Topic: Cobb Vanth in 'Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett'?

"I don't want your armor. I want my armor that you got from Cobb Vanth back on Tatooine. It belongs to me." — Boba Fett to Din Djarin (The Mandalorian)

I've been thinking about this upcoming Fett series (which I am so excited for) and it strikes me that this series could actually give us more Cobb Vanth, and not necessarily Star Wars: Rangers of the New Republic as some sources have speculated.

Olyphant's previous law man characters have gone up against powerful, established criminal malefactors and I feel Vanth and Fett could have the same dynamic as Bullock and Swearengen in Deadwood or Givens and Crowder in Justified.While the series would likely be from Boba's POV, in that the narrative will be biased towards him and moralising him as the show's 'hero', I feel Vanth will likely be his moral counterweight. This wouldn't necessarily be the sort of antagonistic relationship that preciptates bloodshed, but rather a sustained 'stand-off' type scenario whereby Vanth is the counter-balance to Fett - again think Deadwood or Justified.

The Aftermath trilogy set up Vanth as this kinda spooky, hard boiled avenging lawman. A former slave who essentially becomes a hybrid of Batman, Mad Max and Gunsmoke's Marshal Matt Dillon - who is Tatooine's de facto protector and liberator in a post-Empire, post-slavery, post-Hutt period. While 'Chapter Nine: The Marshal' toned that 'hard boiled' down somewhat (Hell, you can't have a heroic character carving messages into someone's face in a family friendly show) this show could re-orientate Vanth's characterisation and bring in more elements from Wendig's novels in an attempt to expand his character in live action media.

The Mandalorian itself has left unanswered questions as to why Fett allowed Vanth to keep the armor. My opinion, which I've seen held by others, is that Fett - in his fallen state - felt unworthy to bear his father's armor and respected the fact that Vanth was using it for honorable ends as a law man. This could imply a pre-existing relationship between these two characters that we have not yet seen on screen, Boba's name check of Vanth could certainly support that. I certainly don't believe the events of this series were intended to set Fett and Vanth on the road to a Fett-Kast type show down.

What are your thought's on this? Would Vanth provide an effective foil for Boba in this series? Do you think they'll have a more violently antagonistic relationship? Or do you think Vanth will appear in other series besides this one?

Yea I think Boba respects the way Vanth used his armor, and I personally like Cobb Vanth a whole lot, I think Timothy Olyphant did a great job portraying the character.
I want to expand on what you said about a Fett-Kast showdown however, as I think Jodo Kast making some sort of appearance isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility. I think we could see Boba's armor getting stolen from him again, though what circumstances around how that would happen I am not sure. I do know though that seeing Jodo Kast on the screen would be pretty cool, and I'm personally rooting for Twin Engines of Destruction to be adapted on the screen.

Oh I have absolutely no issue with Kast making a canon appearance, none whatsoever. My issue would be Vanth being cast as that character, however, rather than having his own trajectory. Vanth - in his appearances in the Aftermath trilogy and The Mandalorian - is a character with huge potential. He is the first "lawman" character that has appeared thats based on the Western archetype. Vanth could easily star in his own show, not to mention feature in a variety of other media projects besides. Shoe-horning him into the role of Fett impersonator when Kast himself could easily play that role would be a mistake.

Absolutely, I feel like there is crazy amount of potential to show the "underworld" of tatooine, with Cobb Vanth being the star. But I think Book of Boba Fett is already gonna do that, so I feel like Vanth showing up in BOBF is pretty likely. If he doesn't, then I'm sure he'll appear in other stuff as well...maybe in the obi-wan show? who knows.

I think Fett didn't know where his armor was, until he noticed it being worn by Cobb Vanth while he was tracking Din Djarin.  After that, he shifted priorities, making getting his armor back the number one priority.

I was thinking the same thing. I feel like Fett knew Cobb’s name because he might’ve confronted Cobb to ask about Mando after he saw Mando riding off.

I disagree.

Vanth has had the armor for five years by the events of The Mandalorian, Season 2. In that time, he's been locked in an on-going war against the Red Key Raiders. Given that the Raiders had set themselves up as would be successors to the Hutt syndicate on Tatooine, this conflict would have surely caused ripples in the galactic underworld. Vanth had to have built a reputation for himself, at least amongst those circles. Given that Fett - a former bounty hunter and employee of one of the galaxy's most feared gangsters - would have had contacts in the criminal underworld, I find it hard to believe that Vanth's crusade against the Red Key Raiders escaped his notice.

Given that Fett appeared this season wearing the traditional garb of the Tusken Raider, as well as wielding their traditional weapons, I feel Fett has had to have spent some time amongst their number. The gaderiffi, especially, is a weapon of great importance in Tusken culture and it has to be earned. Given Fett's moral reorientation this season, and his obvious commitment to acting honorably, it strikes me that he spend his time in the years between his near-death experience and reclaiming his armor observing their traditions. In that time he has to have remained on Tatooine, as Tusken's do not usually leave the planet. So if Fett was on-world that whole time, I feel there's no way that he didn't know who Vanth was and that the law man had his armor.

I feel Din Djarin taking the armor is what spurred Fett into reclaiming it. Vanth, at least, was using it to enforce the law and defend his people - something Fett likely admired. Din Djarin, on the other hand, intended to confiscate the armor and return it to a Mandalorian armorer - who would have likely melted it down and forged it into weaponry or a completely different set of armor.

You're not wrong. Though I'm beginning to wonder if Fett's motivation is to set himself up as the new criminal kingpin or install himself as the defacto leader of the Tusken Raiders on Tatooine. It strikes me that Fett's relationship with the Tuskens had yet to be explored, this show could explain what happened to Fett between 4 and 9 ABY and how he came to bear the traditional armaments and garb of a Tusken Raider.

That said I still expect some underworld action from this show and I still feel that Vanth will have a role to play, as I think whether or not Fett allowed Vanth to retaining the armor needs to be confirmed once and for all.