Star Wars: Why Mace Windu Fans Shouldn't Get Their Hopes Up
A Star Wars social media post got fans speculating about Mace Windu's return, but people should not get their hopes up for that happening.
Here's why Star Wars fans shouldn't get their hopes up for a Mace Windu return. Samuel L. Jackson played the powerful Jedi Master in all three installments of the prequel trilogy, becoming a key supporting character as the narrative progressed. Mace met his end in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, being killed by Darth Sidious as Anakin Skywalker decided to turn to the dark side. When viewers last saw Mace on the big screen, he was falling to his death out of an office window. Still, at Jackson's request, Windu had an impactful death scene, having stood his ground against the Emperor in combat.
In the years since Revenge of the Sith, there's been much discussion about whether or not Mace managed to survive the events of the prequels. For his part, Jackson believes Mace is still alive, and would be up to reprise the character in a future Star Wars project. So far, nothing has come to fruition, though prior to Luke Skywalker's cameo on The Mandalorian, some viewers speculated Mace could be the Jedi that agrees to train Grogu. A recent Star Wars social media post has sparked the theories of Mace's return, but fans shouldn't get their hopes up right now.
On December 21, the official Star Wars social media channels celebrated Jackson's birthday by posting a picture of Mace Windu. The caption, which reads, "The party isn't over, it's just beginning! Sending a very happy birthday to Samuel L. Jackson," has led some to speculate Star Wars is subtly confirming Jackson's return to the franchise. However, that's not what's going on here.
The photo caption intentionally alludes to Mace's famous line from Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, where he says, "This party's over" to announce the Jedi's arrival on Geonosis. The Star Wars social media team is using a play on the dialogue to comment on Jackson's birthday celebration. As much fun as it is to imagine they're suggesting something more substantial - like Jackson coming back to play Mace again (i.e. his onscreen role is only just beginning), the more logical read is it's simply wishing the actor a happy birthday. Given the secrecy of Star Wars projects, it's also highly unlikely Lucasfilm's social media department is privy to everything going on behind-the-scenes. So even if Jackson was returning, it probably wouldn't be hinted at in a birthday tweet.
What's more is at Disney's Investor Day 2020, Lucasfilm confirmed a plethora of new Star Wars TV shows and movies, none of which seem to have a spot for Mace Windu in the cast. Considering the magnitude of the studio's announcements at the event (including Hayden Christensen returning as Darth Vader), it stands reason to believe if Mace factored into Star Wars' future slate, Jackson's involvement would have been revealed then. This isn't to say the door is completely closed on Mace appearing in something down the line. It just doesn't appear to be in the cards yet.