The Mandalorian is back and fans are already going nuts for the second season premiere that just dropped on Disney+. It’s a barnstorming return and a rare highlight in 2020’s dreary entertainment landscape.
The wild success and popularity is good stuff for a show that at first seemed like a bit of an outside bet. After all, The Mandalorian initially felt as if it might be the cast-off from the cancelled Boba Fett solo movie and there were some who feared that having three (including Jango Fett) very similar-looking characters in Star Wars wasn’t a great idea.
The show overcame that hurdle pretty quickly, however, defining the armor as the standard Mandalorian aesthetic and getting deep into its functionality and symbolism. Now, newly released concept art hints that Lucasfilm were conscious of the similarities to the Fetts and went for a different look for Din Djarin. As you can see, the image below, posted on Instagram by artist Brian Matyas, shows a very stripped-down character with his helmet the only recognizable element.
Matyas justifies the look as a “deconstruction” of the character and explains that this would be a starting point for Djarin to gradually build up his armor as the series progressed. Elements of this journey remain in the first season, though it became more refining of the materials as he obtained additional beskar to replace existing pieces of the costume.
While I like the idea of Djarin beginning the story vulnerable and slowly earning his iconic look, it doesn’t fit particularly well with him being a veteran bounty hunter when we meet him. Right now, we don’t know if the rest of the season will see the hero modifying his armor beyond what we’ve seen, especially given that the Mandalorians place so much religious significance in its construction and history, but I’m betting he’ll get a few more neat gadgets along the way.
Published: Nov 1, 2020 06:09 pm