Did 'The Mandalorian' Episode 5 just bring back Boba Fett? Here are 5 theories.

Episode 5 of The Mandalorian — Chapter 5: The Gunslinger — finally brought our favorite Mando back to the planet Tatooine, complete with a trip to the classic cantina, jokes about Womp Rats, references to Beggar’s Canyon, and even the Pit Droids from The Phantom Menace. But, beyond fun Easter eggs, the ending of the episode seemingly set up a new mystery. Just who was that at the very end of the episode? Is it possible The Mandalorian just brought Boba Fett back to life? Let’s dive in.

Spoilers for The Mandalorian Episode 5 ahead. Speculation too.

Considering there are only three episodes left of The Mandalorian, it seems like the identity of this person will be specifically tied up with how the rest of the story shakes out. So, what do we know about them? Here are the facts.

1. They have a cape.
2. They are dressed all in black.
3. They have cool boots.
4. They are interested in Fennec Shand.
5. They seem to be wearing a blaster, but hey, it could be a lightsaber.

Right now, that’s pretty much it! So what does this mean? It seems likely that the mystery person wasn’t really tracking Fennec Shand, but instead, that maybe Fennec Shand was planning on taking out Mando, and this person is interested in Mando. I mean, if this person was just a disgruntled bounty hunter who now can’t collect on a bounty for Fennec Shand, and in the next episode, they just go and gets drunk because they are bummed out, well, that would be kind of misleading. Clearly, this person is after Mando and Baby Yoda. Okay, so who are they?

Ranked from most likely to least likely here are 5 people this could possibly be.

5. Another Random Bounty Hunter

This feels pretty likely, simply because we’ve been seeing a lot of different mercenaries tracking down Mando. This person could just be one more on that list. Kind of like the bounty hunter Cara Dune took out in the previous episode.

4. Moff Gideon

If we’re being honest, this is almost certainly who this is. We haven’t yet seen Giancarlo Esposito’s Imperial warlord character yet, even though he was teased in the trailers and in all the advanced press for The Mandalorian. It also appears that in at least one scene from the trailers, Moff Gideon is wearing a cape. So, could this be him? And, if it is him, what does the Empire want with Baby Yoda?

3. Someone else working for “The Client”

We know that Werner Herzog’s “the Client” sent a lot of bounty hunters out to get Baby Yoda, but does he have any other non-guild people he’s hired? Both the Client and Dr. Pershing were left alive after Mando rescued Baby Yoda in episode 3, so perhaps this mystery person works directly for them? Heck, it could even be Dr. Pershing.

2. Boba Fett

Okay, let’s get wild. What if The Mandalorian reveals that, Boba Fett, did not, in fact, die in the in Return of the Jedi? If Boba Fett has been living on Tatooine for the past six years, it makes sense he’s laying low and is just now starting to get back into the bounty hunting game.

For years, expanded universe canon brought Boba Fett back to life, and apparently, even George Lucas thought about making it official that Boba Fett wasn’t dead anymore. In this episode of The Mandalorian, Mando even quotes Boba Fett saying “she’s no good to us dead.” Maybe this was an Easter egg that was also foreshadowing? (Obviously, this probably isn’t true, but it’s fun to dream!)

Also, I guess the color of the clothes doesn’t really match, but hey, maybe Boba Fett stopped wearing green? 

1. Luke Skywalker

You know who wears all black around this time period and knows their way around Tatooine? Yep. Luke Skywalker. And while it seems very, very unlikely that The Mandalorian would steal the spotlight of the titular bounty hunter by bringing in the most famous Star Wars character ever, you’ve also got to wonder: If Baby Yoda can use the Force, it seems nuts that Luke wouldn’t know about this.

Obviously, Mark Hamill wouldn’t be playing Luke at this point in time, because it’s only a few years after Return of the Jedi. But, perhaps, if fans got lucky, Sebastian Stan could finally make everyone’s dreams come true and step into the boots of the Jedi master that he bizarrely resembles. 

The Mandalorian only has 3 episodes left. Those air on Disney+ on December 13, December 18, and December 27.