Chapter 7 of The Book of Boba Fett is now streaming on Disney+, wrapping up the story of Temuera Morrison's Boba Fett attempting to gain control of the Tatooine underworld with Ming-Na Wen's Fennec Shand at his side. In "Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger," the Duros bounty hunter known as Cad Bane made his live-action debut when he threatened Timothy Olyphant's Cobb Vanth before gunning him down.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Chapter 7 of The Book of Boba Fett.
Voiced by Corey Burton, Bane played a large role in the season finale. The beginning of the episode confirmed that he had been hired by the Pyke Syndicate to make sure nothing interfered with their spice shipments. After quickly realizing that Boba Fett would be a problem, the head of the syndicate sent Bane to offer one final negotiation with Boba to stay out of their way.
The rough history of both Boba Fett and Cad Bane throughout Star Wars: The Clone Wars suggested that tensions during their meeting would be nothing less than an epic showdown. When they met for the first time, Bane confidently teased Boba into trying to face him one-on-one.
He revealed that the Pykes were the ones who actually killed the group of Tuskens that Boba spent time with, and also tried to belittle him with a reminder that he was the better bounty hunter, which is what ultimately drove Boba to take Cad's life... or did he?
Boba Fett Vs. Cad Bane
Bane remained behind the scenes until near the end of the final episode when he and Boba faced off in a one-on-one showdown. Once again, Bane tried to mentally gain the upper hand by saying he was faster when drawing a gun, which he proved to be true when he disarmed Boba by putting two shots in his shoulder.
He mocked Boba's father, Jango Fett, and then stood on top of the unaltered clone and told him that he had one more lesson for him before killing him. Bane pulled Boba's helmet off and pointed his gun at him, and just when he was about to shoot, Boba used his gaffi stick that he made when he was with the Tuskens to disarm Bane and knock him to his feet.
Bane put up a fight, but Boba ultimately drove the sharp end of the stick into Cad Bane's chest, landing what seemed like a fatal blow to the Duros bounty hunter.
But a mid-credits tease during the finale's closing moments may suggest that fans haven't seen the last of Bane.
Is Cad Bane Alive After The Book of Boba Fett?
All signs pointed to this being the demise of Cad Bane; however, a subtle-yet-important detail hints that fans may see the bounty hunter yet again.
As soon as Boba stabbed Bane with the gaffi stick, a small red light on his chest began to blink:
It is unclear what exactly the blinking red light signifies, but the fact that it happened as soon as Boba's staff pierced Bane, it is almost certain that it has something to do with his vitals.
Bane remained alive for a few brief moments before lying in the sand motionless. Nevertheless, the light continued to blink until the scene changed, leaving viewers to question what happened to Cad Bane off-screen.
Will Cad Bane Return In the Future?
In a lot of major franchises, fans claim that the viewer shouldn't assume a character is dead unless a body can be found. The Star Wars universe is no exception, with characters such as Emperor Palpatine returning in The Rise of Skywalker despite the fact that he fell down an energy shaft moments before the explosion of the Death Star in Return of the Jedi.
When characters have perished for good, Star Wars has always made it a point to show the funeral when possible. When Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Vader died, their bodies were burned on-screen, and when Padmé Amidala was killed in Revenge of the Sith, she could be seen at her funeral as well.
It seems to be intentional that the last shot of Cad Bane was just seconds after his death, and that right before the scene changed, his chest light was still blinking:
There are two main theories as to what Cad Bane's device was doing when he got stabbed, both offering substantial evidence that he may appear again down the line.
The tubes that run out of Bane's face are often thought to be what allow him to breathe, but they are actually only used when he is in space where there is no available oxygen. The device could have a built-in function that keeps him alive in life-threatening situations. Perhaps when the device recognized that Bane had been fatally wounded, it kicked into gear to keep him alive, much like the technology that Darth Vader had after his near-death experience on Mustafar.
The other possibility is that the blinking light could have been a transmitter that pinged from his location to his ship in case of an emergency.
Cad Bane's companion techno-service droid, Todo, that was with him in The Clone Wars has been missing from The Book of Boba Fett. It is possible that Bane commanded his droid to stay on the ship away from where the fighting would take place, so that he could have a quick getaway if needed.
If Todo received a signal from Bane, he could quickly get to his location and pick him up. From there, he could fly to another outpost in Tatooine and see if someone owned a bacta tank. Alternatively, the droid could even take Bane to a mod parlor and have his chest replaced with machinery, just as Boba did with Fennec Shand after her encounter with Din Djarin.
It is safe to assume that Cad Bane will show up in live-action again in the future. Even if he did perish in The Book of Boba Fett, there is a huge time-gap between his last appearance in The Bad Batch and The Book of Boba Fett for stories to be told. Due to the riches that the Empire gained while they reigned over the galaxy, his bounty hunting skills were more than likely utilized by them on more than one occasion.
All episodes of The Book of Boba Fett are now streaming on Disney+.
