The Mandalorian & Grogu could be about to make the same mistake that led to wide criticism of the original Disney+ show. The upcoming Star Wars movie brings the dynamic duo from The Mandalorian to the big screen for the first time, with a story that continues on from Season 3 of the Disney+ show. After a slow start, marketing for The Mandalorian & Grogu is ramping up ahead of its May 22 release, and it's already showing signs of a concerning plotline in the movie.
New trailers for The Mandalorian & Grogu put emphasis on the idea that Din Djarin and his young apprentice may become separated in the movie. In the final trailer for the film, Djarin is shown telling Grogu to go with the Anzellans, assuring him, "I'll be right behind you." Other moments in the marketing have shown Grogu alone with the Anzels, confirming the pair will go their separate ways for at least part of the movie.
On top of that, the latest promotional spot seems to heavily suggest that Djarin may die in The Mandalorian & Grogu. Lines from Sigourney Weaver's character, Ward, like, "What happens when you're not there to protect him?", and "[this is] something you might not come back from," all add to the setup that Mando's first big-screen mission might also be his last.
Throughout the trailer, Djarin is shown being thrown into incredibly dangerous situations while seemingly without Grogu. He faces a huge snake-like creature in an underground cavern, and is threatened by a warlord who promises, "The Mandalorian will die." A final moment shows Djarin flying in the Razor Crest as it falls apart, with Ward warning him to get out of there, but Mando valiantly sticks to his creed, "This is the way."
Other lines that add to concerns about Mando's fate come when the helmeted hero encourages Grogu to "be brave for me," and another creature tells Djarin, "There comes a time when we all have to say goodbye." These are the kinds of fateful sayings that dramatically raise the stakes, putting the precious father-son relationship between Mando and Grogu on the line.
If The Mandalorian & Grogu is really planning to separate Din Djarin and Grogu in the film by killing off the former, this could be a repeat of a grave mistake that was made in the second season of the Disney+ show.
The Mandalorian Season 2 ended with Djarin achieving his goal and bringing Grogu safely to a Jedi who could teach him the ways of the Force. Djarin handed over Grogu to Luke Skywalker, leading to a tearful parting. This was a big decision for the show, and was met with some trepidation by fans, who wondered how The Mandalorian could continue with its two core leads together. As it turns out, it couldn't.
In the very next MandoVerse show, The Book of Boba Fett, despite the series not focusing on Djarin or Grogu, a decent amount of time was spent bringing the two back together. Djarin sends a gift of Beskar chainmail to protect his young ward, who is given a choice by Luke Skywalker of whether to accept Yoda's lightsaber and become a Jedi or take the chainmail and return to Djarin. Grogu chooses the latter, which swiftly reunites the two for The Mandalorian Season 3.
The Mandalorian hinges on the chemistry between its two leads, and the ending of Season 2 proved that it can't exist without them together. For The Mandalorian & Grogu to now potentially toy with killing off Djarin, it could put the movie franchise in that same precarious position as the TV show.
The Mandalorian & Grogu Needs to Avoid Season 2's Mistake
The Mandalorian & Grogu certainly wants people to believe that this could be the end of the road for Djarin and Grogu, but the odds of it really happening are low.
Lucasfilm course-corrected its Season 2 mistake too swiftly for it to be repeated. The studio didn't even wait until Season 3 of the titular show to resolve Grogu and Mando's parting, instead shoehorning their story into The Book of Boba Fett to reassure audiences that the beloved pair would be back again.
There's basically no chance that Lucasfilm would risk killing off either of its two lead stars, particularly with a potential Mandalorian movie franchise now on the line. While having the two separated for short stints in The Mandalorian & Grogu is fine and helps raise the stakes as audiences wait to see them reunited, the magic happens on-screen when the two are together, and Lucasfilm needs to capitalize on that as much as possible.
The idea that Mando might be on his final mission is a good marketing ploy to ensure people are invested in the drama of The Mandalorian & Grogu, and to get them to see it in cinemas, but the chances of Disney retreading its gravest mistake from the Disney+ show are slim to none.
