Why did Boba Fett kill Bib Fortuna?

When Star Wars’ The Book of Boba Fett took off, everyone expected it to solve the many mysteries concerning its enigmatic title character. It did wrap up some of the biggest loose ends, like how Boba Fett survived the Sarlacc Pitt and why was he wearing Tusken robes when we first met him in The Mandalorian, but it has also raised new questions of its own, with the major query being what on Earth ⏤ or Tatooine, to be precise ⏤ did Bib Fortuna do to merit Boba Fett’s wrath, thus prompting the former bounty hunter to kill him in cold blood?

In episode four of The Book of Boba Fett, in one of the flashbacks about Fett’s past, we see him saving and then joining forces with the assassin Fennec Shand after sadly cremating the remains of his Tusken friends. His next plan is to get his hands on his ship, Slave I, just lying in Jabba’s the Hutt palace, then to get his armor (as he thinks he is “less persuasive” without it) and then “kill that bloated pig who double-crossed me,” i.e. Bib Fortuna.

When he kills Fortuna, it appears as if Boba Fett is merely removing his competition to the throne of Tatooine and by eliminating its king, establishing that he is the one in power now, ruthless enough to end any opposition that comes his way. But this confession of sorts from Boba about Fortuna double-crossing him provides a whole new perspective: Fortuna’s death wasn’t a means to an end, it was revenge. The big question then becomes how and when did Fortuna betray Boba Fett?

Did Bib Fortuna conspire against him in The Empire Strikes Back?

While the Star Wars film only showed Boba capturing Han Solo, freezing him in carbonite, and turning him over to Jabba the Hutt, the Star Wars comic book series ⏤ specifically, the first issue of the canon miniseries War of the Bounty Hunters ⏤ tell a different story. Via the comic book, we learn that after Boba Fett captured Han Solo, he informed Fortuna that he had secured his target, but soon the carbonite matrix containing solo started malfunctioning, forcing the bounty hunter to stop in Nar Shadda first. 

There agents of Crimson Dawn, a crime syndicate presumed to have perished, stole Solo and decided to auction him off. An invitation of the same was sent to the major crime lords, including Jabba, who assumed that Fett had betrayed him and voluntarily sold Solo to the leader of the syndicate. But instead of reaching out to the hunter and demanding clarification, Jabba placed an open bounty on Boba’s head, making the latter a target of almost every living being in the galaxy while he was trying to secure Solo. 

After discovering the same, Boba barged into Jabba’s Tatooinian palace and threatened Bib Fortuna, hinting that he will meet his end if he doesn’t tell why the crime boss went against him. Eventually, Jabba canceled the bounty after Boba succeeded in bringing Solo back to him.

But despite the obvious anger this action of Jabba shows, he and Boba proceed to have a rather cordial conversation in later issues of the comic book where the crime boss informs the hunter that he harbors no personal grudges against him. He even plans on continuing working with him, especially since the Crimson Dawn was back. This raises the question of why Jabba would make the rash decision to place a bounty on Boba’s head when he needed him for more missions. Also, surprisingly Boba, who was a renowned bounty hunter at this time, continued working for Jabba despite the obvious betrayal, and in Return of the Jedi, the duo shares a relaxed relationship contrary to the turbulence mentioned in the comics. 

Maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t Jabba who placed the bounty on Boba, or even if it was, maybe he was misguided by someone else, instigated against the hunter with wrong information? The only eligible candidate in both scenarios would be Bib Fortuna. It’s possible that the majordomo was trying to amp up his reputation in Jabba’s eyes and the easiest way to do so was to prove that his trusted hunter was incompetent and he was better off relying on Fortuna to get the task done. Perhaps Boba came to know about it and was just biding his time to get his hands on Fortuna. 

Fortuna was responsible for Boba’s dive down the Sarlacc Pit

Many Star Wars fans still can’t get over the fact that a nimble and surefooted hunter with sharp senses like Boba Fett was thwarted by a blinded Han Solo in Return of the Jedi. Some have even theorized that perhaps someone had spiked his drink just before all hell broke loose. And that’s why he couldn’t retaliate with his usual skills and confidence, as he was dizzy and unable to concentrate.

Given the bitter tone of Boba when he talks about “the bloated pig,” it’s plausible that this “someone” was Bib Fortuna, who was possibly seeking revenge from the hunter for intimidating him in the above-mentioned scenario. This possible action of Bib Fortuna could also be tied to our third potential answer to the mystery of him double-crossing Boba.

The throne truly belongs to Boba Fett

When Boba barges into Jabba’s palace at the end of The Mandalorian’s season two finale and kills Bib Fortuna before he can squeak out more than a few words, we get a good look at the throne. The throne, previously occupied by Jabba, is inscribed with markings written in the ancient language of the Sith and translates to “Boba Fett.” Chances are that even though Fortuna had been loyal to Jabba and spent a lot of his time ingratiating himself to his master, Jabba had already chosen the person who would take the throne after him: Boba. 

He trusted the man, relied on his skills to get the task done, and knew that Boba’s name itself was a legacy across the galaxy. He wanted someone capable of running his vast criminal empire and the spineless Fortuna was not the answer. Maybe he had already told Boba and Fortuna about his plans. It’s possible that Fortuna hence plotted to kill Boba as mentioned. Even if he didn’t, he made no attempt to look for Boba after he fell in the Sarlacc Pit and was quick to assume Jabba’s throne as soon as the crime boss died. Perhaps this is the betrayal that had Boba seeing red whenever he talked about Fortuna.

While the yet-to-be-greenlit season two may or may not touch upon this particular plot point, the fact remains that at the end of the day, the warlord lost more than Jabba’s coveted throne to the former bounty hunter.