Warning - This article contains major spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 2.
The Mandalorian has set the Internet alight with its season 2 premiere , being packed with big surprises and plenty of Easter eggs.
The classic Tusken Raiders had a prominent inclusion in the episode, and it was revealed post-release that it was, in fact, Pedro Pascal speaking Tusken himself as Din Djarin. The episode had plenty of call backs to past entries in Star Wars canon, including what appears to be a part of Anakin's podracer from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace .
The Easter eggs went beyond just the films though, with a reappearance from Tusken Dogs from Star Wars: The Clone Wars . "The Marshal" even included a video game reference in there, dedicating a moment to the elusive Krayt Dragon pearl from Knights of the Old Republic .
One of the Easter eggs in the recent episode seems to originate from another property under the Disney umbrella...
NEWS
The season 2 premiere of The Mandalorian , titled "Chapter 9: The Marshal," contains a scene in which Cobb Vanth returns to the town of Mos Pelgo to reclaim it from the Mining Collective. Vanth does so wearing pieces of armor in the form of Boba Fett's iconic suit. Vanth uses the armor to take down the bandits who have overtaken the town, laying waste to their troops.
If that all sounds all to familiar to a film from 2008, this scene is likely a reference to a scene from Iron Man . The MCU scene involved Tony Stark confronting the Ten Rings, who were attempting to conscript citizens of the village of Gulmira. The scene contains many parallels, from the similar enemies and setting to both scenes being directed by director Jon Favreau.
The scene even makes a visual callback to the scene, with Cobb Vanth using a large missile to take down a vehicle much in the same way Iron Man destroys a tank with a missile of his own.
WHAT THIS MEANS
Jon Favreau is clearly a fan of sneaking as many Easter eggs and references as he can into his projects, with "The Marshal" alone being jampacked with hidden details galore. Now, there is a tangible link between the Star Wars and Marvel Cinematic Universes, even if the connection is strictly visual and context-based.
Nevertheless, this is a fun Easter egg to see, especially as it does not tie to Star Wars itself like other references in the episode do. Iron Man is not the only other media to be referenced though, as the episode, and the show itself, draws heavily from Western tropes and aesthetics. Even Timothy Olyphant's inclusion speaks to this, who is best known for his gun-toting, cowboy-inspired roles on Deadwood and Justified .
Favreau has not shied away from being self-referential in the past, having also referenced Iron Man in 2014's Chef . While the director has not led any Marvel films for a while, Favreau seems to have a lot of love for his history in the MCU. It is unknown whether Jon Favreau will be directing any more episodes this season, but eagle-eyed fans may want to watch out for any other MCU references that he may be hiding in The Mandalorian.
There will be plenty more Easter eggs and references to find, when Chapter 10 of The Mandalorian premieres on November 6, 2020.
