Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Bad Batch Season 3, now streaming on Disney+. You can read our review of Episodes 1-8 here.
A fan-favourite Star Wars villain made an exciting return in the latest episode of The Bad Batch Season 3, and it’s not the last we have seen of the character, as there are already plans for “future content.”
Episode 9, The Harbinger, promised the arrival of a “mysterious stranger,” but this character turned out to be no stranger to Star Wars fans. The show’s titular squad of heroes got a surprising visit from none other than Asajj Ventress, Count Dooku’s former apprentice and Clone Wars villain, who died in the canon novel Dark Disciple.
Ventress developed a fan following after appearing in the 2008 animated film The Clone Wars and becoming a recurring antagonist in the subsequent series of the same name. People went wild at the mere mention of her name in Ahsoka, so her recent return in The Bad Batch prompted celebrations across social media.
In the immediate aftermath of the episode, fans were less concerned about how she had cheated death and more focused on enjoying the moment. For some, Ventress is “the best female Star Wars character,” and viewers, on the whole, seemed happy with how writers handled her story and the initial insights gleaned from her return.
Asajj Ventress will forever be one of the most compelling and severely underrated characters in all of Star Wars.
Loved her return today in The Bad Batch. Insane levels of character development between shows, comics, and books. pic.twitter.com/kJAT43gVq6
— jacob. (@jtimsuggs) March 27, 2024
My girl is so gorgeous, pretty, amazing, unique, beautiful. Ugh, I just love her so much. I hope we see her more on this season. #Ventress pic.twitter.com/R3kEZsiagp
— Riz Fett~.🍁🫧 (@Rizantairy14) March 28, 2024
I’ve always said this, Asajj Ventress is the best female Star Wars character. Glad to have her back. pic.twitter.com/2hJjdLUqaw
— AZI 🐸 (@AZIskywalker) March 27, 2024
// the bad batch spoilers
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we got to see ventress back in action after so many years we won big time yall i’ve never been happier pic.twitter.com/ZEBvZNM22T— Jess 🗡️ (@hunterinpink) March 27, 2024
Ventress’ return did not disappoint! That was a great episode. The prospect of what could come from this episode has me fascinated, and it also gave us the best hand to hand combat fight any #StarWars animated series has done. #TheBadBatch pic.twitter.com/VkvfJybEV2
— Tim Geraci (@TimG311) March 28, 2024
I really enjoyed how different this week’s episode of #TheBadBatch felt. We got a good exploration of how much Ventress has changed as a character since #TheCloneWars without needing to get into the details of how she’s back. (because that’s clearly coming later.) #StarWars pic.twitter.com/yo9eBO9Fi2
— Donovan McComish (@DonovanMeade) March 27, 2024
Ventress, that’s it, that’s the tweet#AsajjVentress #TheBadBatch pic.twitter.com/KyeZCvjw36
— RaFe 🍂 (@RaFe_Tano) March 27, 2024
Though Ventress walked away from The Bad Batch without any details about how she survived, it sounds like this is only the beginning of her story, as the show’s executive producer/head writer Jennifer Corbett has promised fans they will discover more about her journey in “future content” beyond the third and final season.
“We had several discussions about the book [Dark Disciple] and how her story could continue,” Corbett told StarWars.com after the character made her comeback. “How she survived will be revealed in future content, but for this story, we were thrilled to include her and explore her unique connection to, and compassion for, Omega.”
“I think they must have discovered that the fans really love this character, and they want her around, which makes me very happy because I love her, too,” added Nika Futterman, the voice of Ventress. “I think we’re going to find out a lot of things about a lot of things. And I think we’re going to have all kinds of fun adventures.”
Only six episodes of The Bad Batch remain, leading to the series finale on May 1. IGN’s review of Season 3, Episodes 1-8, noted it was “slow” to start but had some “fun deep-cut Star Wars lore and monster fights,” building anticipation for things to kick up a gear and deliver “explosive, chaotic fun” in the second half of the season.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter @AdeleAnkers.
