Summary
Bounty hunters have always played a big role inStar Wars, and it seems the franchise is now set to bring one notorious gun for hire back from the dead. There are dozens ofbounty hunters inStar Wars, and they’ve been incredibly important throughouttheStar Warstimeline. Many of thebest bounty hunters inStar Warsearned that title because of how long they were around. Bounty hunting is an extremely dangerous profession, and only the most fearsome warriors could survive for very long. Even the best eventually meet their end, though, and they usually meet it quite violently.
Though most bounty hunters eventually find themselves at the wrong end of a blaster, that isn’t always the end for them.Star Warsis no stranger to resurrecting characters, and it now seems the franchise is set to add another entry to the list ofStar Warscharacters who have been resurrected. That character could very well be one of the most notorious and ruthlessly effective bounty hunters in the entire galaxy, and his return could be just on the horizon.
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Hondo Ohnaka, the morally ambiguous Weequay pirate in bothStar Wars: The Clone WarsandStar Wars Rebels, seems to think Cad Bane is still alive. Bane supposedly died in the finale ofThe Book of Boba Fettafter his duel with the titular bounty hunter turned daimyo of Mos Espa.Though Boba stabbed Bane through the chest with his gaffi stick, Hondo had his reservations on declaring the Duros bounty hunter dead. In Marc Sumerak’s “Star Wars: The Secrets of the Bounty Hunters,” Hondo believed Bane’s death could have been grossly exaggerated.
“If reports are to be believed, this job may have been Cad Bane’s last. Then again, perhaps his rumored demise was simply an elaborate ruse to give me a false sense of security. After all, Cad Bane has been known to hide in the shadows as he seeks out the galaxy’s greatest targets.”
Cad Bane Explained: 10 Things To Know About Star Wars' Bounty Hunter
Cad Bane was the galaxy’s greatest bounty hunter following the death of Jango Fett, having an infamous reputation during the Clone Wars and beyond.
Though Hondo isn’t exactly the most reliable source of information - he was a prolific liar and swindler - there’s some evidence to support the idea that Bane survived. After he was stabbed by Boba, Bane’s chest rig began to blink with a red light. That may have been an indication that some sort of life support system switched on, or it could have been a distress call he sent out to his droid sidekick, Todo 360, or one of his other allies. Cad Bane also rarely walked into any situation without a plan, and he almost surely thought about the possibility of Boba beating him.
Bane’s resurrection also wouldn’t be unprecedented. There are severalunaired story arcs forThe Clone Warsthat were scrapped after the show was first canceled, including one about Cad Bane’s mentorship of Boba Fett. That arc would have revealed that Boba and Bane had a shootout, with both bounty hunters shooting the other in the head. That deleted story arc wasn’t completely canon, but since it was the only explanation of Bane’s fate, he was presumed dead.Star Wars: The Bad Batch, however, resurrected Bane and proved he survived long after his first duel with Boba, and it could conceivably be done again.
The Book of Boba Fett
Cast
After pulling himself out of the Sarlaac pit, Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) is kidnapped by the Tusken Raiders. But after gaining their trust, Boba is able to return to Tatooine and claim Jabba the Hutt’s throne with the help of Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen). The Book of Boba Fet also directly led into The Mandalorian season 3, which premiered in March 2023.
On top of the pre-existing evidence of Bane’s survival, the simple fact that an officialStar Warsbook refused to confirm whether Bane was dead seems to imply that he isn’t.If there weren’t plans to use Cad Bane again, Lucasfilm would likely have simply confirmed that he died inThe Book of Boba Fett. There’s also plenty of opportunities for Bane to reappear: he’s already been introduced to the “Mandoverse,” and he could become a useful secondary antagonist to its spinoffs or evenThe Mandalorian & Grogu. While it’s not yet confirmed, it seems very likely thatStar Warsisn’t yet done with Cad Bane.
Purchase Marc Sumerak’s “Star Wars: The Secrets of the Bounty Hunters” on Amazon
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
