Is the Mandalorian Boba Fett?

Who is The Mandalorian? Is his true identity the famous Boba Fett?

One of the most commonly asked questions about the main character of The Mandalorian is: “Who actually is the Mandalorian? Is it Boba Fett?”

The short answer to that question is “no,” the Mandalorian is not Boba Fett.

Let’s take a look at the long answer because it’s a bit more fun and brings some exciting context to what we might see in season two.

First, the other short answer to the question of who the Mandalorian is — Din Djarin.

Throughout most of the eight chapters of season 1, the Mandalorian was simply known as “Mando” by both the characters in the show and the fans watching it. It wasn’t until Chapter 8 — the final episode — when Moff Gideon revealed the identity of “Mando” as Din Djarin, and Din revealed he hadn’t been called that name for a very long time.

Although the Mandalorian history does not indicate that names and identities are meant to be concealed, that all changed during “The Great Purge” when the Galactic Empire (Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and their cronies) overthrew the Mandalorians, killing many/most of them, forcing the others into hiding, stealing their extremely valuable beskar (what Mando’s armor is made of), and essentially wiping out a historic tribe of people.

Din was taken in by the Mandalorians before The Great Purge or perhaps just shortly before it. It seems he’s been living a life of anonymity for a very long time, and the flashback scenes in season 1 of the show indicate that Din was a child during the Clone Wars. It was not long after the Clone Wars that The Great Purge would have happened under the Imperial reign.

Why do The Mandalorian and Boba Fett look so similar?

First and foremost, Mandalorian armor is all fairly uniform. Although there are variances in design and color for some, the template is almost identical for all Mandalorians. This is the most common reason Din Djarin is mistaken for Boba Fett.

Interestingly enough, however, we could have a Spider-Man pointing at Spider-Man type of moment in season 2 of the series as Boba Fett has been rumored to be making an appearance for quite some time, dating back to some fan theories that he was the mystery figure approaching the body of the dead bounty hunter in Chapter 5.

These theories have not exactly been confirmed, but it’s possible if not probable that Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are writing Boba Fett out of the Sarlacc Pit and back into the story of The Mandalorian.

Boba Fett was created on the planet Kamino during the Star Wars prequel era. All of the clone troopers in the Clone Wars were created from the DNA of Jango Fett, a bounty hunter who was working with the rising Sith/Empire during Attack of the Clones.

Boba Fett was a special clone created to essentially be Jango’s “son.” Obviously, Boba Fett grew up to work very closely with the Empire until the end, so wouldn’t it make sense that if he survived the Sarlacc Pit in Return of the Jedi that he would have continued working with them?

Although Boba Fett would be a bit older than Din, they are probably fairly close in age overall since Boba Fett was a young boy during the Clone Wars.

Boba Fett undoubtedly remembers his roots from the planet Kamino, and fans noticed the Kamino cloning patch on Dr. Pershing’s arm early in season one of the show.

This gives a potential clue to the intentions the fallen Empire had all along with The Child (cloning), and if you’re connecting the dots, it could be Moff Gideon and perhaps Boba Fett along with him pulling strings.

So, no, the Mandalorian is not Boba Fett, but there is a decent chance Boba will have some involvement in season two of the show, and it could be significant.