The Mandalorian season 3: What happened to IG-11 in The Mandalorian?

IG-11 makes a surprise return in The Mandalorian season 3 with a twist. Here’s what you need to remember about the character and what happened to IG-11.

The season premiere of The Mandalorian is streaming now on Disney Plus, and the first episode of the new season does a lot of gruntwork in paving the way for the season ahead. While there is a lot of forward-looking work done to set up the season’s central narrative and adventure, the premiere also does a great job of offering up updates on some of the show’s key characters.

Warning, The Mandalorian season 3 spoilers ahead. 

As Din Djarin makes his way to Nevarro, the audience is given the chance to see what Greef Karga has been up to. Now going by High Magistrate Karga, Karga quickly catches Din Djarin up on the progress Nevarro has made since he last left the district before offering up some quick updates as to where Cara Dune and Moff Gideon are.

We quickly discover that Din Djarin has returned to Nevarro to seek out help as he prepares for his journey to Mandalore to seek redemption in the eyes of the Mandalorians. It turns out Din Djarin is seeking the help of a droid and he wants that to be the only droid he’s ever trusted: IG-11.

The episode sees Din Djarin attempting to piece IG-11 back together, which proves to be a complicated task, and it’s clear IG-11 is likely to play a key role in the season. However, his return is likely to raise some eyebrows among viewers when it comes to what happened to the character who hasn’t been seen since the season 1 finale.

What happened to IG-11 in The Mandalorian?  (How does IG-11 die?)

In the first season of The Mandalorian, IG-11 sacrificed himself to save the titular character and his allies. IG-11 was programmed to protect and serve, and he was originally assigned to kill the Child to eliminate any witnesses to a mission that had gone wrong.

However, after the Mandalorian and IG-11 were ambushed by a group of stormtroopers, IG-11 was severely damaged and had to be reprogrammed by Kuiil, a former slave turned Ugnaught farmer. Kuiil’s reprogramming gave IG-11 a new directive: protect the Child at all costs.

In the season one finale, IG-11 carried the Child on his back through a storm of Imperial fire to reach a security terminal and activate the self-destruct sequence on a nearby lava flow. As they traveled, IG-11 took out numerous stormtroopers and ultimately paid the ultimate price to protect Grogu.

When they reached the terminal, IG-11 activated the self-destruct sequence, sacrificing himself to destroy the remaining Imperial forces and save the Child and his allies. Din Djarin was visibly upset at the loss of his former enemy-turned-ally, showing that even droids can have noble intentions and perform heroic acts.

Were you surprised The Mandalorian season 3 premiere reintroduced IG-11 into the mix? Are you excited to see more of the character in the show or do you think the show missed the mark in bringing the character back? Share your thoughts below.