- A Tumblr post, shared on Reddit, breaks down why The Mandalorian is different from other typical male heroes.
- "What I like is that he so readily accepts help," the post says.
- The third episode of The Mandalorian will premiere on Disney+ on Friday.
We're two episodes into The Mandalorian—the first ever live-action Star Wars TV series, in case you haven't heard—and the series has received universal acclaim from fans and critics alike. Part of the biggest draw, of course, is the allure of the series' titular character, The Mandalorian himself, played by Pedro Pascal. But as one Tumblr user noticed, and a Reddit post shared, this Mandalorian may be tough on the outside, but his actions speak louder than words, and they tend to set him apart from other loner male heroes that typically emerge in the genre.
The post in a way references characters like Han Solo, Indiana Jones, Star-Lord, Batman, et cetera—the male hero who is stubborn. Sure, someone like Han Solo or Star-Lord changes throughout the story, but it's only through their being forced into seeing something they don't believe in, or being simply proven wrong and acknowledging that another way is the better way.
As the comment from Tumblr argues, as tough as The Mandalorian is, he's not as stubborn as these others—he's willing to learn, he's willing to listen, and he's willing to acknowledge, share, and work together. Even in the series' earlygoing, he's an action hero cut from a different mold than these others.
The post, which was put up by u/Desecr8or and screenshots a Tumblr user named posyfoot, dives into the difference between our titular Mandalorian, and other typical male heroes of the past:
You know, I found something really… refreshing about the Mandalorians character and for awhile, I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was. But I just realized, what I like is that he so readily accepts help. It seems like such a small thing, but so many male characters of a similar role are almost always broody, rude, “I work alone” “I don’t need anyone’s help” types. We’ve seen that so many times, and yeah, there are some great, iconic characters who are like that or started out that way. However honestly, for new characters, it’s gotten boring. But The Mandalorian isn’t like that. He accepts help from Kuiil, not once, but multiple times, without any beating around the bush for several minutes about how he can “get by on his own”. When he realizes he’s outnumbered, he’s the one who offers to IG-11 that they work together and split the reward. When Kuiil finishes helping him repair his ship, he offers him multiple forms of thanks to express his gratitude. Yeah, he’s a bounty hunter. Yeah, he primarily looks out for himself. Yeah, he kills people. It’s in his job description, it’s part of the Star Wars universe. But he’s not an asshole. And I think that’s nice
And that's really speaking to something. As cool and brute looking as The Mandalorian is—and we've seen him disintegrate Jawas and use a flamethrower already—when it boils down to it, he just seems nice. As the post says, "he's not an asshole." And as much as we love Han Solo, we can't exactly say that for someone like him, now can we?
New episodes of The Mandalorian will continue to roll out over the coming weeks—the next being this Friday.
