Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5.The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5 continued deepening the lore and mythology of one of the show's central characters: the Armorer. The Armorer, played by Emily Swallow, has been a vital part of the world-building of both The Mandalorian as a show and its titular character's religion since the series began in 2019. The Armorer has appeared in both The Mandalorian seasons 1 and 3, as well as having a cameo appearance in the show's spin-off, The Book of Boba Fett.
With The Mandalorian season 3, the Armorer's role has had a fair amount of time to shine, with episode 5 of the season further deepening the character. The ending of The Mandalorian season 3 episode 5 has the Armorer push Bo-Katan to become Mandalore's leader after the latter's sighting of a Mythosaur, raising the question of what the Armorer's role in the Children of the Watch is. If Katee Sackhoff's Bo-Katan Kryze is set to become the leader of Mandalore, then what role does the Armorer have within the covert, and what makes her truly special?
The Armorer Is The Merlin To Mand'alor's King Arthur
In regard to the Armorer's role within the Mandalorian covert, co-creators of the show Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni recently outlined how she fits into the hierarchy. Favreau and Filoni explained the Armorer as akin to Merlin from Arthurian legend. The Armorer is seen as a shaman to the Mandalorians, the clan's spiritual leader. While Mandalorians can have political or wartime leaders, such as Mand'alor, the Armorer is a title ed down through generations to act as the spiritual pillar of the community.
As stated by Filoni: "Merlin guides Arthur to find Excalibur; Merlin doesn't wield Excalibur." This is even more evident thanks to the ending of The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5, in which the Armorer guided Bo-Katan to become the leader of Mandalore given her experience with both worlds of Mandalorian culture and her sighting of the Mythosaur. With the Armorer acting as the lore keeper of the Mandalorians, she is the one to knowledge onto the wider clan, as well as having multiple other roles within the Way of the Mand'alor.
The Title Of Armorer Is ed From One Generation To The Next
One of the more interesting insights into the Armorer's role comes from the aforementioned interview Favreau had with Screen Rant. Favreau stated that he and Filoni had spoken in depth about the Armorer, and came to the conclusion that the Armorer is a title ed down from generation to generation. As with any other Mandalorian ruler, the spiritual guide of the Mandalorians continues to be ed down, at least in the Children of the Watch.
This also tracks with The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5, in which the Armorer mentioned countless other Armorers working in the Great Forge of Mandalore. This could even hint that at one point in time - likely the Mandalorians' height of power in the past - the Armorers would serve as a group. It could be likely that the Mandalorian Armorers existed together, with one holding the highest status among them, as seen by the Armorer's somewhat leadership role throughout The Mandalorian.
The Armorer Forges Mandalorian Armor & Binds Clans Together
Another role of the Armorer in Mandalorian culture is evident by the apt title. The Armorer is responsible for crafting Mandalorian armor and binding different clans together. While also serving as a lore keeper and spiritual guide, the Armorer is responsible for the physical protection of Mandalorians, and therefore guiding them down the Way of the Mand'alor, by crafting helmets, among other armor pieces. This was shown in The Mandalorian season 1, in which Din's silver beskar armor was crafted by the Armorer.
Similarly, the Armorer binds clans together through her craft. As seen with both Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin and Grogu, both have armor pieces with the signet of the mudhorn adorned onto it. This marks Din and Grogu as a clan of two, belonging to the aptly named Clan Mudhorn. Other signets are visible throughout The Mandalorian, such as Bo-Katan's now dual signets of the Nite Owls and the Mythosaur. The signet of Clan Vizsla is also that of the Shriek-hawk, which will have been adorned onto their armor by the Armorer herself.
The Armorer's Weapons Explained
Despite being the Mandalorians' core spiritual leader, the Armorer has also been shown to be adept in combat, as per the Mandalorian Creed. As seen in The Mandalorian season 1, the Armorer went into combat against multiple stormtroopers who were searching her Forge. The Armorer dispatched these Imperial troops with ease, using her dual-wield weapons she was also shown to wield in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5.
The Armorer's weapons consist of her gravity hammer and magnetic tongs. The hammer and tongs are made of beskar, shown to be able to withstand the Darksaber in The Book of Boba Fett. The weapons are greatly useful in combat, with the hammer acting as a blunt force instrument while the tongs are shown to be very versatile. For example, in the aforementioned scene against the stormtroopers, the tongs and hammer were used in tandem to trap a stormtrooper's arm, causing the soldier to shoot one of their squad mates.
In The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5, the weapons were shown in even more useful ways for combat. At one point, the Armorer uses her hammer as a ranged weapon, throwing it across the room to knock out one of Gorian Shard's pirates. The tongs are then applied differently, too, with the Armorer using them to drag an off-guard pirate back before using the hammer to finish him off.
In the eyes of the Mandalorian Creed, it makes sense for the Armorer to use these weapons against her enemies. The Mandalorian Creed places great emphasis on being able to fight, with the Armorer's role of being the crafter of weapons and armor also ranking high among the Way of the Mand'alor. Due to this, the connection between her skill in combat, her forging of Mandalorian weapons, and the dual weapons of the hammer and tongs make the Armorer's The Mandalorian role all the more clear, truly positioning her as one of the show's very special characters.
New episodes of The Mandalorian release every Wednesday on Disney+.