Vanth first appeared in Star Wars: Aftermath, the 2015 novel from author Chuck Wendig that detailed the events that occurred in the galaxy between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. With the build up to Episode VII gearing up in 2015, Aftermath was released in part as a way to give fans a taste of what happened after Return of the Jedi and fill in the space after Legends material was de-canonized. Several famous characters appear in the novel, including X-Wing pilot and Rebel hero Wedge Antilles.
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Vanth’s role in the first of the trilogy of books sees him find the armor once worn by Boba Fett, just as he did in The Mandalorian Season 2. However, the way he acquired the Mandalorian armor is slightly different from in live-action. Vanth was with Adwin Charu, a member of a crime syndicate who entered the fray of Tatooine after Jabba the Hutt’s death, when he came across the armor amidst the wreckage of the barge that was destroyed in the first act of Return of the Jedi.
Vanth and those who accompanied him found the wreckage in a deceased Sarlaac, which had been eaten by a krayt dragon. Understandably, Charu was keen on wearing the armor when the two came across it, which led to a showdown with Vanth. Both had guns drawn, and Cobb ended up winning the duel, taking the armor and ordering the syndicate that Charu was a part of to cease all business on Tatooine.
2016’s Life Debt, the second of the Aftermath trilogy, reveals that Vanth had become the sheriff of Mos Pelgo, wearing the Fett armor to protect himself. The armor helped Vanth as he overthrew the Red Key Raiders and ended their grip on the territory, and leads him to meet Jabba’s beastmaster Malakili, who took care of the Rancor that the Hutt owned. Malakili had been wrongly accused of murdering members of the Raiders, and was in possession of the heir to Jabba’s throne, a young baby of the same species. Like in live-action, Vanth is portrayed as an honorable man of the law, always intent on doing the right thing. This leads Vanth to helping Malakili and the young Hutt, offering Mos Pelgo, also referred to as Freetown, to be a sanctuary where they could start a new life.
This plot is similar to that of the Clone Wars film of 2008, where Anakin protected Jabba’s son, Rotta. In that film, directed by Dave Filoni, who also captured Vanth in his latest live-action appearance, the evil Sith Lords Sheev Palpatine and Count Dooku planned Rotta’s kidnapping as a way to frame the Jedi. In their plan, they hoped the Hutts would retaliate against the Jedi and side with the Separatists, thus turning the tide of the war. Of course, it ended up being unsuccessful, but is an interesting parallel with Cobb Vanth’s story nonetheless.
In the conclusion of the Aftermath trilogy, Empire’s End, Vanth joined together with the Tusken Raiders to keep Mos Pelgo safe from invaders. In return, Vanth offered the pearl found inside the krayt dragon lurking in the desert of Tatooine. Unfortunately for the town, Red Key Raiders arrive and take hold of the town once again, meaning Vanth could not get the pearl to complete the deal. Vanth was held prisoner for a time before Tusken Raiders rescued him. The enemies were thwarted and removed from the town, and the Hutt heir and Malakili left. The events with Vanth in the 2017 novel occurred roughly one month before The Mandalorian Season 2, where the character made his live-action debut.
While Vanth was captured, markings on his back revealed that he was once a slave and also in affiliation of Crimson Dawn, the evil crime syndicate formed and led by Maul that was first introduced in live-action in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. Amidst an action-packed story, a key piece of Vanth’s backstory, yet to be mentioned on Disney+, was uncovered.
Clearly, Vanth had a pretty substantial history in Star Wars before his live-action debut. When he did finally make the switch, played by TV’s resident cowboy Timothy Olyphant, his backstory is shown once again, albeit with some changes. Chapter 9 of The Mandalorian shows tension with the Tusken Raiders, as well as the existence of the dangerous krayt dragon plaguing the town, and shows the Red Key Raiders take control right after the second Death Star was destroyed.
However, Olyphant’s Vanth is seen fleeing the town after a massacre left many killed, eventually wandering through the desert and being picked up by Jawas. While in the Jawas’ sand crawler, Vanth sees the Boba Fett armor amidst the other items that they had picked up and offers them money in exchange for it. This differs from the way that he acquired the armor in the first Aftermath novel, but given that Vanth appears to be an important player in the various Disney+ series going forward, it seems as if the live-action version is canon.
Vanth’s latest appearance was in The Book of Boba Fett showed the Marshal once again fighting crime syndicates, just as he did in the Aftermath trilogy. This takes place in Vanth’s town, which changes its name to Freetown only in this episode of The Book of Boba Fett. This is another change from his history in the novels, where it was referred to as both Freetown and Mos Pelgo. Here, he comes face to face with Cad Bane, the famous bounty hunter first introduced in the Clone Wars animated series, and was severely wounded in a shootout. This fight contrasts with an old phrase often noted in cowboy songs and stories, which states that an outlaw will kill the sheriff but spare the deputy due to their inexperience and lack of authority compared to their superior. However, Cad Bane spared Vanth and killed the deputy, thus highlighting the brutality facing the Marshal going forward.
It certainly seems as if his story doesn’t end there, and appears likely he’ll recover in time to face up against the spice runners in the finale of The Book of Boba Fett. Going forward, it’s possible that Vanth’s history with Crimson Dawn could come into play. It seems likely that the organization originally ran by Maul plays some role in the Pykes’ emergence in Tatooine, and if this were to be confirmed, Vanth could go up against them. Whatever is in his future, it’s clear that Cobb Vanth has had a rich history in the world of Star Wars, both in novels and in live-action.
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