The Super Powered Fancast

On Friday it was announced that actor Timothy Olyphant has been cast in an undisclosed role in the upcoming second season of The Mandalorian on Disney Plus.

Olyphant is known for his roles in films like A Man Apart, This Is Where I leave You and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. He also starred in series like Deadwood, Fargo and Justified. Having him join the expanded cast of The Mandalorian is a big deal and the fact that his character has not been revealed has led me to speculate on who he could be playing in the upcoming second season.

5. A Brand New Character

The Mandalorian’s first season has introduced a whole new cast of characters to the Star Wars universe. From Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin/ The Mandalorian to Gina Carano’s Cara Dune and Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon, the series has done an amazing job of creating new and interesting characters to the universe created by George Lucas. Timothy Olyphant could be joining the second season of the series as another new character we haven’t seen before. With the Mandalorian on the move and the “Child” still the subject of an active bounty, Olyphant could play anyone from a fellow bounty hunter to a former member of the Empire. Olyphant certainly has the range and charisma necessary to craft a new character into a memorable one.

4. Grand Admiral Thrawn

With Dave Filoni an active part of The Mandalorian and the news that characters from Filoni’s The Clone Wars and Rebels making their way to live action, it is possible that Thrawn could make his first live action appearance on the series. Thrawn was last seen on the final episode of Rebels being dragged into hyperspace. In that same episode, Ahsoka and Sabine set out to bring back Ezra. With Ahsoka making her way to the series played by Rosario Dawson, Olyphant could bring the character back as well and send him to the Outer Rim territories where he could be the one in search of the “Child”.

3. Pre Vizsla

One of the surprise plot elements introduced in the final episode of the first season of The Mandalorian is Moff Gideon’s possession of the Darksaber. Where and how he got it could be part of the story of season 2. With Katee Sackhoff being cast as Bo-Katan, Olyphant could be cast as a previous wielder of the Darksaber in a flashback highlighting the history of Mandalore. Viszla’s loss of the saber and how Gideon came into possession of it could do a lot to reconnect the main character to the bigger Mandalorian culture.

2. Tiber Saxon

Another Mandalorian with a connection to both the Empire and the Darksaber, Tiber Saxon is another character Timothy Olyphant could play in the second season. Saxon was loyal to the Empire and his decision to use the Duchess against Clan Wren put him in the crosshairs of Sabine and the rest of the Ghost crew. His Star Destroyer blew up, but Saxon could have escaped like many other Star Wars characters that have been presumed dead.

1. Cad Bane

In a universe filled with bounty hunters and mercenaries, my top pick for who Timothy Olyphant could be playing in the upcoming second season of The Mandalorian is one of my favorite characters and one who speaks to Olyphant’s strengths as an actor. Cad Bane has a long and interesting story that touches on the darker side of the Star Wars universe. The Duros bounty hunter specializes in run ins with Jedi and those that use the force. As one of the pre-eminent bounty hunters in the universe, the fact that the “Child” continues to escape could present an interesting challenge to Bane.

Bane holds no allegiance to any faction and will take on any job for the right price. The Mandalorian is essentially a western set in the Star Wars universe and Timothy Olyphant has a long history of playing characters in that world both in Deadwood and Justified. I can absolutely see Olyphant wearing Bane’s trademark hat. I’m also suspicious about the mystery figure that comes upon Fennec Shand’s body. While everyone is thinking the jingling spurs belong to Boba Fett, I think they belong to Cad Bane. Shand could absolutely belong to Bane’s cadre of bounty hunters and her death could set Bane on his hunt for Mando and the Child.

So those are my picks for who Timothy Olyphant could play in the upcoming second season of The Mandalorian. Do you have another character in mind? Let me know in the comments below.