“As long as the spice keeps running, everyone will be left alone.” These words from Star Wars' Cad Bane in Chapter 6 of The Book of Boba Fett were a haunting reminder of what the character is capable of, as was his merciless slaying of the deputy of Mos Pelgo, also known as Freetown.
For some viewers of the latest Star Wars show, this was the introduction to Bane as a character, yet he actually has a long history dating back to The Clone Wars animated series. Bane was an active bounty hunter at the time of the prequels, coming into contact with many famous Jedi like Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Here’s the story of Cad Bane.
In Star Wars canon, Bane, a member of the Duros species, garnered his reputation primarily because of his activity in the Clone Wars. However, Bane was working in the underworld prior to this point in canon. Before the Clone Wars, Cad Bane was the protégé of Jango Fett, father of Boba and the mercenary that gave his face to the millions of clones created to defend the Republic, highlighting the connection between two of the franchise’s most famous bounty hunters. Bane was Jango’s apprentice for only a brief amount of time, though, and the cowboy-like alien went off to work with other criminals. Bane also collaborated with Auraa Sing prior to the events of The Phantom Menace. The two were part of a team hired by Darth Maul, still a Sith Lord at this point in canon, to capture a Jedi Padawan. These events occurred in Star Wars publishing projects, including comics series.
Bane’s escapades in the franchise thus far came primarily in The Clone Wars series. He first appeared in the episode Hostage Crisis, where he again combines with Aurra Sing to rescue Ziro the Hutt. In this episode, he and the other bounty hunters hired to rescue the Hutt from his prison cell thwarted the efforts of Anakin Skywalker to stop them, far from the only time that Bane came into contact with and fought off Jedi. This aspect of the character garnered his reputation as a formidable opponent for a Jedi and as someone who could hold his own against the Force users.
Arguably his most famous arc in animated series was Holocron Heist and its follow-up episodes, where Bane again works for the Sith to retrieve a precious Holocron from the Jedi Temple. Bane plans a daring mission to acquire the Holocron, and manages to pull it off, evading Anakin and his apprentice Ahsoka Tano in the process. In a subsequent episode, Bane helps Darth Sidious use the item to find Force children all across the galaxy that the Jedi were monitoring. Bane is then captured by Obi-Wan and Mace Windu for his crimes, but escapes as the two Jedi attempt to retrieve the Holocron.
In subsequent seasons and arcs of The Clone Wars, Cad Bane had a variety of adventures in the galaxy’s underworld as the Republic was amidst a battle with the Separatists. Bane once kidnapped C-3PO and R2-D2, arguably the two most famous droids in the whole franchise, in a prequel episode that showed how he was able to sneak into the Jedi Temple in Holocron Heist. He also worked for Jabba the Hutt on several occasions. Bane was also captured during the series, but this was revealed as an intentional act so he could rescue a criminal from a Republic-controlled prison. This was the same arc where Obi-Wan changed his face to get close to those in the prison so he could see what they were planning. This went down as one of the most famous series of episodes in The Clone Wars, as it combined different genres to form a truly unique and compelling Star Wars story.
Cad Bane was slated to appear in an arc of the show that was ultimately left unfinished after its cancellation once Disney took over. This arc, which Dave Filoni showed an unfinished version of to an audience at Star Wars Celebration, showed Bane take Boba Fett under his wing and mentor the son of Jango, before the two had a feud that seemed to result in the death of Cad Bane. Of course, if this came to fruition, Cad Bane wouldn’t have made the jump to live-action, nor would he have faced Boba years later in a poignant and thrilling scene in the finale of The Book of Boba Fett.
Before his live-action debut, Cad Bane also appeared in The Bad Batch, the animated series which serves as a follow-up to The Clone Wars and an unofficial sequel to the series. Bane appeared in two episodes of the first season of the show, where he kidnaps Omega, Boba Fett’s sister, before fighting Fennec Shand. It seems a distinct possibility that Bane’s story is continued in animation in The Bad Batch at the same as his live-action appearances, if he somehow survived the finale of The Book of Boba Fett.
Bane made the jump into live-action in The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 6, From The Desert Comes A Stranger, a title that references the bounty hunter’s menacing entrance late on in the episode. This is when he killed the deputy and has the western-style duel with Cobb Vanth. Bane had a more substantial role in the subsequent episode, where he came face to face with Boba and had a standoff that mirrored the one in the unfinished Clone Wars arc. Bane pulled first, and fastest, but Boba’s skill with his Tusken Raider staff was enough to defeat the bounty hunter hired by the Pykes.
It certainly seems as if Cad Bane died in this finale, given that he was stabbed in the chest by Boba. Still, the slim possibility remains that he was revived by a doctor or an enhancer similar to the one seen aiding Cobb Vanth in the post credits scene. Fennec Shand seemed almost certainly dead in The Mandalorian Chapter 5, after Djarin and Toro Calican hunted her to collect a bounty. However, as seen at the end of that episode and elaborated on in The Book of Boba Fett via flashbacks, Shand was rescued by Boba and brought to the doctor that uses droid parts to aid and enhance his clients.
Bane seemed to have a more severe injury than Fennec did, highlighting just how much damage Boba did to him in their fight, yet it still seems possible that he lived. This is especially plausible as the character was just brought into live action for the first time, so some might consider it a waste to introduce Bane here only to cut his time short. If he did indeed live, Boba and his new-found family will have to be wary.
Regardless, if he did meet his end in The Book of Boba Fett, it seems a fitting death for the character, especially as it serves as a callback to the Clone Wars arc that was never quite completed. More broadly, it’s clear that Cad Bane has had quite a substantial time in the Star Wars galaxy, and certainly made a name for himself as one of the most ruthless and feared bounty hunters in the galaxy.