Who is the real villain in The Book of Boba Fett?

Warning: Spoilers ahead for episode 3 of The Book of Boba Fett, “The Streets of Mos Espa”

One of the big questions heading into The Book of Boba Fett was who the main villain of the series would be. After facing a variety of foes in the flashbacks and in the present-day storyline, the end of episode 3 makes it seem like the Pyke Syndicate are the real villains of the show.

It is revealed that Mayor Mok Shaiz has promised the Mos Espa territory to them and the Mayor has been working with them all along. Episode 3 ends with the first wave of Pykes arriving in Mos Espa, with Boba Fett and Fennec Shand preparing to go to war against them. The Pykes are a powerful crime syndicate and the flashbacks have made them a villain with personal stakes for Boba Fett.

While the Pykes are a force to be reckoned with and appear to be the real villain of the show right now, there is the possibility of a bigger enemy in play. The Hutt twins seem almost too eager and anxious to leave Tatooine. Are the Pykes really formidable enough to warrant this reaction from the mighty Hutts, or is there someone else involved, someone the Hutts fear more?

Many of the Disney+ shows–especially in the Marvel Cinematic Universe–reveal in the final episodes that a secret villain has been pulling the strings all along. This is also true in season 1 of The Mandalorian. Even though the Client had been the face of the Imperial remnant for the entire season, the Client was killed, and it was revealed that Moff Gideon was the real power and the real villain. If The Book of Boba Fett follows this pattern, the Pykes are not the real villains, and the true enemy is yet to be revealed.

These are some alternatives for who the real villain of The Book of Boba Fett might be.

Garsa Fwip

So far, Garsa Fwip has appeared to be a helpful and welcoming individual. She warmly welcomes Boba Fett to the Sanctuary and assures him that it will continue to remain under his control, just like it was under Jabba the Hutt and Bib Fortuna. She gives him a healthy cut off the profits and later on, she warns Boba Fett of the Hutt twins laying claim to his throne.

Secret villains are often the characters who seem like allies and are the ones you’d least expect. Garsa Fwip would definitely fit the bill for this. While Boba Fett was preoccupied with the Hutts, the Pykes, and others, the real enemy might be under his nose all along.

It is also highly suspicious that the Order of the Night Wind assassins tried to kill Boba Fett almost immediately after he left the Sanctuary after being paid handsomely.

She might be in league with the Pykes, or maybe she is an even more powerful and influential figure in the criminal underworld than Boba Fett realizes.

Prince Xizor & Black Sun

Prince Xizor is a prominent character from Legends who was recently brought back into canon through the comic series Crimson Reign. In Legends, he is the leader of the crime syndicate Black Sun, a character who can even influence Emperor Palpatine. The mentions of him in Crimson Reign #1 indicate that he is still the leader of Black Sun in canon.

The Pykes have clashed with Black Sun in the past, but when their interests have aligned, they have worked together for a time, such as when they were part of Maul’s Shadow Collective. The Pykes and Black Sun could be working together again, or Xizor could be using the Pykes’ interest in Mos Espa as part of a larger scheme. Xizor feels like a villain that the Hutts would not want to cross.

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Many fans have speculated that Grand Admiral Thrawn will become the main villain of The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. With The Book of Boba Fett taking place during the same time period, it is possible that Thrawn could also become the big bad of this series as well.

When Ahsoka and The Rangers of the New Republic— a show that no longer seems to be in the works–were announced during Disney Investor Day in 2020, it was mentioned that these shows would culminate in a crossover event with The Mandalorian.

If Thrawn is the main villain of this era and The Book of Boba Fett also becomes part of this crossover, Thrawn needs to have a foot in each of these series. Thrawn could be working with the Pykes or he could be manipulating their interest in Mos Espa as part of his larger schemes. This would connect Thrawn in The Book of Boba Fett to Thrawn in The Mandalorian and Ahsoka.

Qi’ra & Crimson Dawn

The end of Crimson Reign #1 teases that the story is a tragedy about the fall of Crimson Dawn. This makes it seem like Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn will not appear in The Book of Boba Fett.

That being said, Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn would fit perfectly with the show’s crime syndicate focus. Qi’ra’s return in the comics was exciting, but fans are still eager to see her again in a movie or television series.

The War of the Bounty Hunters comics and Crimson Reign #1 show Qi’ra’s strong leadership and revitalization of Crimson Dawn. Under her guidance, Crimson Dawn has operated from the shadows and continues to have significant influence and ambitious goals. They are able to work with other crime syndicates while also manipulating them, and the same thing may be happening in The Book of Boba Fett with the Pykes.

Crimson Dawn and the Pykes have some history together. They were both part of Maul’s Shadow Collective. Going into Solo, they had a shaky alliance, an alliance that was undermined when Qi’ra helped steal coaxium from the Pykes on Kessel. The Pykes also attended Crimson Dawn’s auction of Han Solo in carbonite and bid on him.

In War of the Bounty Hunters, the influence of Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn led to Bokku the Hutt attacking the Empire, which led to Darth Vader massacring the Hutt Council. The Hutt twins in The Book of Boba Fett  may want nothing to do with what’s happening in Mos Espa because they know how getting involved with Crimson Dawn has cost them dearly in the past.

Boba Fett also has history with Crimson Dawn from War of the Bounty Hunters as they stole Han Solo in carbonite from him and he fought to get Han Solo back.

The comics have arguably planted seeds for Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn to be in The Book of Boba Fett. However, the reality is that most people watching the show have not read the comics and the show does not have the time to fill in all the gaps in Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn’s story since Solo, especially while their story is still being told in Crimson Reign.

Who do you think is the real villain in The Book of Boba Fett? Is it the Pykes or someone else? Let us know in the comments!