Cobb Vanth

Cobb Vanth (also known as The Marshal),[1] is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. Introduced in the 2015–2017 Chuck Wendig novel trilogy Aftermath, he is a former slave who has used the armor of Boba Fett to bring order to Tatooine from immediately following to five years after the events of the 1983 film Return of the Jedi. Throughout the trilogy, Cobb faces off against the mining collective known as the Red Key Raiders and classic Star Wars species such as the Tusken Raiders and a krayt dragon, and while successful in defeating the former is unable to find the latter. He reappears in the Disney+ television series The Mandalorian, portrayed by Timothy Olyphant, set years after the events of the trilogy and depicting the character joining forces with the Tusken Raiders and "The Mandalorian" to finally defeat the krayt dragon.

Cobb Vanth
The Marshal
Star Wars character
Timothy Olyphant as Cobb Vanth
First appearanceStar Wars: Aftermath (2015)
Last appearance"Chapter 9: The Marshal" (2020) (The Mandalorian)
Created byChuck Wendig
Portrayed byTimothy Olyphant
Voiced byMarc Thompson (Aftermath trilogy audiobook)
In-universe information
Full nameCobb Vanth
SpeciesHuman
GenderMale
TitleThe Marshal of Mos Pelgo
OccupationMarshal; former Imperial slave
Affiliation
HomeworldTatooine

Character

Cobb first appeared in the 2015 Chuck Wendig novel Aftermath, the first installment of what became known as the Aftermath trilogy, via an interlude chapter in each of the three novels.[2] He is a former Imperial slave and member of the Crimson Dawn syndicate under Maul,[3] turned marshal after its fall.[4]

Portrayal

Cobb is voiced by Marc Thompson in the audiobook for the Aftermath trilogy, and played by Timothy Olyphant in the second season of The Mandalorian.

Appearances

Aftermath trilogy (2015–2017)

The Aftermath trilogy was written by Chuck Wendig between 2015 and 2017. In addition to Cobb, the trilogy introduced several notable characters, including Norra and Snap Wexley. Beginning immediately after the events depicted in Return of the Jedi and concluding one year later with the Battle of Jakku, the Rebel Alliance, now known as the New Republic, fights the remnants of the Galactic Empire, as they consolidate behind Gallius Rax and Rae Sloane in two separate factions; Rax seeking to become the new Emperor, and Sloane seeking to form a more peaceful "first order". On Tatooine, various mining syndicates take advantage of the decreased Imperial presence and vacuum left by the death of Jabba the Hutt to take control over several settlements from which they demand tribute; Cobb Vanth, a former slave-turned-lawman, decides to take a stand against them.

In Aftermath (2015), Adwin Charu, a representative for the Red Key Raiders crime syndicate that sprouts up on Tatooine after the death of Jabba the Hutt, meets with a group of Jawas for some mining equipment, as the syndicate wants to work under the guise of being a mining company, yet cannot come to any agreement with the Jawas. Cobb Vanth, present on the Jawas' vehicle, presents himself as someone willing to help Adwin find purchases for the collective, as Cobb has a rapport with the creatures. After examining the wreckage of Jabba's barge, recovered from a Sarlacc recently eaten by a krayt dragon, the pair come across some Mandalorian armor, both pulling blasters upon the other in seeking to acquire it, with Cobb shooting Adwin. Cobb orders the injured Adwin to tell the rest of the Red Key Raiders to cease their operations or he will come for them, then leaves with the armor.

Life Debt (2016) reveals that Cobb has since become the sheriff of the town Mos Pelgo after liberating it from the Red Key Raiders' mining collective, continuing to wear the Mandalorian armor and take a stand against the Red Key Raiders' forces. Meeting Malakili, the former beastmaster for Jabba, framed for killing a group of Red Key Raiders, Cobb agrees to accompany Malakili – and the infant heir of Jabba he is protecting – back to Mos Pelgo (also known as Freetown) to start a different life.

In Empire's End (2017), set about a month before the events of The Mandalorian episode "Chapter 9: The Marshal", Cobb and Malakili, continue to work together to create a deal with the Tusken Raiders to keep the town protected. The Tusken Raiders agree, due to the town being in a sacred location and having a Hutt, and being promised the pearl from inside a krayt dragon. However, Red Key members come and capture the town before the krayt dragon can be killed, reducing Cobb's arsenal to such an extent he is no longer able to try to do so. While held captive, Cobb is revealed to have once been a slave and former operative of Crimson Dawn, having slave markings on his back. Soon enough, Tusken Raiders come and free Cobb from the Red Key members. They then drive out the crime syndicate, and Cobb vows to continue protecting the town. However, in the aftermath, the town is turned against the Tusken Raiders, and Malakili leaves with the Hutt.

The Mandalorian (2020)
Main article: The Mandalorian

In May 2020, it was reported that Timothy Olyphant would appear as Cobb Vanth in the second season of The Mandalorian web television series, potentially confirming the character's Mandalorian armour from the Aftermath trilogy to have been that of Boba Fett.[5] In the second season's premiere, "Chapter 9: The Marshal", the show's title character arrives in Mos Pelgo looking for a Mandalorian and is surprised to find Cobb instead, who is wearing Fett's Mandalorian armor.[6][7] Following a brief standoff, after which Cobb summarises how he acquired the armour, he offers to give his armor to the Mandalorian in exchange for his assistance in killing the krayt dragon he failed to kill in the Aftermath trilogy, allying with the Tusken Raiders once again to do so. Thanks to an ingenious idea by the Mandalorian to use a bantha as a suicide bomber and have it detonate once the dragon eats it, which nearly results in failure and the Mandalorian's death, they manage to kill the dragon, obtaining a pearl in the process. Following this, Cobb honors their agreement by giving up the armor to the Mandalorian, and the two part on good terms.[8]

Reception

Upon the character's initial appearance in the Aftermath trilogy, speculation was common as to the character's Mandalorian armour belonging to Boba Fett, or the character themselves being a disguised Fett; the former theory was proven true in the second season of The Mandalorian.[9][10][11] Olyphant's portrayal of Cobb in The Mandalorian was generally praised, with Rachel Leishman of The Mary Sue describing the character's backstory of acquiring the armour of Fett as "[h]onestly, iconic", and Comic Book Resources drawing comparisons of Olyphant's portrayal to "basically [his Justified character] Raylan Givens... in Space". TechRadar additionally expressed interest in seeing a spin-off developed around the character.[12][13][14]

References
  1. Aftermath by Chuck Wendig – "Interlude"
  2. "Chuck Wendig on the Battle of Jakku, Han and Leia's complex relationship, and more from Aftermath: Empire's End". StarWars.com. February 21, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  3. Fullerton, Huw (October 30, 2020). "Who is Cobb Vanth? Timothy Olyphant's Mandalorian character explained". Radio Times. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  4. "Cobb Vanth". StarWars.com.
  5. Sciretta, Peter (May 19, 2020). "Exclusive: Timothy Olyphant Will Wear Boba Fett's Iconic Armor in The Mandalorian Season 2". /Film. Archived from the original on May 19, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  6. Kit, Borys (May 15, 2020). "Timothy Olyphant Joins 'The Mandalorian' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  7. Sciretta, Peter (May 19, 2020). "Exclusive: Timothy Olyphant Will Wear Boba Fett's Iconic Armor in 'The Mandalorian' Season 2". /Film. Archived from the original on May 19, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  8. Moran, Sarah (October 31, 2020). "The Mandalorian: Does The Marshal Have Anakin's Podracer?". Screen Rant. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  9. Pate, Jordan (March 2, 2017). "The Mysterious Cobb Vanth: Precurser To a Post-Return of the Jedi Boba Fett Film?". StarWarsNews.Net. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  10. Crain, Quinn (September 6, 2015). "Is That Boba Fett's Armor Post-Sarlacc in "Star Wars: Aftermath?"". Boba Fett Fan Club. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  11. Hunt, James (November 1, 2020). "Boba Fett Armor Retcon: The Mandalorian Changes Disney's Star Wars Canon?". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  12. Leishman, Rachel (October 30, 2020). "Let's Talk About Timothy Olyphant in The Mandalorian—and That Exciting Reveal". The Mary Sue. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  13. Roberts, Samuel (November 1, 2020). "Did The Mandalorian season 2 just set up a Star Wars TV spin-off with Cobb Vanth?". TechRadar. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  14. David, Ari (October 31, 2020). "The Mandalorian: Timothy Olyphant Is Basically Justified's Raylan Givens... in Space". CBR. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
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