A bizarre new ‘The Mandalorian’ villain is giving fans serious General Grievous vibes

This article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian season 3, episode 2

The Mandalorian‘s latest episode “The Mines of Mandalore” just introduced one of the coolest new villains we’ve seen in years. While exploring the ruins of Mandalore Din and Grogu came across a half-buried helmet, which proved to be bait for a trap. Din was promptly snatched up by a giant insectoid cyborg and held captive, with the creature ominously beginning to drain his blood.

Grogu zipped off to find help, returning with Bo-Katan who did battle with the creature. Along the way, we saw that it was an organic creature inside a robotic body, with its vitals apparently confined to a scuttling helmet. But the sight of that glaring eye from within a mass of metal has Star Wars fans remembering another villain with the same style.

This is none other than Revenge of the Sith‘s General Grievous, who was once a Kaleesh warlord famed for his battle skills. After a catastrophic shuttle crash, what remained of his body was placed inside a cyborg shell, becoming a Jedi hunter and claiming their lightsabers.

Grievous was eventually killed by Obi-Wan so it’s unlikely this creature is actually him, but fans have noted the eerie resemblance:

Both seem to collect the spoils of their victims:

We also wondered whether this might actually be Grievous:

Whatever his origins, the design was incredibly cool:

Here’s hoping that this thing is made of tough stuff and can survive the battle:

Could it need fresh blood for its organic parts?

Disney-era Star Wars has a reputation for bringing back characters previously considered dead for more, though we’re happy that this cyborg seems to be merely a nod to Grievous than actually being him. Then again, it seems like the next episode will also take place in the ruins of Mandalore, so who knows what else is lurking amongst the glassy wastes?

The Mandalorian airs Wednesdays on Disney Plus.