Is the Mandalorian a not-so-secret softy?

The Mandalorian may wear beskar that conceals his expressions, but that armor hasn’t been able to hide the fact that he’s secretly a softy. 

When audiences were first introduced to the Mandalorian last year, it was quite clear that he was a rough-and-tumble gunslinger who had no qualms about clearing the path to a successful bounty — by any means necessary. But then the Child entered his life and things changed forever. Who could blame Din for going soft after becoming a “Dadalorian” to the cutest child in the galaxy?

With the premiere of the second season of The Mandalorian, we got another glimpse into Din’s soft side while on Tatooine. After teaming up with Cobb Vanth to take down the Krayt dragon, the duo encountered the Tusken Raiders’ fearsome massiffs. Cobb was quick to draw his weapon, but Din knew that the quickest way to win over a massiff was a good scratch behind the ear.

Massiffs are just reptilian space doggos. Which means Din Djarin is a dog lover.

While The Mandalorian’s writing plays a large part in revealing Din Djarin’s soft side, most of the credit goes to the three men beneath the helmet; Pedro Pascal, Brendan Wayne, and Lateef Crowder. They have brought to life a character whose soft side shines through in his movements and subtle gestures without ever seeing a facial expression.

Following the bounty hunter’s turn of heart, the Child became a gateway to reveal that there really is a man beneath all that armor. Some were little moments like when Din gave the shiny silver ball to the Child or the underlying softness in Din’s interactions with Omera on Sorgan, but others were more profound like his reaction to IG-11’s willingness to sacrifice his life.

The last time the Mandalorian left the Razor Crest with Peli Motto, he made it clear that he did not want her droids to touch it. The premiere had a great call back to that moment, but now it’s clear that his opinions on droids have changed. All it took was an assassin-turned-nurse droid, who was as dedicated to protecting the Child as Din, to change his opinion on droids.

Will we see more of the Mandalorian’s tender side throughout season 2? It certainly is refreshing to see a character like Din Djarin embracing the duality of being a hardened bounty hunter and a caregiver for the Child.