Why does Boba Fett wear Mandalorian armor?

Why does Boba Fett wear Mandalorian armor? The Mandalorian season 2 has clarified why he does it.

Warning! Spoilers for The Mandalorian season 2 follow.

For a long time, Boba Fett has existed in a weird space where he looks like a Mandalorian, but history tells us he isn’t Mandalorian. He doesn’t come from the planet of Mandalore, as we’ve learned from the prequels that he’s a clone of Jango Fett, having grown up on the planet Kamino. Yet still, Jango Fett has donned distinctly looking Mandalorian armor, and so has Boba.

Now, The Mandalorian has helped to explain the backstory behind Boba Fett’s armor and why he wears it. In Chapter 14 of The Mandalorian, Boba Fett made his official return to the Star Wars universe, indicating he survived his fall into the Sarlacc pit in Episode VI. And in the season 2 opener of The Mandalorian, we saw the return of Boba Fett’s armor… it’s just, Boba Fett wasn’t the one wearing it.

Tatooine marshal Cobb Vanth was given the armor as a gift from the Jawa, who had scavenged it (assumingly from the pit) on one of their journeys. In exchange for protecting the marshal’s town, Cobb would give back the Mandalorian armor so Mando could rightfully honor it the way Mandalorians are supposed to. That is until episode 6, “The Tragedy,” when Boba Fett comes back with a vengeance looking to get his armor from Mando. The Mandalorian is skeptical at first — because this is the second time (or even third if you count the trick from Cobb) where he’s seen a Mandalorian without their helmet. (The first true time was when Bo-Katan and her crew removed their helmets). So, what’s the big idea?

Is Boba Fett Mandalorian?

In a technical sense, Boba Fett may not be from Mandalore, but he is Mandalorian in a way. Allow us to explain. In “Chapter 14: The Tragedy,” Mando learned that Boba Fett’s father was a foundling, just like him. Boba even revealed that his father fought in the Mandalorian civil wars. Mando then concluded that with Boba coming from a line of Mandalorians in such a way, the armor was rightfully his to have.

As a second-generation Mandalorian through being a foundling, this oddly makes The Child and Boba Fett just the same. In season 1, the Armorer told Mando that since he found The Child, it was now in his care as a Mandalorian foundling. By following the way of the Mandalorians, this meant that it was his duty to protect Baby Yoda as one of his own — at least until he was returned to the Jedi.

So for now, we know that Boba Fett might not be Mandalorian by blood, but he certainly is by heart. This is the way!