We’ve Totally Been Misunderstanding The Mandalorian’s Redemption Story For The Last 5 Years

Din Djarin had one of the best redemption stories in Star Wars over the course of The Mandalorian, but Din Djarin actor Brendan Wayne has pointed out that his journey may have been misunderstood. Din Djarin’s backstory before The Mandalorian season 1 painted him as a ruthless lone bounty hunter who would take any target if the price was right. By the ending of The Mandalorian season 3, though, Din became a loving father and friend who had left his bounty hunting ways behind him. It was a satisfying redemption, but it might not be the whole story.

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant‘s Molly Brizzell, Wayne said that the key aspect of Din’s redemption was his self-centeredness, but that it didn’t show up in the traditional way.

It becomes clear that he was self-centered in his focus. Not that he’s a self-centered guy, and maybe he was, but for me, his focus was self. He’s gonna get this, he’s gonna upgrade his armor, he’s gonna be the Mandalorian who’s outlawed. Everybody else is in the covert. I think Paz makes reference to that quite a bit, and maybe that’s a question for the Armorer, too, which is, what is it about Mando that you saw was the one that you wanted to send out?

Self-centeredness usually means that a person only cares about themselves to the detriment of others, but that couldn’t be further from the truth in Din’s case. Din’s self-centeredness presented more as his desire to take on every responsibility he could without accepting any help. As Wayne pointed out, Din was the main member of the covert going out into the world to make money, and he also took on much of the danger associated with bounty hunting. He cared deeply about the covert, but Din was so focused on its survival, and his own, that he couldn’t see anything else.

Grogu Taught Din Djarin To Look Beyond Himself

Din’s unhealthy view on the world completely changed when he met Grogu. Before their encounter, Din was only concerned with himself and the Children of the Watch. Once he rescued Grogu from the Imperial remnants, though, Din was much more aware of the world around him and kind to people even when there was no profit involved. Because of the care for others Grogu gave him, Din was able to make friends and allies across the galaxy, from Greef Karga on Nevarro to Bo-Katan Kryze on Trask.

Understanding Din’s redemption as Wayne described it is central to one of the main themes of The Mandalorian. Din was completely devoted to serving the people in the covert that he cared about, but that wasn’t enough on its own. He had to learn how to rely on others and ask them for help to truly be able to help himself and the Children of the Watch. The Mandalorian has a lot to say about learning to let others in, and Din Djarin’s redemption shows how much good such a decision can cause.