How The Mandalorian Season 3 Will Change Mando's Role On The Series
Like many time-honored tropes, the depiction of reluctant heroes tends to be a mainstay in genre fiction for a very good reason. Simply put: it works, especially when said reluctant hero is paired with an idealistic, wide-eyed, and usually younger counterpart. "Star Wars" in particular has returned to this well time and again over the decades, from the jaded Han Solo balanced out by Luke Skywalker's faith in the Jedi in the original 1977 film, to an older and more cynical Luke forced to confront someone who reminds him very much of himself in the ever-optimistic Rey during "The Last Jedi." Lucasfilm put a new twist on this well-loved character dynamic in "The Mandalorian," pitting Pedro Pascal's bounty hunter Din Djarin against the insurmountable wholesomeness of Grogu, wringing plenty of heart and charm out of steadily turning the show's main lead into a loving single dad.
Fresh off of awakening his inner parent, Mando and Grogu reunited for good in "The Book of Boba Fett" and flew into the stars for their next big adventure in season 3 of "The Mandalorian." But embracing fatherhood won't end up being the only major obstacle that Djarin will have to overcome. According to the star himself, the next season may thrust a hesitant Mando — the notorious loner who never seemed to fit in with other Mandalorians — into a leadership position of his very own.
'If he is stepping into a leadership position, he's reluctant to do so'
If Din Djarin had his way, one strongly suspects that he'd be perfectly at peace taking care of Grogu, collecting Beskar for odd jobs, and otherwise being left alone entirely. Unfortunately, that wouldn't make for the most exciting season of "The Mandalorian" so far, so Mando will just have to suck it up and deal with pesky inconveniences like "plot developments" and "character arcs" and such.
In an interview with Total Film, actor Pedro Pascal teased what the upcoming season of "The Mandalorian" may have in store for the bounty hunter who is now seeking to atone for the sin of removing his helmet. Part of that atonement, perhaps, may just mean stepping forward into a leadership position — reluctantly, as always. According to Pascal:
"If he is stepping into a leadership position, he's reluctant to do so. I don't think that there's anything more interesting than a character being forced into discovering what they're capable of, and who they are. That part has been really, really fun. Also, from my point of view, there's so many searchable ways to find the tonality of that. I just tried to achieve the subtleties of that kind of character development."
The footage shown during Star Wars Celebration heavily hinted at a storyline involving Djarin heading to Mandalore and encountering many others of his kind, which would line up neatly with this quote (measured as it may be). Season 3 of "The Mandalorian" will debut on Disney+ in February of 2023.