Lucasfilm recently announced plans for The Mandalorian & Grogu, a new theatrical film which will put the spotlight on two of the Star Wars franchise's most popular characters.
We don't currently know what this movie means for The Mandalorian season 4 but it's widely believed it will still happen. From there, this big screen outing will lead into Dave Filoni's rumoured "Heir to the Empire" adaptation in anticipation of a possible third movie which turns this into a trilogy.
While time will tell on that front, now feels like a good time to discuss some of the villains that Din Djarin and Grogu could square off with in their movie. Whether it's familiar faces from the franchise's past (and future) or the Expanded Universe, each of these suggestions has real potential.
Find out who we think could be The Mandalorian & Grogu's big bad by hitting the "Next" button below...
5. The Shadow Council
We first met the members of The Shadow Council in The Mandalorian season 3 and learned that, much to Moff Gideon's chagrin, many of them remain loyal to Grand Admiral Thrawn. Now he's back and Gideon is dead, will they all fall in line with one of Emperor Palpatine's most prized Imperials?
It depends on what Thrawn is up to and whether he has any interest in restoring the Empire to its former glory now he's allied himself with The Great Mothers of Dathomir. At the very least, we expect Captain Pellaeon to be at Thrawn's side and, if so, he could make for a fitting adversary in this movie.
We're not sure he has what it takes to be The Mandalorian & Grogu's sole big bad, but Favreau can use the villain to tie this story into both Filoni's Star Wars movie and even the eventual formation of The First Order.
4. Joruus C'baoth
A deranged clone of Jedi Master Joruus C'Baoth, this Dark Jedi was determined to bring Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa-Solo, and Mara Jade under his control. However, despite being forced into becoming Grand Admiral Thrawn's pawn, he eventually set his sights on ruling the remaining Empire.
Unleashing Force Lightning with ease, he was on par with Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine and eventually found an...interesting...use for Thrawn's cloning facility by creating his own "Luuke" Skywalker. In The Mandalorian & Grogu, however, we think it would make sense for him to have created Grogu from Yoda's DNA.
Alternatively, he might just want to get his hands on The Child as he once did with Luke to create an army of incredibly powerful Force-sensitive beings who will do his bidding. It would be effortless to make it so that Gideon originally worked for him before focusing on creating clones of himself.
3. Maul
C'mon, we had to have at least one bonkers suggestion here! Maul died in Star Wars Rebels but Dave Filoni has already retconned that show's ending; with that in mind, why not find a way to make it so that this former Sith found a way to survive?
He has a history with the Mandalorians after once wielding the Darksaber and ruling Mandalore and, crucially, Lucasfilm never did resolve Solo: A Star Wars Story's big cliffhanger. We're not suggesting turning The Mandalorian & Grogu into Solo 2, but throwing Crimson Dawn into the mix would be no bad thing.
The fact is, this movie needs to be more than just a longer-than-normal episode of the Disney+ series. Bringing back an iconic villain from the franchise's past will bring all manner of fans into theaters and allows Favreau to play with some thrilling character dynamics.
2. Snoke
The Mandalorian has strongly hinted that Moff Gideon's cloning experiments might have something to do with Supreme Leader Snoke's creation. Whether he was using Emperor Palpatine's technology for selfish means or inadvertently created it for his former boss, there's a way to tie all this together.
Love or hate the sequels, Snoke still needs an origin story and this may be a good place to start exploring that. Heck, if Favreau goes all in on the idea, then perhaps we'll even get to learn how the First Order's future leader ended up with all those scars!
As exciting as it's been to explore this post-Return of the Jedi period, Favreau and Filoni find themselves in a tricky spot because we all know the New Republic eventually falls. We're not sure what that means for a happy ending but Din and Grogu weakening Snoke enough to slow down Palpatine's return would be a big win.
1. Moff Gideon
In many ways, putting the spotlight on a familiar villain makes the most sense for The Mandalorian & Grogu. Giancarlo Esposito is a powerhouse talent and, for anyone who has watched The Mandalorian, his return would be impactful.
Theories continue to swirl that it was one of his clones who died in the season 3 finale, so why not bring him back as the ultimate big bad for Din and Grogu to square off with? Some unanswered questions could finally be addressed and, to go back to Snoke, we're sure he could be tied into the story in some capacity as well.
An argument could be made that it's time for The Mandalorian to move on from Gideon, but there are still stories to be told. Heck, what a cliffhanger it would be for Thrawn to be the one who takes him out, further establishing the villain as a true threat heading into Filoni's movie.