The Mandalorian has undoubtedly become one of the best live-action Star Wars properties in recent years, if not decades. Created by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, The Mandalorian is a classic homage to George Lucas’ expansive vision with the stylistic approach of Clint Eastwood’s Spaghetti Western genre. Apart from having most of the prominent Star Wars elements, The Mandalorian has also received widespread acclaim for its strong female characters. From Cara Dune to The Armorer, the show has established some truly fearsome and badass female leads. Joining them is also Ming-Na Wen, who played the role of Fennec Shand in the first season.
Ming-Na Wen rose to meteoric fame for her unforgettable and extremely likable character of Melinda May in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. She is also known for playing the role of Fa Mulan in Disney’s Mulan (1998) and Mulan II (2004). Known for playing iconic badass characters, the actress made a brief appearance in The Mandalorian in Chapter 5: The Gunslinger.
Related: The Mandalorian Season 3: Classic Star Wars Characters We Want To See Next
In The Gunslinger, Din Djarin/Mando is approached by Toro Calican (Jake Cannavele), a young bounty hunter who wishes to enter the Guild. However, to be a part of the Bounty Hunters’ Guild, he has to capture Fennec Shand, a fearsome assassin who stays on Tattooine. Fortunately, Toro Calican comes across Mando and seeks his help in capturing Fennec Shand. After agreeing to help him in return for the promised reward, both Mando and Toro set out to find and capture the trained mercenary.
Fennec Shand soon makes her presence felt as the two bounty hunters alarm her by falling for her bait. In the ongoing battle, Mando loses his speeder bike as both the bounty hunters run for covers. After devising a witty plan, Mando and Toro Calican manage to corner Fennec Shand and capture her. But soon after, Toro Calican shoots Fennec Shand when she attempts to persuade him to join her and capture the Mandalorian instead. Leaving Fennec Shand for dead in the cold desert, Toro Calican tries his luck at capturing the Mandalorian only to end up losing his own life.
At the end of the episode, a mysterious figure appears near the seemingly lifeless body of Fennec Shand. Though a blaster shot from such a close range is almost always fatal, characters in Star Wars have survived far worse ordeals. From Darth Maul to Anakin Skywalker, some major characters have sneaked past death to return much more menacing and fearsome.
As the show has now progressed to its second season, there has been no sign of Fennec Shand’s return. Despite being a brief role, fans have been quite vocal about bringing back Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand to the show. And now, Ming-Na Wen herself has asked for a fan petition to bring back her character.
“I think they just announced they [were] picked up for season three. So I want you to start a petition, sort of like what they did with #CoulsonLives -#FennecLives. And that’s the message you need to let those guys that are putting that show together know. We need the voices. We need your voices heard.”
Many fans had filed an online petition to bring back Agent Coulson after his death at the hands of Loki in Avengers. The beloved character was brought back by Marvel for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as the lead protagonist. Similarly, Ming-Na Wen is quite hopeful that a widespread fan petition can easily bring back her character to the show.
Related: The Mandalorian: The Funniest Fan Reactions For The Second Season
As the show has once again returned to Tattooine, the major reveal of Boba Fett at the end of The Marshal has once again made fans hopeful about Fennec Shand’s return. Boba Fett, who was last seen falling into a Sarlacc Pit made his shocking return to the show is an optimistic sign for Ming-Na Wen to return. Many fans have also speculated that the mysterious figure who appeared at the end of The Gunslinger was indeed Boba Fett himself, who rescued a dying Fennec Shand.
With the addition of Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and Koska Reeves (Sasha Banks), The Mandalorian is also set to bring the fan-favorite Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) to the Outer Rim, thus establishing the importance of powerful female characters. If Fennec Shand is indeed alive, teaming her up with Boba Fett to hunt down Din Djarin will undoubtedly take the show to exciting new heights.
