Cobb Vanth Surviving Sets Up A Better Future Than Boba Fett Season 2
The Book of Boba Fett episode 7's end-credits scene revealed Cobb Vanth to be alive, and centering season 2 on him can improve Boba Fett's show.
WARNING! Contains SPOILERS for The Book of Boba Fett episode 7.
The Book of Boba Fett episode 7's end-credits scene revealed Freetown Marshal Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) to be alive, which sets up a better future for The Book of Boba Fett season 2. The Disney+ series' first season followed Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) as he freed himself from his bounty hunter past and rallied fan-favorite characters (Fennec, Mando, and Cobb included) in his war against the Pyke Syndicate. In the series finale, Boba hinted that perhaps there was someone more suited to be the Daimyo of Tatooine in his place: with Cobb surviving Cad Bane (Corey Burton), the discussion was a pretty obvious one.
In The Book of Boba Fett episode 6, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) attempted to convince Cobb and the people of Mos Pelgo (now called Freetown) to help Boba Fett resist the Pykes and stop their spice trade which had been ravaging the planet. Although reluctant, Cobb promised Mando he would do his best to gather forces. However, the arrival of Cad Bane on behalf of the Pykes ended with Cobb and his deputy gunned down. This eventually motivated the people of Freetown to come and help Boba end the war (as they didn't want to live on a planet ruled by the coldblooded Pykes). When Cad Bane confronts Boba in episode 7, he brags about shooting down Cobb, but it's later revealed that Cobb is indeed alive and recuperating in Boba's bacta tank, while the Modifier (Stephen Bruner) is preparing to offer him a state-of-the-art surgery.
The Book of Boba Fett ended with Boba Fett victorious and the Pyke Syndicate - as well as the spice trade - eliminated from the Dune Sea. But as the people of Mos Espa bow to Boba and offer him melons, he told Fennec (Ming-Na Wen), "We are not suited for this." Fennec then asked, "If not us, then who?" while Boba passed his melon to Black Krrsantan, suggesting Boba intended to pass his Daimyo position to the Wookiee, but the end-credits scene showing the heroic Marshal healing in the bacta tank suggested otherwise. Cobb Vanth is not only a fan-favorite character (played by a fan-favorite actor) but a complex hero who continues George Lucas' original vision for Boba as the lone space western gunslinger. There's a lot of room for developing Cobb's character, and centering The Book of Boba Fett season 2 on him is probably better than sticking with Boba.
The Book of Boba Fett season 1 started out by telling Boba's backstory and current struggles on Tatooine but pivoted towards The Mandalorian, focusing on Din Djarin, Grogu's Jedi training, and his popular choice of abandoning Luke and reuniting with Mando. It wouldn't be surprising if Boba Fett would become a supporting character in his own series once again in season 2, as he leaves Tatooine with Fennec and Cobb Vanth takes over the throne in Mos Espa. Cobb Vanth has a very complex backstory, too: exploring his path from an enslaved person to a sheriff and mayor of Mos Pelgo is definitely something worth doing in The Book of Boba Fett season 2.
Timothy Olyphant has carved out a niche for himself in his career, playing marshals in series including The Mandalorian, Justified, Fargo, and Deadwood. Perhaps there's no one better fit to play a space cowboy in The Book of Boba Fett. If the extensive development of Boba's character led him to stray away from the quiet Man With No Name-type gunslinger, Cobb Vanth could offer a fresh perspective on the type, returning the series to Lucas' original vision for Tatooine and Boba Fett and raising the bar for The Book of Boba Fett.