I Think I Found Out Who Jonny Coyne's “Imperial Warlord” Really Is… And That Reveals The Mandalorian Movie's Plot

I think I figured out exactly who Jonny Coyne is playing The Mandalorian and Grogu
and my theory reveals the plot of the film. Five years ago, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ended the sequel trilogy. It performed well at the box office, but Lucasfilm had trouble figuring out what to do next and there was no other Star Wars film since then. All this will change in 2026, with the launch of The Mandalorian and Grogu.

All the evidence suggests The Mandalorian and Grogu is adapted from plans for The Mandalorian season 4. That means it's no surprise that we're hearing about the return of characters like Jonny Coyne's Imperial Warlord, who made his debut in season 3 as a member of the Imperial Shadow Council. But this news may well have revealed the entire plot…

Everything We Know About Jonny Coyne’s “Imperial Warlord” in Canon

Who does Jonny Coyne play in Star Wars?

The New Republic believes that the Empire is broken, with the surviving Imperial loyalists scattered and disorganized. In reality, Imperial leaders have coordinated to orchestrate the restoration of the Empireand were certainly galvanized by the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Jonny Coyne's Imperial Warlord is a member of the Imperial Shadow Council and appears to be a major player.

The character has a short dialogue in The Mandalorian season three, and he's clearly greedy and ambitious. “There's a fortune plundering the hyperspace lanes,” he insists at one point, suggesting that he reinvented himself as a pirate after the fall of the Empire – which fits with the increased focus on pirates after season 3 and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. His hit-and-run operations are apparently drawing a lot of attention, making him a target of the New Republic.

Zsinj is the definitive “imperial warlord” of Star Wars legends

Coyne's character is being described as an “Imperial Warlord,” and that name means a lot to anyone familiar with the ancient Star Wars Expanded Universe (now called “Legends”). In Legends, Zsinj was the ultimate Imperial Warlord, respected by Palpatine himself because of his tactical brilliance. Zsinj's mother turned to piracy after the end of the Clone Wars, and Zsinj proved his loyalty by hunting and killing her.

Commander of the Victory I-class Star Destroyer, called Iron Fist, Zsinj was one of the few Imperials to hold the rank of Grand Moff, commanding a vast fleet and controlling the important hyperspace route called the Hydian Way. He eventually broke away from the Empire after Palpatine's death, and at one point ruled over a third of the known galaxy. Zsinj's acts of piracy eventually led to open war with the New Republic.

If Coyne is playing Canon Zsinj, he is the Mandalorian and Grogu's true villain

It's not hard to see the parallels between Imperial Warlord and Jonny Coyne's Legends. Selfish and greedy, Zsinj turned to piracy to bolster his coffers – just like Coyne's character. He has never played well with others, which fits with his apparent frustration with the Shadow Council in The Mandalorian season 3. And he's definitely a big deal, a suitable big-screen antagonist that suits the growing themes of piracy.

Why would Zsinj appear in The Mandalorian and Grogu? Simply because The Mandalorian The Season 3 finale saw Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin reinvent himself as a different kind of bounty hunter, someone who works for the New Republic and hunts Imperial Warlords like Moff Gideon. It's easy to imagine the New Republic asking Din to bring in an Imperial Warlord whose hit-and-run attacks are causing massive economic disruption in the Hydian Path, especially considering that Din's adopted homeworld of Nevarro is in that part of space.

The interesting question is whether Zsinj is still working with the Imperial Shadow Council or whether he has gone rogue. As noted, Zsinj was never really a team player in Legends; Grand Admiral Thrawn's return would certainly mean he lost much of his independence, and he would resent it. In this scenario, the Shadow Council might be very happy if a random bounty hunter neutralized their former member.

If Zsinj and Still working with the Shadow Council, Din Djarin is potentially about to stumble upon a vast galactic conspiracy. He thinks he is dealing with a single pirate captain, comparable to the Pirate King of Gorian Shard in Season 3, when in reality he is facing the vast resources of the Empire. Coyne's cast The Mandalorian and Grogu sets up some tremendously exciting possibilities.