The Mandalorian continues to have an outsized presence in The Book of Boba Fett as the miniseries tangent into previous character arcs continues. In the show’s most recent episode, fan-favorite character Cobb Vanth made a flashy exit in the face of a returning villain from the galaxy’s past. But the clear love for the character from fans and Lucasfilm prompted some shade from the writer who originally created Vanth.
Vanth first appeared in the 2015 novel Star Wars: Aftermath, written by blogger and author Chuck Wendig. Set between the original trilogy and nascent sequel trilogy, Wendig would eventually pen an entire two sequels known now as the Aftermath trilogy that formed a basis for the expanded universe.
The character made a live-action debut in The Mandalorian’s season two, portrayed by Timothy Olyphant. The character becomes an unlikely ally of Din Djarin and eventually forfeits Boba Fett’s iconic armor to the Mandalorian. But if you didn’t know Vanth was an existing character, then you’d be unlikely to find out just by watching either series.
After the commotion caused by yesterday’s episode, the author took to Twitter with a facetious statement pointing out he’s not been credited in the production of the series despite his character featuring in several episodes. “I always dig it when big media properties have a special thanks for the writers and creators who contributed to their worlds and stories,” Wendig wrote, “and it’s a bummer when they don’t do that, and I bring this up for absolutely no reason at all.”
“I will almost certainly delete this tweet,” Wendig added. However, the Tweet remained undeleted at the time of writing.
Wendig was infamously ousted from Marvel in 2018 while working on an announced comic and unannounced novel, both set in the Star Wars franchise. The author attributed the sudden news to his outspoken liberal political views on Twitter. As contextualized by Gizmodo, the move by Marvel followed the ousting of other progressives in the entertainment industry under the guise of civility.
The author has continued to publish novels in the years since while maintaining his popular blog, Terribleminds. As for his Vanth, we’re certain to learn more when The Book of Boba Fett concludes Feb. 9 on Disney Plus.
Published: Feb 3, 2022 06:30 pm