#This man is not a happy creature | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ashcroft-writes · 1 year ago

Text

Excellent deep dive by @sinisterexaggerator into Bane’s mental state on a lot of levels here. The tidbit about the rusty gun barrels is absolutely fueling me, because I also headcanon he was both tired, recovering, and not a happy man during TBB, but considered it mostly speculation before. Rusting on his gun barrels, the lifeblood of a gunslinger, is incredible metaphorical detail that validates a lot of thoughts I had been kicking about.

I would like to examine further, if I may, beyond the impact of the Fetts on his psyche, and even beyond the betrayal of Hardeen/Obi-Wan. Before TBB, additional events, I theorize, would also destabilize him.

The bulk of Bane's work that forged his fame was with the Separatists. It is with them that he built extensive rapport and to them that he tied his reputation. And by the end of the Clone Wars, the Separatists have done two things to him in return:

1. Betrayed him personally

It’s easy to overlook this at the end of Obi-Wan’s undercover arc, but this is not just a moment when he is both captured and stabbed in the back by Kenobi/Hardeen, who he thought he might offer some small trust and respect—whose life he saved, perhaps the most honorable we see him behave during the Clone Wars.

This is also the moment Dooku betrayed him.

Dooku was quite aware Obi-Wan/Hardeen was suspect. That's why he slipped that listening device into his sniper case. And Bane? Dooku never contacted him after discovering proof of Obi-Wan's operation.

He probably hadn’t suspected that his employer would discard such a valuable set of skills such as himself so very quickly, especially after such history together—after all, was it not Dooku who told him before the mission, “I should have put you in charge long ago”?

Friendless, partner-less, bounty-less, and now lacking his once-bright employment prospects, he is summarily discarded and sent to prison under an enemy government.

It's quite possible, but speculation, that this high-profile failure could also hit his reputation, make him hurt for credits, and force him to take lower-profile jobs after he got out. Ones that he might not be taking as seriously as he did the work that really made use of his talent, regarding @sinisterexaggerator's analysis above regarding his behavior during the unreleased Boba Fett arc.

And that doesn’t even touch on how the Separatists have also…

2. Annihilated his homeland

I don't think any discussion of Bane is entirely complete without mentioning the assault the Separatists led against Duro (which some of my readers might remember I adapted a little in my Bane character study Homeworld Elegy.) Granted, it's a tidbit about the Clone Wars that wasn’t fully re-canonized from Legends—but there’s a lot in this era that rides that cloudy line between canon-and-not, including the specifics of Bane’s time with a young Boba Fett, so I’m going to take this as fair game for speculation as well. There’s really been nothing that contradicts it yet, so there’s shakier ground out there.

If anyone’s unfamiliar with the Legends material, this is when Grievous led an assault that utterly radiated Duro’s surface, making it uninhabitable without protective suits—and forced the population to either flee their home sector or relocate to the orbiting city-ships. Now, it’s impossible to say exactly how invested Bane is in Duro. There isn’t a lot canon-wise regarding his past and early life; but we do know he was born on the planet.

And it is now gone, directly due to those he helped to succeed. Even should he not be fond of the land where he hatched, he will never have the choice to engage with it ever again, and all the good memories, all the bad ones, all the people he may have known and places he may have seen… all of it's unsalvageable wasteland now, and frankly, a lot of Duros are dead.

And it’s his side of the war that did it.

Duro would never really recover, either. When the Empire rises, it's one of the first worlds to fall under Imperial control, an era that would not see their lot improve. In Battlefront II, it's cited that refugees from this sector became frequent sign-ups to the Rebel Alliance.

To be honest, I suspect that would affect anyone, regardless of his attachment or lack thereof, regardless of his commitment to being a gun anyone can point if they pay well enough.

So yeah, when I heard about how much he seemed to have taken up drinking by the time his unreleased Fett arc rolled around, frankly, I could only think: Yeah. Of course he was.

Great work OP; I live for this stuff.

... In this essay, I will reiterate that "Cad Bane is a depressed, sentimental bastard."

OK, so, @fat-tasty-krogan pointed out that the barrels of Bane's LL-30's are rusty in the Bad Batch via a screenshot and now I cannot stop thinking about things and connecting the dots.

Here's me checking different angles. 100% rusty. This is a man who is the best bounty hunter in the galaxy, a man who is *the* best shot — that’s his livelihood right there. Something is wrong.

I've always thought Cad Bane was depressed, mostly owing to his behavior in the lost arc, but this solidifies it for me. Let's talk about the canon, shall we? (Fair warning: I may throw in headcanons or share some other thoughts along the way, but I will warn you ahead of time if it's an original idea versus what is considered to be canon).

First, let's take the idea that Jango Fett is mentor to Cad Bane. This in and of itself says to me they had a close relationship and that they often worked together in some capacity. I will spare you my thoughts on the rest, but Jango does in fact associate with him and most likely in a meaningful way we never get to see. Jango Fett does not trust easy, yet he trusts him enough to be around his child; his prized possession, let's say.

Proof: When Boba first mentions Bane, (in chorological order) it is in the comics.

Him asking to spend time with Bane, and Jango saying "no, because you already know of him (and others like Zam)," means they had a close-knit relationship in my opinion. One that sadly comes to an end. In this comic, Jango wants to train Boba to deal with "the factor of the unknown," versus the known. Hmmm.

Moving right along.

The next time we see or hear anything about Boba and Cad being in the same room is during the Rako Hardeen/Box Arc, and in the audiobook CW: Stories of Light and Dark in the short story "Bane's story" that is read by Corey Burton as Cad Bane.

In it he states that the "kid's all right," and that he "owed his father a few favors." In the story, he reiterates what happens between him, Eval, and Obi-Wan to Bossk and little Boba Fett. It was Bossk and Boba who helped to create the diversion so that they could break out and escape.

Bane returns, his job foiled, and explains why. At the end of the audiobook Boba has a plan to get them all out of jail, and he wants Bane to be apart of it. This is AFTER Aurra leaves Boba for dead on Florrum ( don't get me started on Hondo, WHEW - they knew each other too, for SURE ), before TBB, and before we see Bane with a plate in his head, this one:

It is still present in the Book of Boba Fett.

Let's not rush ahead, though. Let's back up to a bit to where Cad Bane gets betrayed.

#1 betrayal on screen is Obi-Wan Kenobi as Rako Hardeen. While I don't necessarily ship them, I can see how Cad was very much hurt by this, as he felt he had started to develop a kinship with another hunter, someone who could watch his back, imo. Maybe he hadn't experienced anything like that since Jango Fett. Maybe Rako was ticking all the right boxes; I see Cad as prizing loyalty. When Obi-Wan turned him over, you could see the pain and anger in expression -- he was truly hurt, and he promised to end his life with a blaster bolt between the eyes. I honestly think he despises him and that's that.

Returning now to Boba, it is also canon that Boba was mentored by Cad Bane. Bane's story is also where he mentioned young Boba often reminded him of himself.

In an unaired Clone Wars Arc, Boba Fett works together with Cad Bane on a job. During the animation created for the episodes that never aired, Bane is seen drinking heavily and seems to give two shits less about Boba or the job itself and is not taking things seriously.

Boba begins to question his tactics, and does not like that he is willing to sacrifice innocent townsfolk just to get a bit of money. He stands up against him, and Embo, Bossk, and other hunters present decide to let him take his shot and do not interfere in their duel, even though most likely Bane is seen to be the one in charge or having authority.

In the end they both fall, but Boba was (unfairly might I add) still wearing his helmet. You can tell that the plates on Bane's hat, however, are also armored. Still, it is not beskar. Bane is severely injured.

#2 betrayal: Bossk and Embo retract their weapons and let Bane go head-to-head with the boy. He even looks surprised in the video footage when they do this! It's the same face he gave Obi-Wan Kenobi!

Boba comes out the winner. We see Bossk with Boba in The Empire Strikes back in the future, and in canon they are known to be seen often together. He especially looked after him in prison on Coruscant.

Thus, we can assume, Bossk went off with Boba after Bane's defeat and joined forces, leaving him for dead. I assume, and in canon it is depicted that Embo is honor-coded. If what he thought Bane was doing was not honorable, he most likely left him for dead as well. What we DO see is Todo 360 being there. I am almost 100% certain it is because of his droid he survives. But, where did he take him for help? Hmmm.... HONDO!! (Kidding, kidding - another HC I have, but ANYWAY).

In fact, Todo states he is Bane's "most trusted confidant" to Omega, and I believe this. He's a grumpy dick, but he never outright punishes Todo for anything, and he messes up quite frequently, but he is also a great help.

I have a headcanon that states his reasonings for keeping Todo, though this has no basis in canon:

"The little shit comes back after he is blown apart by a bomb Cad himself planted to go off in the Jedi Temple. Todo is loyal. He's there for him. He doesn't mind he's a grump. He provides conversation; stimulation in the otherwise solitary hours he spends in space. He becomes a comfort, someone to talk to, someone to fill the void that Jango left behind." Perhaps he also acts in the same capacity as a service animal.

Anyway, it is known what Bane thinks about clones. "Once you figure one out, de rest are easy." I don't think he liked clones, even if he tolerated and respected Boba until a certain point in time. He was different, he had "his father's blood pumping through his veins," and maybe Bane had trouble staring at that face - looking in those eyes -especially if there was more to him and Fett's relationship.

Imagine how he must have felt when he betrayed him? When he shot him? When he failed at repaying Jango's favor and failed at being Boba's mentor?

I personally do not believe Bane would have agreed to the Clone contract idea as far as his opinion. I think he would have told Fett he was crazy to have millions of himself running around out there, that there is only one of him that's the real deal. Let's add this to the fact he has to see their dead and dying faces everywhere to the point he's so numb he shoots them every chance he gets - no big deal. No big deal to have to kill one of your partner's lookalikes everyday for nearly the rest of your life, eh? Even after Jango himself is already dead.

Coming to The Bad Batch, it was pointed out by another user that when Omega is looking for a way off Bane's ship, we see some medallions/coins/ingots that have the symbol of the Mythosaur in a cabinet she is searching. That is Mandalorian. Who was Mandalorian? Jango. Boba by default. They are accompanied here by a journal. I think it could be Boba's journal, too. The boy most likely resided with him on his ship as he had the Justifier during the lost arc and they were traveling together.

That man is 100% a sentimental bastard.

You could say he hated Boba. You could say he was his number one enemy, but deep down maybe he felt remorse. He had been drinking. Why? Maybe it was hard to be in Boba's company. Maybe he felt he could have prevented Jango's death. Maybe mentoring him was hard work, but in the end, Boba betrayed him after everything he had tried to do for him. And Bane liked the kid up until this point - said so himself in Bane's story.

In the lost bounty hunter arc, Cad is wearing the same outfit he is in The Bad Batch. Now he has a metal plate in his head. @allsystemsblue mentioned he talks himself up to Shand. Maybe he's trying to convince himself he's as good as he says he is. He headbutts her and it obviously throws him off. He shakes himself out, trying to regain his concentration. I personally headcanon he gets terrible headaches.

The plate is on the OUTSIDE, meaning it's protecting something underneath. I imagine he had a hole in his head and a bit of his skull was fractured. I say he wears the plate to reinforce a soft spot that makes him vulnerable.

Even so, she kicks his ass. He's off his game. Maybe he's been drinking even more since his defeat and embarrassment at the hands of a kid. One he respected, one maybe he called family.

All the other hunters sided with Boba, left him high and dry, and he hasn't even been caring for or polishing his blasters; his moneymakers. They are RUSTY.

He loses Omega, he loses his credits, and Fennec sabotages his ship. This man is pissed. He's at wit's end. For all we know, he sat down and cried afterward before he could figure a way off that damn planet, and the only one who was there for him was Todo.

Years later, we see him confront Boba. He's a hardass. Nothing left of his personality in that show but a villain. It was like they made him extra mean on purpose.

He's still hung up on the past, he says it. He talks about Jango's blood being inside Boba, his "father." He leers at Boba. It is almost as if he takes a pause (again crediting @allsystemsblue for this observation), a moment to truly look at him. And let's not forget the hiss he gives him right before his "final lesson."

"Look out for yourself, anything else is weakness."

GEE! Where did he learn that from, I wonder?! FROM BOBA HIMSELF MAYBE?! He was "weak" for Boba; he was his mentor; he tried his best to do right by his father and train him and he failed. He shot him, left him for dead, betrayed him along with all the other hunters present, and all that was left for him was to work alone. To grin and bear it. To take the jobs that came his way just to survive.

He had to of hit a downward spiral at some point in his life to come to this conclusion; something terrible must have happened, and I guarantee it's this.

Shat on all his life, all the way from being "hatched" in the Descent Ghetto on New Tayana on Duro, poor, coming up from the slums, working hard just to make ends meat.

Can't tell me he didn't have a wall up, and hell yes he was feeling low. What could make a man that mean besides betrayal and sentimentality for something he wishes perhaps he could have changed or prevented all together.

Now he takes the toughest jobs, the ones nobody wants. His reputation is fear and for good reason. He'll do anything for money, including killing innocents according to Boba. Where has his Code of Honor gone?

I'll tell you where.

No one ever respected Cad the way he tried to respect them. No one offered or afforded him the same luxury. Every time he was near to forming a decent partnership with someone, they turned right around and stabbed him in the back. We at least see it with Rako/Obi and Boba on screen. Bossk and Embo count too, for me. Maybe Jango was the only one he could trust. Him and Todo 360, which he was not around until long after Jango's death and in some form could have been a fractional replacement for companionship.

To throw in a few thoughts on Hondo, he knew them both well. Imagine if Hondo also kept secrets from Bane, whether intentional or not, or perhaps befriended him only to manipulate him for his own gain (which is definitely something that could happen). He speaks favorably of him in "Secrets of the Bounty Hunters," and calls him his friend, but he calls everyone that.

At one point they did work together as per the blurb on the back of a toy called the "Pirate Speeder bike," that features Cad Bane and a Starhawk speeder. If Hondo also betrayed him at some point, I can see it only adding fuel to the fire, IF Bane allowed him close to begin with. Considering his reputation, it's possible that no, he did not, but I also ship Cad Bane and Hondo Ohnaka as well as Jango Fett and Cad Bane. I won't go into it here, but I can see them being an insanely toxic, yet perfect match.

To sum it up, yes, he is totally depressed. I feel like this is why. Can't change my mind.

---

P.S.: This is also a lesson in how to cite your sources and give credit where credit is due when thinking about headcanons and fandom fun. :) Ain't so hard, right?

285 notes · View notes

monstersholygrail · 3 months ago

Note

So, today was my birthday, and I can't help but feel monsters REALLY know how to celebrate birthdays. Especially a human's!

Oh my gosh, happy (belated?) birthday!!!

I do think I would have to disagree with you though. I feel like birthdays would be another one of those cultural differences between humans and monsters that would be a funny incident when revealed. But a Monster would definitely try their hardest to give you the best birthday possible when they find out!

Imagine your Monster bf has been going over and planning your birthday in secret for months. He has everything planned out and he really wanted to go the full nine yards given that it’s your first birthday together as a couple.

But you just so happen to stumble upon him at the table, not knowing what he’s up to. And your eyes widen as you see what he has written down.

“Pin the eel in the eagles mouth. What do you need all that for?” You ask, brows furrowing in concern for the state of your bf’s mind.

Your bf whips around and scrambles to cover up all the paper and research he has scattered across the table. His monstrous form makes that quite an easy task. But he still looks adorably flustered anyway.

“Hey, you weren’t supposed to see any of that!”

You only grow more confused. With the look on your face your words finally start to sink in. Which has your bf becoming just as confused as you are.

“But, uh, what’s wrong? Are eels and eagles not common in your human cele— lives? Your human lives,” your bf asks, trying to appear as calm and casual as possible.

And he fails at it spectacularly. You wince and shake your head at him, wondering what’s going on with him.

“No, love, that sounds terrifying.”

Your bf’s face drops and luckily you at least manage to catch that very obvious signal he accidentally sends you. A frown pulls at your lips until realization dawns on you and you immediately begin cooing at him.

“Aw, baby, are you planning me a birthday party?”

He melts into you, his arms wrapping around you and clinging onto you. Turning into a huge baby at the first sight of your affection. You try to swallow down your laughter as he pouts and nuzzles in your neck.

“Well I’m apparently planning the worst human birthday party ever.” You try and comfort him as best you can.

“Don’t say that. Whatever you planned is going to be amazing because it’s coming from you,” you assure him gently.

But as you leave to head off back to what you were doing, your bf only grows determined to give you the best birthday party in the history of birthday parties.

For the next few weeks he does a ton of research. Looking up the best birthday traditions that humans have had, looking across all generations and cultures. And when he thinks about it, he decides to add in some monster traditions as well. Because you love him with all your heart for exactly who he is so he wants to share this aspect of his life with you too. But he makes sure to only include the humanly-safe ones.

He puts his whole heart and soul into planning it and when your birthday finally comes around, it all turns out even better than expected. You’ve never felt so loved and cherished before and you love getting to experience so many wonderful traditions with the monster who means the most to you.

All in all it would be a lovely day where he makes sure to shower you in endless love.

140 notes · View notes