Warning: this article contains spoilers for The Book of Boba Fett, episode six.
Viewers were in for a surprise when renowned bounty hunter Cad Bane appeared in The Book of Boba Fett. In “Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger,” it’s revealed that Bane is working for the Pyke Syndicate, the main threat to Tatooine and Boba Fett’s reign.
In the polarizing episode, Bane has a tense showdown with Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant), but the character isn’t new to Star Wars and he has quite the compelling history that many might not be aware of.
Cad Bane is considered to be one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy. He’s from the planet Duro and he was featured prominently in animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Unlike Din Djarin / Mando and Boba Fett, he hasn’t shown much interest in being altruistic. He’s turned on his own partners when the situation benefited him because his main motivation is getting paid. Bane’s allied himself with the Sith Lord Darth Maul, the Separatists, and he frequently completed missions for Darth Sidious. This has led to multiple fights with skilled Jedis Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, which is impressive unto itself.
Cad Bane first appeared in Clone Wars season 2, episode 1, “Holocron Heist,” where he’s hired by Sidious to steal an ancient Jedi Holocron from the Jedi Temple which contained a list of the locations of every Force-sensitive child throughout the galaxy. Bane used his helper droid Todo 360 and hired Clawdite shapeshifter Cato Parasitti to infiltrate the location. He relied on subterfuge, distraction, and a well-placed explosion and successfully stole the Holocron from the vault.
Bane even has a direct connection to the planet Tatooine. In Clone Wars season 3, episode 9, “Hunt for Ziro,” he’s hired by Jabba the Hutt to free his uncle, Ziro Desilijic Tiure, out of Republic prison. For context, before Bib Fortuna was killed by Boba Fett in the season 2 finale of The Mandalorian, Jabba reigned supreme on Tatooine. Fett is still dealing with the fallout from the various tribes on the planet who are unwilling to acknowledge him as daimyo. Bane was later hired again to track down Ziro, but he was found dead. Bane then had to battle two Jedis before making his precarious escape.
The blue bounty hunter is a hard one to defeat and his skills were on full display in Clone Wars season 4, episode 17, “The Box.” Confederate Leader Count Dooku held a tournament with bounty hunters and Bane accepted the challenge. These were difficult trials designed by the criminal genius Moralo Eval with a series of difficult obstacles that could kill the competitors if they weren’t careful. Bane had to navigate an enormous cube that could configure itself into ray shields, columns with laser spike tips, and flamethrowers to see who was the best of the best.
Unsurprisingly, Cad Bane was victorious. He was one of the five who survived, and for his prize, Bane was chosen as the leader of Dooku’s plot to kidnap Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.
More recently, Cad Bane appeared in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, an animated series that follows a group of mercenary clones during the early days of the Empire. They protect Omega, the young female clone of Jango Fett, Boba Fett’s father. In episode 8, “Reunion,” Cad Bane is hired by Kaminoans to kidnap Omega and bring her back to the cloning facility, and the Bad Batch has to rescue her. Bane delivers the young clone, but Fennec Shand arrives to reclaim the “asset.” The two battle and she’s able to defeat him by knocking him over a balcony. For good measure, Shand sabotaged his ship, the Justifier, so he wasn’t able to pursue her or Omega.
Bane relies on a whole host of weapons and equipment in his criminal undertakings. He carries dual LL-30 Blastech pistols at his side just like a western gunslinger. These are custom-built by Bane for his preferred specifications, proving that he has technical skills too. He also has two multipurpose wrist gauntlets that contain a comlink, upload link, cable launcher, and contact stunner. For flight, he uses repulsor rocket boots, and he has cybernetic breathing tubes in his cheekbones that help him breathe in harsh environments.
To say the least, Cad Bane takes his profession seriously.
See all the bounty hunter madness in The Book of Boba Fett streaming now on Disney Plus.
