Cad Bane, the cowboy-esque bounty hunter, made his impact known in The Book Of Boba Fett. While his story may be coming to a conclusion, there’s a lot more to see from the antagonist in expanded Star Wars materials. One of the most memorable aspects of the character’s design is his costume.
There are so many small elements and forgotten details that have really come together to create a distinctive look for Cad Bane. While there may have been some differences in the variation of the suit seen in live-action in comparison to the animated shows and comics, each element has a narrative background associated with it.
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Wide Brim Hat
Cad Bane has quite the obsession for hats. This is a man who once killed someone in cold blood just because their hat was a little more impressive than his. He takes his cowboy lifestyle rather seriously and although it’s obvious that the headgear follows him wherever he goes, the size of it is really important.
The size of the rim on his hat is often associated with his prosperity and legacy. As his legend grows in Star Wars lore so too does his headwear. In live-action he is wearing a much smaller hat compared to his earlier appearances, suggesting that as he has gotten older and his career has progressed his position within the world of bounty hunting has begun to dwindle.
Cybernetic Breathing Tubes
The breathing tubes are another very obvious element of the character’s design that is synonymous with Cad Bane. Their purpose is in large part to help the character breathe in potentially hostile environments. They are equipped with a cap that wraps around Bane’s head, ensuring they cannot be easily lost in combat.
What may not be known about these physical additions is that they may also aid in Cad Bane’s ability to avoid falling victim to Jedi mind tricks. The character can resist Jedi of incredible power and the constant is that he is wearing these tubes. It could just be the strength of his willpower, but there’s a huge chance that the tubes feed a chemical mixture to the character which aids in this incredible resistance.
Leg Boosters
In The Book Of Boba Fett, a major aspect of the bounty hunter is missing. Cad Bane has become famous for his boot boosters; tiny jet-pack rockets strapped to the sides of his footwear. They are so useful for a quick escape and have been used countless times to avoid dangerous situations.
They are a really unique design though and it appears that the fuel needed to power them is stored in a tiny canister at the top of the rocket. The reason they aren’t used very often is because of this design flaw. Storing any more fuel on his person could lead to a lethal accident; or at the very least the loss of a foot.
Pistols With Eye-Sights
Blasters in the Star Wars universe are largely pretty uniform. There are of course plenty of variations, but the pistol weaponry that Cad Bane utilizes definitely stands out from most. The eye-sight on the top demonstrates his ability to switch between various tactics.
Bane is one of the most skilled bounty hunters out there. Star Wars fans know that while he is the fastest on the quick-draw thanks to the weight of his weapons, he can also shoot from a long distance and with incredible accuracy. This combination of abilities, aided by this specific gun design, is what allows Bane to always collect.
Fingerless Gloves
It’s pretty common for bounty hunters to come equipped with some kind of glove, often made out of leather. With the amount of dangerous travel they have to get involved with, this kind of protective gear will ensure their hands are covered when they are eventually catching on a rough surface or grabbing any object as a weapon.
Bane is so obsessed with western-style dueling though that he has ensured that his gloves are fingerless. This means that he can pull the trigger even quicker, something the likes of Boba Fett would struggle with considering the weight and size of the gloves he uses.
Additional Ammo
Ammunition is rare to see in Star Wars since so many weapons are powered with energy blasts. The most experienced of bounty hunters, like Boba Fett or Cad Bane, carry around additional specialized ammunition, for specific events that can arise in the field.
Bane doesn’t use his stores very often, but he has the kind of bullets that could cut through strong armor if need be. Explosives and acids also line his utility belt, and his long coat usually covers up his resources to hide the potential target from strategic enemies.
Slim-Fit Pants
It may seem strange, but most variations of Cad Bane in his essential episodes have incredibly slim-fit pants. Usually, bounty hunters have a wider and looser trouser to allow for easier movement. Bane’s version of a suit though includes very little material for a really simple reason.
If he had additional fabric hanging towards his boots, it could very easily become ablaze from his rocket boosters. Not only do the trousers ensure that during a quick-draw the blaster does not get caught up in the material, but it also makes for a much safer jetting experience.
Gauntlets
Much like any capable Star Wars warrior, Cad Bane has an interesting array of equipment tapped into his wrist gauntlets. While there are flame throwers stored in a compartment, those wrist gauntlets have changed across time, become more and more advanced.
They are the key to Bane’s success with gadgets like his boot boosters and breathing apparatus all connecting to those gauntlets. They are once again really streamlined which is so vital for being able to move rapidly, especially during a shootout, and carry very little weight so that even flying is easier.
Bulletproof Armoring
It’s often pretty well-hidden beneath the brown coat that Bane has become accustomed to wearing but in his earlier years, the character wore bulletproof armoring which protected from all kinds of shrapnel and even some energy blasts. It wasn’t the most protective attire but it did the trick, allowing him to go on increasingly dangerous missions; many of which could lend themselves to a Bane spin-off.
What’s interesting is that Bane was bested thanks to a vicious spear to the chest. It may be that this was a fake-out and his armor protected him, but it looks as if he stopped wearing the additional attire, perhaps knowing that his days were numbered. That lack of protection may say something about the character’s psyche.
Well-Worn Coat
The aforementioned brown coat has a number of purposes that may not have been noticed at first glance. It’s another protective layer and is well-worn, suggesting it helps Bane fade into the background when he’s trying to look conspicuous.
It also covers up the various gadgets and weapons he’s packing, both to blend in with his surroundings to avoid raising suspicion and so that the enemy doesn’t know what to target. What’s more, flaps have been cut into the coat like in a traditional western to allow for that quick-draw action.