| Cobb Vanth | |
|---|---|
| Star Wars character | |
 Timothy Olyphant as Cobb Vanth wearingBoba Fett's armor in a scene from thesecond season ofThe Mandalorian | |
| First appearance | Aftermath (2015) |
| Created by | Chuck Wendig |
| Adapted by | Jon Favreau Dave Filoni |
| Portrayed by | Timothy Olyphant |
| Voiced by | Marc Thompson |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Cobb Vanth |
| Alias | Cobb Vance |
| Nickname | The Marshal |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | The Marshal of Freetown (formerly the Sheriff of Mos Pelgo) |
| Occupation | Marshal /sheriff; formerslave |
| Affiliation | Mos Pelgo / Freetown |
| Home | Tatooine |
| Partner | Malakili (formerly) |
Cobb Vanth (also known asThe Sheriff and laterThe Marshal)[1] is afictionalcharacter in theStar Wars franchise. Introduced in the 2015–2017Chuck Wendig novel trilogyAftermath, he is a formerslave who has used theMandalorian armor ofBoba Fett to bring order toTatooine "Freetown" Mos Pelgo in the five years after the events of the 1983 filmReturn of the Jedi. Throughout the trilogy, Cobb faces off against foes such as the Red Key Raiders mining collective, theTusken Raiders, and akrayt dragon.
The character reappears in thesecond season of theDisney+ television seriesThe Mandalorian, set years after the events of theAftermath trilogy and depicting Cobb joining forces with the Tuskens andthe series' title character to finally defeat the krayt dragon. He is portrayed byTimothy Olyphant, who reprised the role inspin-off seriesThe Book of Boba Fett, where Cobb faces off against thePyke Syndicate and their representative,Cad Bane.
Cobb first appeared in the 2015Chuck Wendig novelAftermath, the first installment of what became known as theAftermath trilogy, via an interlude chapter in each of the three novels; named as a reference toThe Officesupporting characterBob Vance, his name is often misspelled "Cobb Vance" in certain chapters throughout theAftermath trilogy.[2][3] He is a formerImperial slave andsheriff/marshal of the town of Mos Pelgo/Freetown.[4][5]
Cobb is voiced by Marc Thompson in theaudiobook for theAftermath trilogy, and played byTimothy Olyphant in thesecond season ofThe Mandalorian and its spin-off seriesThe Book of Boba Fett.[6]
TheAftermath trilogy was written by Chuck Wendig between 2015 and 2017. In addition to Cobb, the trilogy introduced several notable characters, includingNorra andSnap Wexley. Beginning immediately after the events depicted inReturn of the Jedi and concluding one year later with the Battle of Jakku, theRebel Alliance, now known as the New Republic, fights the remnants of the Galactic Empire, as they consolidate behindGallius Rax andRae Sloane in two separate factions; Rax seeking to become the new Emperor, and Sloane seeking to form a more peaceful "first order". OnTatooine, various mining syndicates take advantage of the decreased Imperial presence and vacuum left by the death ofJabba 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.
InAftermath (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. MeetingMalakili, 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 – Borgo – back to Mos Pelgo (also known as Freetown) to start a different life.
InEmpire's End (2017), 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 themselves being promised the pearl from inside a krayt dragon. However, Red Key members capture the town before the krayt dragon can be killed, reducing Cobb's arsenal to such an extent that he is no longer able to try to kill it. While held captive, Cobb is revealed to have once been a slave, having slave markings on his back. Soon enough, the 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.
In the time betweenEmpire's End andThe Mandalorian, however, the town has turned against the Tusken Raiders, and Malakili leaves with the Hutt.
In May 2020, it was reported thatTimothy Olyphant would appear as Cobb Vanth in thesecond season ofThe Mandalorian, potentially confirming the character's Mandalorian armor from theAftermath trilogy to have been that ofBoba Fett.[7] In the second season's premiere, "Chapter 9: The Marshal", the show'stitle character arrives in Mos Pelgo looking for a Mandalorian and is surprised to find Cobb instead, who is wearing Fett's Mandalorian armor.[8][9] Following a brief standoff, after which Cobb summarises how he acquired the armor, he offers to give his armor to the Mandalorian in exchange for his assistance in killing thekrayt dragon he failed to kill in theAftermath trilogy, allying with the Tusken Raiders once again to do so. Thanks to an ingenious idea by the Mandalorian to use abantha as asuicide 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.[10]
Cobb Vanth, played again by Timothy Olyphant, returns inThe Book of Boba Fett, a spin-off series ofThe Mandalorian. He first appears in the sixth episode, titled "Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger", where he faces a new threat to Mos Pelgo (renamed Freetown), namely thePyke Syndicate, who are trying to conquer Tatooine. After Cobb confronts and shoots several Pykes, the syndicate retaliates by sendingbounty hunterCad Bane to deal with him. Before Bane arrives, Cobb is visited by the Mandalorian, who enlists his and his people's help in the upcoming war between Boba Fett's crime syndicate and the Pykes. Cobb is reluctant to get involved but agrees to hold a town hall meeting. Shortly after the Mandalorian leaves Freetown, Bane arrives to demand that Cobb take a neutral stance in the upcoming war. After explaining Fett's prior involvement with the Empire, Bane shoots Cobb and his deputy after a showdown, killing the latter and leaving Cobb's fate uncertain.
Cobb is revealed to have survived in the mid-credits scene of "Chapter 7: In the Name of Honor", where he is seen recovering in Fett's bacta tank while the mod artist who savedFennec Shand's life after she was similarly wounded prepares to apply cybernetic enhancements to him.
Upon the character's initial appearance in theAftermath trilogy, speculation was common as to the character's Mandalorian armor belonging to Boba Fett, or the character themselves being a disguised Fett; the former theory was proven true in the second season ofThe Mandalorian.[11][12][13] Olyphant's portrayal of Cobb inThe Mandalorian was generally praised, with Rachel Leishman ofThe Mary Sue describing the character's backstory of acquiring the armor of Fett as "[h]onestly, iconic", andComic Book Resources drawing comparisons of Olyphant's portrayal to "basically [hisJustified character]Raylan Givens... in Space".TechRadar additionally expressed interest in seeing aspin-off developed around the character.[14][15][16]
Olyphant's performance as Vanth in the second season ofThe Mandalorian earned him a nomination for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
Cobb grins, crosses his arms. "What are you thinking, company man? See, I could really use that armor. I figure being a newly appointed lawman—" "Self-appointed, I think," Adwin says. But Cobb doesn't take the bait. "Being a lawman, I could use some protection against those corrupt types who might think to seize the opportunity here on my planet. That armor is mine." Adwin smirks. He takes his thumb and pulls back his tunic, revealing the blaster. "Cobb—" "Sheriff Vance, to you." "Oh." Adwin laughs. "Sheriff, I'd hate to have to draw this blaster—"Cobb Vance's hand is up in a flash—there's the shriek from his own blaster, and it punches a cauterized hole clean through Adwin's shoulder on his right side. His hand goes limp, lifeless. The helmet clatters out of his other hand. He backs against the shelf, terror-struck.
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