Black Krrsantan’s Gladiator History In Star Wars Canon Explained

Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Book of Boba Fett episode 3!

While the fearsome Wookiee Black Krrsantan may be a bounty hunter in the Star Wars galaxy, he’s better known as a gladiator in canon. As seen in The Book of Boba Fett, the intimidating Wookiee warrior is referred to more than once as a gladiator due to his bloody past, having endured brutal training and an extremely harsh existence that made him incredibly merciless.

In The Book of Boba Fett, Black Krrsantan is working as an enforcer for the Twins, cousins to the late Jabba the Hutt. Black Krrsantan’s fighting prowess is on full display in The Book of Boba Fett episode 3, seeing as how it takes Fett, deadly mercenary Fennec Shand, four members of the recently recruited speeder bike gang, and two Gamorrean guards to finally take him down after Krrsantan’s failed attempt to kill Fett for the Twins. He’s later set free as a hostage, but there seems to be a good chance the figure returns in future episodes.

Black Krrsantan’s past isn’t explored in the new Disney+ series, but it is revealed in an issue from one of Marvel’s Star Wars canon comics series. Prior to the events of the series, which takes place after Return of the Jedi, the brutal Wookiee worked for Jabba himself during the original trilogy era (just like Boba Fett) while also working for Darth Vader from time to time as a bounty hunter. This is how Krrsantan first debuted in 2015, created by Kieron Gillen, and his past as a Wookiee gladiator would be later fleshed out in Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #1 from Gillen, Marc Laming, and Wil Sliney in 2017.

While many aliens in the Star Wars galaxy had the misfortune of being captured and turned into gladiators against their will, Black Krrsantan actually volunteered to be a fighter for the Xonti Brothers. However, he soon regretted his decision when the brothers still treated him as a prisoner, using abuse and torture through rigorous training and battles. They also injected metal into his hands to give him permanent knuckledusters. Thanks to several victories in the fighting pits, Krrsantan would eventually gain an impressive reputation before escaping and becoming a bounty hunter for Jabba and later the Twins. Even so, Krrsantan would often return to the fighting pits, seeking to defend his title as the galaxy’s most fearsome gladiator. Given these frequent trips where Black Krrsantan would continue to fight as a gladiator on his own accord throughout his career, it makes sense that he’d be referred to as a gladiator more than a bounty hunter. Even Boba Fett calls him a gladiator despite the fact that he used to work with Krrsantan under Jabba and Vader.

While Krrsantan may be a bounty hunter and enforcer, it seems as though his brutal history as a gladiator trumps both titles, serving as a lasting primary role that marks the Wookiee as a major force to be reckoned with. While the end of The Book of Boba Fett episode 3 saw Fett freeing Krrsantan after the Twins agreed to leave Tatooine, it’s a bit of a mystery as to where he might go next. However, it’s possible that Black Krrsantan may still have a future with more live-action appearances in upcoming Star Warsseries such as Obi-Wan Kenobi (considering his history with the Jedi hermit).

The Book of Boba Fett airs new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.

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Kevin Erdmann
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Kevin Erdmann is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers. With a major in Cinema Studies and a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin is pretty sure he’s writing for the right site. While Kevin is a huge Marvel fan, he also loves Batman because he’s Batman and is a firm believer that Han shot first. Disney also shares a big part of his fan patronage. Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.

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