Warning! Contains SPOILERS for The Book of Boba Fett.Whatever happened to Star Wars‘ legendary bounty hunter Cad Bane? The calculating and charismatic gunslinger made his live-action debut in The Book of Boba Fett episode 6, continuing his character arc from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Bane is known for his high success rates on jobs and specialty in dealing with Jedi. However, his journey would have eventually brought him face to face with Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) as well, and the Boba-Fett-centered Disney+ series has just confirmed the hatred Bane has for the former bounty hunter. His Book of Boba Fett appearance was brief but memorable, although it didn’t end well for Cad Bane. Here’s everything to know about the Cad Bane Star Wars character, from his animated roots to his possible live-action future.
Throughout The Clone Wars‘ seven seasons, Bane’s dealings throughout the galaxy were seen in multiple episodes, more often than not with the Jedi Order right on his heels. Due to The Clone Wars’ cancellation after its 5th season, many arcs and narratives were abandoned, including one that would have centered around Bane himself, which would have likely provided his story with a concluding chapter. Despite the series’ eventual revival with two more seasons, what would have potentially been Bane’s final arc in The Clone Wars was never meant to be. That being said, Bane has made a return in The Bad Batch (featuring teases that some form of this arc did indeed happen), and, as of 2022, in The Book of Boba Fett.
A small scene from Bane’s unfinished arc was released in a pre-production format, revealing that Cad Bane would have mentored a young Boba Fett. But Bane’s latest appearance in The Book of Boba Fett showed that the two had long since parted ways, both physically and ideologically. While Boba has renounced his bounty hunter past, Bane is continuing to work jobs for the highest bidder in the galaxy (in this case, the Pyke Syndicate). The animosity came to a head in the Book of Boba Fett finale, and there was a lot of excitement from Star Wars fans about the live-action Bane. Here’s why the Cad Bane introduction to live-action was such a big deal to them and why the character is so iconic.
Cad Bane Was A Major Influence In The Clone Wars
Next to the Separatists and Count Dooku, Cad Bane served as a major antagonist for the Jedi and was often hired to work against the Republic as well. Bane had a notable reputation for being the best of best, so it’s no wonder he was hired by Darth Sidious himself. In one notable arc from The Clone Wars’ second season, Sidious hired Bane to break into the Jedi Temple, one of the most secure locations in the entire galaxy. Naturally, Bane was paid triple his already substantial rate, and he successfully infiltrated the Jedi Temple to steal one of their valuable holocrons for the Sith Lord. Bane would also go on to work for the Hutt crime families on multiple occasions as well, most often dealing with the problematic Ziro (Jabba’s uncle) on the Hutt’s behalf.
Not only that, but Bane was also hired by Count Dooku to join a team of fellow hunters (and one undercover Obi-Wan Kenobi) during the Separatist’s first attempt to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine. However, despite the Jedi’s prevention of the kidnapping, Bane managed to escape. This arc was also the last Bane was officially seen in The Clone Wars before his later appearance in The Bad Batch once the war ended.
Cad Bane Has A Missing (Canon) Clone Wars Arc With Boba Fett
As far as this missing Cad Bane arc is concerned, several details were revealed at the Animated Origins and Unexpected Fates panel at Celebration Orlando back in 2017. At the panel, it was revealed that Bane would have gotten a whole new look and ship known as the Justifier, though he still would have had his classic wide-brimmed hat. Eventually, he crossed paths with young Boba Fett, and the pair would work together to save a child from Tusken Raiders on Tatooine. Additionally, Bane would have revealed that he had known Boba’s father Jango, and their mission would have seen Cad Bane effectively mentoring Boba along the way, looking to determine if Boba had what it took to succeed the reputation of his father and his legacy.
The arc would have also featured more bounty hunters as well, such as Aurra Sing, Bossk, and Embo (among others). Boba Fett would have also had his iconic armor at this point as well, signifying that his own time of being the best bounty hunter in the galaxy was fast approaching and that a passing of the torch between Boba and Cad Bane was near.
What Happened To Cad Bane After The Clone Wars?
At the same 2017 panel, a small clip running just over two minutes was released, seeing the end of this particular arc. Apparently, Boba and Bane would have had a falling out, and Fett would have been determined to help a group of innocents being oppressed in some way by Bane and the other hunters. This led to Boba challenging Bane to a duel, and the other hunters agreed to let the fight play out without any interference. As the two hunters faced one another, the scene carries all the weight and intensity of a classic Western duel. Surprisingly, both Bane and Boba fired and shot each other at the same time, with both being knocked back to the ground. As the clip ends, Boba looks to have survived, as Bane’s shot hit him right in his helmet, creating the iconic dent seen in the Original Trilogy of Star Wars films.
While Bane was shot as well, The Bad Batch has confirmed that he would live on (albeit with a metal plate in his head). It’s also revealed that shortly after The Clones Wars’ end, Bane took a job from the cloners of Kamino, who needed him to secure the young clone Omega who had become a fugitive along with the rogue Clone Force 99. After dueling with the Bad Batch’s Hunter, Bane took Omega and planned to deliver her to his clients. However, the rival bounty hunter Fennec Shand had been hired by the Kaminoan Nala Se, who wanted to ensure Omega’s survival as opposed to her termination. In the middle of their subsequent brawl, Omega managed to escape and get rescued by the Bad Batch, leaving Bane without his bounty.
Before his appearance in The Bad Batch, many had assumed that the intention was for the Bane/Boba Fett fight to result in Bane’s death during a scrapped version of the duel they ended up having in live-action. Instead, Bane survived and continued roaming the galaxy for bounties during the years between the fall of the Republic and the eventual rise of the Rebellion against the new Empire. The Bad Batch left quite a bit of room now for Bane’s story to continue, and the additional Cad Bane material in The Bad Batch helped his end at the conclusion of The Book of Boba Fett feel satisfying and also confirmed that he was an important character in Star Wars canon beyond his initial Clone Wars animated series appearance.
Cad Bane’s Return In Book Of Boba Fett – Working For The Pyke Syndicate
Cad Bane made his live-action debut in The Book of Boba Fett episode 6 through a sinister entrance in Mos Pelgo (now called Freetown). The show revealed the legendary bounty hunter to be working closely with the Pyke Syndicate, are at war with Boba Fett, claiming Tatooine and presumably claiming control of the Triellus Trade Route with it. Working with the Pykes benefits Cad Bane in more than one way, as he has a personal vendetta against Boba Fett (further suggesting that the duel the two had in The Clone Wars‘ cut Boba Fett story is indeed canon).
When Cad tells Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) that “Boba Fett is a cold-blooded killer,” Cobb realizes that Cad (and the Pykes) will bring nothing but violence, so he tells him that “Tatooine is closed for business.” Unfortunately, this does not end well for Cobb and his deputy. Cad Bane’s ruthlessness and determination to control Freetown teased that the much-awaited rematch with Boba would finally happen in The Book of Boba Fett in episode 7. Sure enough, in the finale of the live-action Disney+ series the two bounty hunters finally got to settle their score.
Boba Fett Killed Cad Bane
Boba Fett redeemed his embarrassing defeat in Return of the Jedi when he squared up to his former mentor Cad Bane. Given that Boba Fett is the show’s titular character, it’s somewhat unsurprising that he walked away the victor. Cad Bane had a knack for escaping almost-certain death though, so it was never a guarantee that Fett would kill his former mentor. However, when the two had their shootout in episode 7, “In The Name Of Honor”, Boba showed Cad Bane that his newfound sense of mercy and compassion doesn’t extend to ruthless killers. Boba Fett kills Cad Bane by impaling him with a Tusken raider club-spear – a fitting fate given Bane’s role in the massacre of the Tusken tribe Boba befriended. That’s how Cad Bane’s story ends, for now at least. This is Star Wars though, and from Darth Maul to Emperor Palpatine, antagonists have a habit of coming back from apparently confirmed deaths.
How Cad Bane Can Return In Other Star Wars Timelines
Cad Bane dies in The Book of Boba Fett, but in Star Wars death is just an excuse for character development. That doesn’t mean Cad Bane is coming back as a Force ghost similar to Luke Skywalker or Obi-Wan Kenobi, but Darth Maul was literally cut in half at the end of The Phantom Menace and came back with cyborg legs in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Cad Bane was stabbed and left for dead, but even The Book of Boba Fett’s own Fennec Shand survived such an injury in the show. If Disney felt they could get more use out of Cad Bane in chronologically later Star Wars projects like the upcoming Ahsoka series, he could easily show up with a few additional cybernetic enhancements on top of his preexisting face ventilators.
It’s unlikely Cad Bane will show up in Ahsoka specifically (there’s been no news hinting he will, at least), but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Ahsoka has already cast live-action versions of other animated characters like Star Wars Rebels’ Sabine Wren, who’ll be portrayed by Natasha Liu Bordizzo. Clearly, Disney are seeking to capitalize on the fact a lot of Star Wars fans who grew up with the ’00s and 2010s animated shows are now adults and would follow the same characters in a more serious live-action drama. Cad Bane’s The Book Of Boba Fett appearance was brief to the extent that some fans feel he was wasted. A resurrected Cad Bane would give the shortness of his stint better context – it would be foreshadowing a prolonged appearance later on, rather than being seen as shallow fan service as some currently view it.
There are many upcoming Star Wars Disney+ shows covering many timelines, though. Andor, for example, is set between Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One, when Cad Bane was still very much alive and active. Cad Bane could make an appearance in any pre-Book of Boba Fett show without it disrupting wider Star Wars canon (although, as Disney proved with Obi Wan Kenobi, preserving canon isn’t the top of their priority list). There’s also the opportunity for live-action Cad Bane to appear in flashback sequences, especially if a future show centered around Boba Fett delves into his past. Cad Bane is one of the most integral Star Wars characters that didn’t originate in the Skywalker Saga, and it would be great to see more of him in live-action after his disappointingly brief The Book Of Boba Fett appearance.
