Grand Admiral Thrawn Might Be The Greatest Threat In 'The Mandalorian' Season 3
The Mandalorian season 2 might have come to an end, but there is still at least another chapter left in our titular hero's adventures. We watched our stoic hero say goodbye to everyone's smallest friend in the finale, as that friend walked off with a certain notable Jedi Master. With this, Din Djarin said goodbye to his quest from the first two seasons. Now we need a new story to tell, and there are a lot of rumors as to which it might be. A common one was actually referenced in "Chapter 13: The Jedi": Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Grand Admiral Thrawn is a name almost every branch of Star Wars fans have heard. While he's not the Emperor or Darth Vader, his presence seems to touch almost all media. Originally appearing in the Star Wars Expanded Universe novels, he has made appearances in Rebels and has his own sets of novels written in the new canon. He has even appeared in many Star Wars tabletop and fantasy games. With someone who has such a huge presence that even he, at one point, posed a threat to Luke Skywalker and company, it would make sense for him to be a big enough threat to our lovable Mandalorian and even possibly his companions whom we have seen from time to time.
Favreau and Filoni have made no shortage of fans happy with their many moves. Disney's new dynamic duo have definitely been putting reference after reference in their show en masse in an attempt to appease all level of Star Wars fans. With something small tucked in every corner, they even branched out with the appearances of some fan favorite characters like Boba Fett and Bo-Katan Kryze. There's been no shortage of appearances to be overjoyed with, but perhaps they're planning yet another big reveal for Din Djarin and company to have to overcome.
Grand Admiral Thrawn first made his appearance in the Expanded Universe novels by Timothy Zahn conveniently titled The Thrawn Trilogy. Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command are very beloved books among fans and introduced us to the cerulean skinned antagonist, a military genius of unparalleled intellect, able to overcome New Republic forces up to double his own strength and even come out on top. One of very few aliens in the Emperor's crew, as it is a well-known fact that Palpatine despised aliens and did not trust him, his presence said a lot about his abilities even with him not being human. He was a massive threat and only was he stopped by a force from within his own crew; not even our beloved Jedi Master could take him down himself.
Not only is the Grand Admiral's appearance the subject of multiple rumors, but there is also the matter of who should suit up in the white uniform to lend their talents as the imposing Admiral. Those familiar with Favreau's past work that helped kickstart the Marvel Cinematic Universe will definitely be happy to hear the rumors that perhaps Jon Favreau is pushing for a name he stuck his neck out for before. Leading all rumors of actors happens to be Hollywood comeback story himself Robert Downey Jr.
What started with a simple piece of fan art from an enthusiastic fan who would like to see the man don the mantle has jumpstarted into a full on rumor storm with many sources siting that Downey is actually in talks with both Favreau and Filoni, but no sources actually stating that Thrawn is the role in question for sure. While fans seem certain, nothing is confirmed aside from speculation. One fan even suggested that Downey play Talon Karrde, another character from The Thrawn Trilogy who had a large hand in the events of the novels, albeit on a complete opposite side of the action. Regardless of whom he plays, I think many fans will just be happy to see him be welcomed as a part of the Star Wars universe.
Source(s): Inside The Magic