Who is Boba Fett in The Mandalorian? Full character history

The bounty hunter has become a well-loved figure in the Mando-verse, with Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu cropping up in his spin-off, The Book of Boba Fett.

Fans were excited by the prospect that he might appear in the season 3 finale, but it doesn't mean he won't return in future. Fingers crossed!

In the meantime, here's everything you need to know about the iconic bounty hunter.

Who is Boba Fett?

Boba Fett first appeared in 1980's Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, as one of the bounty hunters hired by Darth Vader to track down charming fugitive Han Solo.

He ultimately succeeds, tracing the gang to Cloud City where the Empire closes in around them, with Solo being encased in Carbonite and delivered by Fett to the repulsive crime lord: Jabba The Hutt.

That takes us into the opening act of Return of the Jedi, where Fett can be seen spending time among Hutt's criminal associates and watching his sadistic idea of entertainment.

Following Luke's unsuccessful attempt to rescue Han, the two of them are sentenced to death by Hutt, who takes them on his barge to the terrifying Sarlacc Pit.

Fortunately, after some assistance from R2-D2, our heroes are able to escape being dinner for the desert monster, which digests its victims slowly over an agonising period of a thousand years.

Fett is not so lucky, losing control of his jetpack in the chaos of Skywalker's escape, which sends him directly into the Sarlacc's mighty maw.

Despite having a rather undignified death, Boba Fett became a firm favourite character among Star Wars fans, owing largely to his cool armour and the mystery provided by his helmet.

Fans wanted to know more about who this enigmatic figure was and George Lucas gave them answers in the second instalment of his divisive prequel trilogy: Attack of the Clones.

The movie revealed that Boba was actually a clone of bounty hunter Jango Fett, who raised him as a son before he was slain by Mace Windu at the Battle of Geonosis.

Boba inherited his father's Mandalorian armour, but it should be made clear that unlike his father he's not a follower of the associated religion.

As depicted in The Mandalorian on Disney Plus, true believers in "the way" swear never to remove their helmet in front of a living soul.

These rules do not apply to the Fetts, who are regarded as common mercenaries by the people of Mandalore and are believed to have stolen their armour from a fallen warrior - and Boba as a clone would be even less subject to Mandalorian customs.

In the original Star Wars Extended Universe, Boba escaped the Sarlacc Pit after Return of the Jedi and stories were written chronicling his later adventures across the galaxy.

However, these were rendered no longer canon by Disney after its acquisition of Lucasfilm, meaning that the fate of the character in the current continuity was unknown for years.

But now that's all changed. He returned to The Mandalorian and in The Book of Boba Fett, with fans excited to see what the character's future holds.

The Mandalorian is available to stream on Disney Plus now — sign up to Disney Plus now for £79.90 for a year or £7.99 a month. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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