Did You Know Marlon Brando's Don Corleone Was Used As Inspiration For This 'Star Wars' Character?

'Some Day, And That Day May Never Come, I Will Call Upon You To Do A Service For Me.'

By Culture SlatePublished 2 years ago • 3 min read

Even if you have never seen The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and based on the Mario Puzo novel of the same name, you are certainly aware of Vito Corleone. From his low tone and appearance to his offers that you cannot refuse, Vito is the mafia Don archetype. His story forms much of the basis for The Godfather and its sequels, inspiring dozens of imitators across pop culture. Vito is not just a character. He is a pop culture icon. Thanks to the pop culture osmosis, he has become the most iconic part of the movie.

Of course, when you think of gangsters in space, you think of one figure, Jabba the Hutt. Although first mentioned in A New Hope, he would make his first on-screen appearance in Return of the Jedi when Luke and Leia attempt to free Han Solo from his clutches. The sequence would take up the first half of the movie before the heroes move to Endor to deal with the new Death Star, and ultimately, change the fate of the galaxy. While he is probably the most prominent Hutt in the movies, Jabba is not the only Hutt in the galaxy. In fact, many of his family members have appeared in the Expanded Universe material. One such Hutt is Marlo the Hutt. Sound familiar?

Just by looking at him, it is clear just where the influence for his character design comes from. From his hair to his name, Marlo is essentially Vito Corleone in Hutt form, as if he had stepped out from one film to another. Of course, Marlo himself debuts in Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated television series, but it is still interesting to see Star Wars essentially borrow The Godfather for something like this. Although, the Hutts probably deserved this kind of treatment, to be honest.

Does Marlo the Hutt appear anywhere else? He actually makes many appearances in the comics, surviving long past the fall of the Empire. However, he has yet to make another appearance on our sets. Why? Well, maybe the Godfather reference is a little too on the nose. I mean, he basically looks like Vito Corleone as played by Marlon Brando. It would be a bit distracting, to say the least, especially in a live-action show like The Mandalorian. However, he could possibly make an appearance in another animated series like The Bad Batch. We will just have to wait and see.

In the meantime, The Book of Boba Fett has introduced two other members of Jabba’s family, the Twins. The Twins are cousins of Jabba the Hutt and are pretenders to his criminal empire. However, they back out when they realize that usurping Boba’s position would involve a gang war with the Pyke Syndicate. While they do not seem to be influenced by any other references or films, their appearance brings certain possibilities for future expansion. Of course, one must remember the important rule of show business: plans can change, and they can often change dramatically. With that in mind, we should try not to put too much thought, if any at all, into what the Twins could represent for the greater franchise as a whole.

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