Star Wars' Next Movie Will Feature 8 Major Villains (Confirmed)

Star Wars' next movie just stacked its villain roster with crime lords, Imperial warlords, a deadly bounty hunter, and mercenary droids, among others. The Mandalorian and Grogu is set to be the first Star Wars theatrical release since Star Wars: Episode IX, The Rise of Skywalker, and director Jon Favreau is using it to reintroduce the lingering threats Din Djarin and Grogu still have to deal with after the fall of the Empire.

Set after the events of The Mandalorian Season 3, the film picks up with the New Republic still trying to stamp out scattered Imperial warlords and the criminal syndicates filling the power vacuum across the galaxy. New Republic Colonel Ward, played by Sigourney Weaver, has tasked Din and Grogu with hunting down the Imperial Remnant war criminals. This mission puts them in the crosshairs of a lethal lineup of villains that will push them to their breaking point.

Star Wars’ Next Film Will Feature a Menacing Rogues' Gallery 

The Empire 

The biggest villain in The Mandalorian and Grogu is the Empire itself, which is now broken into scattered remnants commanded by the Shadow Council. Official synopses for the film state the evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain spread across the galaxy, with the New Republic enlisting Din Djarin and Grogu to help dismantle them.

The Shadow Council was introduced in Chapter 23 of The Mandalorian Season 3, where Moff Gideon attended a hologram meeting with at least nine other delegations. Confirmed members from that scene include Captain Gilad Pellaeon, Commandant Brendol Hux, and several unnamed warlords. The group was set up as the secret coordinating body for the Imperial Remnants, working in the shadows to eventually restore the Empire.

What makes the Empire's role here different from past Star Wars films is the state it's in. In the original trilogy, audiences saw the Empire at full strength under Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, complete with Star Destroyers, Death Stars, and an organized military. By the time of The Mandalorian and Grogu, that machine is gone. What's left is a network of warlords clinging to old territory, running cloning experiments, and stockpiling resources while pretending to be unorganized.

This setup also lays the groundwork for the eventual rise of the First Order seen in the sequel trilogy. Brendol Hux, a Shadow Council member, is the father of Armitage Hux from The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker. The cloning program known as Project Necromancer, mentioned in the same Shadow Council scene, is also tied to Palpatine's eventual return in The Rise of Skywalker. Whatever happens with the Imperial Remnants in this film feeds directly into where the saga ends up decades later. 

Lord Janu

One of the Imperial warlords confirmed for The Mandalorian and Grogu is Lord Janu, played by Jonny Coyne. Janu is a commander on the Shadow Council who has been carrying out hit-and-run attacks on the New Republic, drawing enough attention that Captain Gilad Pellaeon openly warned him about it during the Shadow Council scene in Season 3 of The Mandalorian. 

Lord Janu's place in the Imperial villain lineage is closer to Moff Gideon than the likes of Grand Moff Tarkin. Tarkin, in Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope, and Rogue One, commanded the Death Star and operated as the public face of an Empire at full power. Moff Gideon, in the three seasons of The Mandalorian, was a more shadowy figure obsessed with cloning, beskar, and personal power. Janu belongs in that same post-Empire world, running covert raids on the New Republic.

Coyne's appearance is also unique among other Imperial villains. He wears a grey suit with a shirt underneath rather than the polished black officer's uniform Tarkin and Orson Krennic favored. 

Imperial Warlord

The other Imperial warlord in The Mandalorian and Grogu is the Shadow Council member played by Hemky Madera. Madera first appeared as the same character in Chapter 23 of The Mandalorian Season 3, sharing the hologram boardroom with Moff Gideon, Brendol Hux, Captain Pellaeon, and Lord Janu. He's now confirmed to be reprising the role in the film.

During the Shadow Council scene, he argues that there are citizens still loyal to the Empire on every planet and that a show of strength would rally them against the New Republic. He's a firm believer in the Empire's cause and is seen in one scene chanting, "Long live the Empire." His appearance matches his devotion as he wears a dark grey Imperial officer's uniform with a black fur-lined jacket, an Imperial kepi, and a rank insignia plaque on his chest. 

The Hutt Twins

The Hutt Twins are confirmed villains in The Mandalorian and Grogu, returning after their introduction in The Book of Boba Fett. The pair are cousins of Jabba the Hutt, originally arriving on Tatooine to claim Jabba's old territory from Boba Fett before backing out and returning to Nal Hutta.

Compared to past Hutt villains, the Twins are unique in their own right. Jabba the Hutt, in Star Wars: Episode VI, Return of the Jedi, was a sedentary crime lord who held court from a single throne room in his palace and ran his empire through fear and a stable of bounty hunters. He rarely moved on his own. The Twins, by contrast, travel together, sit in arena boxes, and operate as a paired ruling unit, with one usually pushing for restraint while the other wants violence.

Visually, the Twins follow the practical Hutt design language, going back to Jabba's Return of the Jedi puppet, only rendered with modern visual effects. Where Jabba was a single, immovable mass on a dais, the Twins are typically carried through Mos Espa on a litter by servants, drummers, and bodyguards, including the Wookiee gladiator Black Krrsantan. The Twins' return in The Mandalorian and Grogu, alongside Jabba's son Rotta the Hutt, sets up a possible internal conflict over who controls the family's old holdings.

Embo

Embo is confirmed as one of the major villains in The Mandalorian and Grogu, marking the first time the Kyuzo bounty hunter has appeared in live-action. He was created for Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 2, and quickly became a fan favorite for his bowcaster, his pan-shaped war hat, and his Anooba companion Marrok. In the film, Embo is hunting Din Djarin and Grogu, with footage suggesting he eventually captures Din.

Embo belongs to a long list of bounty hunter villains in Star Wars, but he is unique compared to the others. Boba Fett, seen in the original movies, was a quiet professional in heavy armor who worked for Darth Vader and Jabba the Hutt. Cad Bane, who appeared in the animated series and later in The Book of Boba Fett, had the style of a classic Western cowboy with his long coat and quick-draw pistols. Embo is a bit like both of them. He works for the Hutts like Boba did, but his fighting style is based on martial arts and hand-to-hand combat, which feels more like the fast-paced action of a Cad Bane standoff.

His design also breaks from the helmeted, heavily armored bounty hunters audiences are used to. Where Boba Fett, IG-88 in The Empire Strikes Back, and Bossk all leaned on rigid armor and visible tech, Embo mostly relies on a Kyuzo war shield worn as a hat, which doubles as a thrown weapon, a sled, and a defensive plate. He carries a bowcaster, the same weapon Chewbacca uses in the original trilogy and The Force Awakens, making him a very distinct antagonist. 

Bullethead

Bullethead is one of the two named mercenary droids confirmed for The Mandalorian and Grogu, and his name fits right in with classic Star Wars droid naming conventions. He works as a sentry droid in the Hutt Palace, where he and his partner are hunting Din Djarin and Grogu. Bullethead was confirmed in the final Mandalorian and Grogu trailer.

What sets Bullethead apart from prior Star Wars film droids is the role he plays. The droids audiences mostly remember from the films are either heroes like R2-D2 and C-3PO, mass-produced Separatist soldiers like the B1 and B2 battle droids in Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace, through Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sith, or one-off bounty hunters like IG-88 in The Empire Strikes Back. Bullethead is none of those. He's a privately owned, named enforcer attached to a specific crime lord's home base, closer in function to a hired guard than to a soldier or assassin. 

Arges 

Arges is the second of the two Hutt sentry droids confirmed for The Mandalorian and Grogu. He appears in trailer footage as a heavily armored figure attacking Din in the Hutt Palace.

Arges is unique among other Star Wars droids. He's bulky, plated, and clearly armored to take hits rather than deliver clean assassinations. He's built like a bodyguard rather than a sniper. Compared to other villain droids like Magnaguard, Arges isn't very mobile due to his size, making it easy for skilled assailants like Din to take him down. He’s clumsy and tends to struggle in close-quarters combat. 

Monsters

The Mandalorian and Grogu will also feature other villains that appear in Monster form. The Dragonsnake is one of such monsters present in the film. The species first appeared in Star Wars: Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back, as the swamp creature on Dagobah that swallowed R2-D2 and spat him back out, unable to digest his metal body. Trailer footage for The Mandalorian and Grogu shows a white Dragonsnake targeting a helmet-less Din Djarin in a pit. 

In Star Wars canon, Dragonsnakes are large, serpentlike predators that lurk in murky water on swamp planets like Dagobah and Nal Hutta. They're patient ambush hunters, hiding under mud or among gnarltree roots until prey wanders close, then dragging victims under to drown. 

An Anooba will also be after Din and Grogu. Embo's new anooba in The Mandalorian and Grogu is named Keibu, replacing his original anooba, Marrok, who is established in canon as having died before the events of the film. 

Anoobas are pack-hunting predators with a mix of reptilian and canine traits, native to Tatooine and known for sharp jaws and large chin tusks. They were first conceived for Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace, as a possible Tatooine creature by concept artist Terryl Whitlatch, though they didn't make the final cut of the film. Their first major canon role came on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, where the Phindian warden Osi Sobeck used a pack of anoobas to hunt fugitives at the Citadel prison, and where Embo first paired up with Marrok. 

Mercenary Droids

Separate from Bullethead and Arges, The Mandalorian and Grogu also brings in mercenary droids, repurposed Separatist battle droids now serving the Hutts as hired muscle. The group has been confirmed through official marketing under the names: Mercenary Sentry Droid, B-2 Mercenary Sentry Droid, and B-1 Mercenary Sentry Droid. They've appeared in trailer footage chasing Din Djarin and Grogu through a forest.

These droids are a unique addition to the film's villain roster. Bullethead and Arges are stationary palace guards tied to the Hutt arena. The mercenary droids are a moving strike team built for the chase. They're also the most direct callback to the prequel-era battle droids on screen since Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sith, with the B-1 and B-2 chassis lifted directly from the Clone Wars-era Separatist army.