to have a soft spot for Baby Yoda and other Force-sensitive beings. Maybe he's a Jedi Master himself. Or, you know, maybe not.
With just four episodes left in Season 1, The Mandalorian will be finished with by the time 2020 arrives. But that just means we're that much closer to the arrival of Season 2, which is currently in production as we speak. In fact, Carl Weathers himself is getting behind the camera for the sophomore season, meaning he would still be sticking around this magical universe even if Greef had been killed off already.
Rian Johnson Wants To Direct The Mandalorian In Season 2 And That Needs To Happen
Here's Carl Weathers talking excitedly during Disney+'s recent press day about getting a chance to helm an episode or two in Season 2:
Honestly, I don’t think it would have happened with a lot of people. Jon promised last year when I agreed to do this because he knew I wanted to direct more and more that if we got a second season, he’d give me a shot. I gotta tell you, I’ve been around enough to know people don’t always keep their words. Being a part of this is one of the greatest things that’s ever happened in all the years I’ve been involved [in the industry].
With Jon Favreau in the creative seat and Star Wars Rebels vet Dave Filoni as showrunner, The Mandalorian will hopefully be around to expand its characters' backstories for many years to come, with Carl Weathers smack-dab in the middle of it all. The show airs Fridays on Disney+ at 3:01 a.m. ET.
