Everything You Need To Know About The Latest Animated Star Wars Character To Jump To Live-Action

This article contains spoilers for the new episode of "The Book of Boba Fett."

Thanks to "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett," characters that were once exclusive to "Star Wars" animated series and comic books are finally making their way over to the live-action side of a galaxy far, far away. This really began in "The Mandalorian" season 2, which saw "Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels" TV show alums Bo-Katan Kryze and Ahsoka Tano show up as flesh-and-blood beings for the first time. "The Book of Boba Fett" has similarly brought Boba face to face with Black Krrsantan, a grizzled Wookiee bounty hunter best known for his appearances in the "Darth Vader" and "Doctor Aphra" comic books.

This week's episode of "The Book of Boba Fett," titled "From the Desert Comes a Stranger," saw yet another animated "Star Wars" character make the jump to live-action. The figure in question? Cad Bane, a notorious Duros bounty hunter, known for his signature wide-brimmed hat and distinct, growling voice. As those familiar with "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" may have noticed, Cad's look and manner were heavily modeled after the character Sentenza (AKA Angel Eyes) from Sergio Leone's classic spaghetti western. However, there's more to this hired gun than meets the eye.

Cad made his first appearance in the "Clone Wars" animated series' season 2 premiere, in which he set out to steal a holocron from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant under the orders of his employer: Darth Sidious. Yes, as much as Cad serves no one's interests but his own, he does have a habit of working for the worst individuals in the "Star Wars" universe. Why? Well, it's probably because they tend to pay the best — and at the end of the day, putting money in his pockets is the only cause Cad truly believes in.

Indeed, the "Clone Wars" TV show saw Cad cross paths with characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi on multiple occasions and almost never under friendly circumstances. The sole exception (sorta) was when Cad, having allowed himself to be captured and imprisoned in the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center on Coruscant, unknowingly teamed up with Obi-Wan — who, at the time, was disguised as the bounty hunter Rako Hardeen — to break out of the facility and carry out a mission to kidnap Supreme Chancellor Palpatine on the orders of Count Dooku. (No, I didn't forget that Palpatine/Sidious and Dooku were in cahoots. Suffice it to say, the former's scheme to become Emperor and wipe out the Jedi was quite elaborate.) A young Boba, who had landed himself in the Detention Center thanks to his attempt to kill Mace Windu in revenge for Windu slaying his father Jango in battle, even assisted Cad by creating a riot to distract the center's guards during his escape.

Cad and Boba's pal Fennec Shand are no strangers either, having previously gone head-to-head on "Star Wars: The Bad Batch." The "Clone Wars" follow-up series had Cad working for Kamino's Prime Minister Lama Su on a mission to retrieve Omega, a non-modified Jango Fett clone who was assigned female at birth (which, technically, makes her Boba's sister) and had fled Kamino after the Clone Wars with the members of Clone Force 99, AKA "The Bad Batch." Omega was also pursued by Fennec, a then-unknown young mercenary who, as it turned out, had been secretly hired by Kamino's Chief Medical Scientist Nala Se to prevent Cad from capturing Omega.

Interestingly, there were once plans for a multi-episode "Clone Wars" arc centered on Cad and Boba in the original version of the show's final season, prior to its cancellation and later revival. The story would have taken place after the duo had reunited and then broken out of prison (again, in Cad's case) on Coruscant, on the heels of Obi-Wan foiling Cad's attempt to kidnap Palpatine. What's more, it would have seen the pair undertake a mission to rescue a kidnapped child from the Tusken Raiders on Tatooine before things went south, resulting in a shoot-out that would have provided the canon explanation for how Boba got the mysterious dent in his Mandalorian helmet.

While Cad's fate in this abandoned "Clone Wars" plotline was left up in the air, he curiously showed up sporting a brand-new metal plate on his head upon his return in "The Bad Batch." This has led to fan theories that Cad and Boba's duel will be made canon at some point (possibly on "The Book of Boba Fett"), with his plate being the result of the injuries that Cad suffered from their showdown. Whether that proves to be the case or not, the fact that Cad is now working for Boba's enemies, the Pyke Syndicate, has once again put the on-and-off allies on a collision course ... and who knows which one, if either of them, will walk away this time.

New episodes of "The Book of Boba Fett" premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.