Star Wars Bounty Hunter & Boba Fett Link Explained

Star Wars Bounty Hunter & Boba Fett Link Explained

Warning! Contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode 8.

Infamous Star Wars bounty hunter Cad Bane has returned again in Star Wars: The Book Of Boba Fett, revealing some of his escapades after the end of The Bad Batch. Bane was a consistent villain through The Clone Wars, working for various nefarious employers including Darth Sidious, Count Dooku, and Jabba the Hutt. Now, it seems the bounty hunter is back to his old tricks in the Imperial age.

Cad Bane was first introduced as a recurring villain in the early seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Based on an old space gunslinger concept from George Lucas’ early film drafts, Bane dresses like a classic, Wayne/Eastwood mold of Western cowboy, complete with the twin pistols on his hip and the wide-brimmed hat. A Duros, Bane is similar in size and physiology to ordinary humans. His skills and accomplishments were the subjects of legend in the galactic underworld during the final years of the Republic, and he was widely seen as one of the best bounty hunters money could hire.

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Related: Why So Many Mandalorians Become Bounty Hunters

Though Bane has mostly served simply as a minor antagonist, he also has connections to some more prominent Star Wars characters. He had close ties to both Jango Fett and his son Boba – stories that would have been explored in canceled episodes of The Clone Wars. Here’s everything you need to know about Cad Bane’s history and abilities, how he ties into the greater Star Wars lore, and what his return in The Book Of Boba Fett could mean for the future of the franchise.

Cad Bane’s Bounty Hunter Origin & Jango Fett Connection

Boba Fett and Jango Fett

Not much is known about Cad Bane’s early days. He was born on the planet Duro, the thriving homeworld of the Duros race, and eventually found his way into the bounty hunting profession. While still young and relatively inexperienced in the field, Bane came under the tutelage of the revered bounty hunter Jango Fett, who became something of a mentor to the Duros. With the guidance of Fett, Bane quickly ascended as one of the galaxy’s foremost hunters, known for his willingness to take on any job for the right price. After Jango Fett was killed by Mace Windu during the Battle of Geonosis, Bane was widely regarded as the new best bounty hunter in the galaxy.

Cad Bane’s Powers: Why He Was Such A Legendary Bounty Hunter

In terms of physical abilities, Cad Bane isn’t that exceptional. He possesses no odd alien powers or Force sensitivity. Rather, his skill comes from three main qualities: his quick wit and reflexes, his deft planning and foresight, and his proficiency with a wide range of weapons and tools. These skills, taken together, made Bane a dangerous opponent for even trained Jedi. He’s even held his own in a lightsaber duel before, albeit briefly.

Bane’s signature equipment are his twin pistols, which he keeps holstered to his belt, and his rocket boots, which give him a level of aerial maneuverability during both combat encounters and hasty getaways. He also wears two Mandalorian-style weaponized vambraces on his forearms, which can hold additional weapons like flamethrowers and gas canisters. In addition, Bane is a masterful marksman and a shrewd tactician, assets that have kept him alive through numerous encounters with dangerous foes including the Jedi, the Grand Army of the Republic, and fellow soldiers of the galactic underbelly. It’s these skills and his ruthless demeanor that earned Bane such a feared reputation over the course of the Clone Wars.

Related: Who Was Rex Talking To In Bad Batch? Why It May Not Be Ahsoka

Cad Bane’s Connection To Boba Fett & Cut Clone Wars Story

Boba Fett the Mandalorian Cad Bane

Although he’s mostly portrayed as a heartless cutthroat who’d do anything for a good payday, Cad Bane isn’t without his softer side. There’s no better instance of this than his relationship with Jango Fett, someone he viewed as both a teacher and a friend. That affection for Fett would have taken center stage in a canceled Clone Wars story arc, which would have shown Bane taking the young Boba Fett under his wing, just as Jango had done for him. While a couple of The Clone Wars’ canceled arcs were completed in season 7, the Cad Bane/Boba Fett storyline was not among them.

Though they were allies for a time in the unaired story arc, Boba and Bane eventually turned on each other after a series of disagreements, leading to a gunfight between the two. While not strictly canon, the battle saw both bounty hunters walk away with some battle scars, including the iconic dent in Boba Fett’s Mandalorian armor helmet. If the battle is in fact canon, which has yet to be confirmed, it would seem that both bounty hunters survived.

Cad Bane’s Bad Batch Story & What Happens Next

Cad Bane Star Wars Bad Batch

In an earlier moment in The Bad Batch episode 8, head Kaminoans Nala Se and Lama Su are seen discussing Omega, and how to get her back to Kamino without the Empire knowing. It’s eventually revealed that the cloners hired Fennec Shand to ensure such an outcome. When Crosshairs and his team are sent after the Bad Batch, Lama Su hires Bane to retrieve Omega. Upon arriving on Bracca, Bane kidnaps Omega after shooting Hunter. Taking Omegan to Bora Vio for her delivery to the Kaminoan cloners, Bane is soon confronted by Star Wars’ Fennec Shand, who is sent by Nala Se to secure Omega’s safety. On account of Omega tricking his droid, Todo, into releasing her as well his duel with Fennec, Bane ultimately loses his bounty and is not seen again for the rest of the season.

Why does Cad Bane return In The Book of Boba Fett?

Cad Bane in The Book of Boba Fett

After many years of anticipation, Cad Bane makes his long-awaited live-action debut in The Book Of Boba Fett. Here, he serves as an enforcer for the Pyke Syndicate and is tasked with ensuring everyone on Tatooine submits to their rule. To do so, he is sent to Mos Pelgo to entice Cobb Vanth to renounce Freetown’s allegiance to Boba Fett in his battle against the Pykes. Upon his refusal, Bane mortally wounds Vanth (which as the finale proves comes close to fatal) and kills his deputy, before declaring Mos Pelgo belongs to the Pykes.

Related: Why Cad Bane Is Working With The Pyke Syndicate

In the finale of The Book Of Boba Fett, Cad Bane leads the Pykes in an all-out assault against Boba Fett. As part of trying to break the fellow bounty hunter down, Bane reveals that the Pykes are the ones who killed the Tusken tribe that he became a part of. Eventually, the two bounty hunters engage each other in a one-on-one duel, which sees Bane gaining the upper hand, only for Boba to use his taunting as an opportunity to knock him down with the staff he received from the Tuskens. With Bane at his mercy, Boba impales the staff through his chest, which seemingly ends Cad Bane’s life for good, with the final shot being of his body taking its last breath.

What’s Next For Cad Bane?

Cad Bane Star Wars Gun

Until his return in Star Wars: The Book Of Boba Fett, the canonical whereabouts of Cad Bane after The Bad Batch were unknown. Despite his latest appearance ending in his death, the gap between The Bad Batch and The Book Of Boba Fett means there’s hope for him to make another appearance. As one of the most popular original characters to appear in the animated shows of Star Wars, it makes sense for Bane to continue featuring in new Star Wars stories. Shows such as Andor and even the Obi-Wan Kenobi show are all possible spots where Bane could pop up next for a quick cameo. Ultimately, Bane is a great character with a lot of potential and it would be exciting if Star Wars: The Book Of Boba Fett wasn’t the last viewers have seen of him.

Next: All Star Wars Retcons In The Bad Batch

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About The Author

Rick Stevenson
(1221 Articles Published)

Rick Stevenson is a writer, editor and performer based in Brooklyn, NY. He’s written on TV, film and games for over six years, in addition to assorted stints in bookselling, carpentry, and TV production. Rick studied writing at the College of William & Mary and Oxford University, and can report with some authority that they are both old. He lives and dies for Avatar: The Last Airbender.

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