Wookiees have been heroes of the galaxy far, far away since the beginning of the franchise. Chewbacca helped destroy the Death Star in A New Hope and dedicated his life to the Rebellion. The prequels then showed he and his fellow warriors fought with the old Republic and saved Yoda’s life after Order 66. Plus the Wookiees gave us Life Day. (Yay?) Whenever those fearsome denizens of Kashyyyk have appeared on screen they have always stood on the side of good. At least that was true until “Chapter 2” of The Book of Boba Fett. The episode marked the live-action debut of the most dangerous Wookiee in all of Star Wars, a bounty hunter and gladiator named Black Krrsantan. And his Star Wars comic book history shows why the Hutt Twins called on him to help retake their cousin Jabba’s throne.

Star Wars Wookiee bounty hunter Black Krrsantan on The Book of Boba Fett
Lucasfilm

Until now Black Krrsantan’s story has only existed on the page. But what a story it has been for the Wookiee who goes by many names. To some he’s Santy. Others know him as BK or Black K. But no matter the moniker, few anywhere in the galaxy feel happy to see him arrive on their planet—including his fellow Wookiees who consider him a disgrace. What followed from his downfall among his own kind and his rise as a formidable underworld figure began during the Old Republic and brought him into contact with legendary figures of the galaxy.

After fleeing Kashyyyk, Krrsantan sought a future others feared. While slavers searched for potential warriors to sell into bondage, Krrsantan wanted to end up before the Xonti Brothers, a powerful crime boss duo. Unlike those taken against their will, Krrsantan wanted to provide his services to the two. Determined to get his name in front of the pair, Krrsantan killed four slaver groups who didn’t work for the Xontis until finally coming across a Trandoshan party that did. He lured the Trandoshans into a trap by using a wounded Wookiee as bait. The only member of the five slavers he let live then delivered him—and four captives— to the Xontis. But volunteer or not, they still caged the Wookiee and trained him as any other slave.

Lucasfilm

He wasn’t like the others slaves though. Krrsantan was one of only two of the five to survive the training process, becoming one of the greatest and deadliest gladiators in the galaxy. He became a champion of the ring. No surprise to anyone who knows Wookiees can tear your arms off in a fit of rage. But the metal the Xontis used to fill BK’s knuckles certainly helped. It also made him more appealing to would-be buyers.

We don’t know when he left the Xonti Brothers’ service—as is how he earned his freedom. But eventually Krrsantan became a bounty hunter for Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine in 10 BBY. (BBY stands for Before the Battle of Yavin when the Rebels blew up the first Death Star. His appearance on The Book of Boba Fett takes place in 9 ABY.) He didn’t stay on the desert planet long though. He fled after failing an assignment for Jabba. Krrsantan lost a fight to Obi-Wan Kenobi himself after the Jedi came to Uncle Owen’s rescue—Krrsantan had taken the moisture farmer hostage.

Black K did return to work for Jabba though. He was on Tatooine in Jabba’s employ after the Battle of Yavin when Darth Vader himself arrived. The Sith Lord was there to negotiate with Jabba, but Vader also wanted to hire two of the crime lord’s bounty hunters. Jabba gave him his two best. Vader tasked Boba Fett with hunting down Luke Skywalker. And he sent Krrsantan to locate an agent working on a secret project for the Emperor.

During his time as a bounty hunter Krrsantan also returned to his gladiator roots. Even though it meant fighting and killing his own kind again. On Son-tuul he willingly joined an arena that made captured Wookiees battle one another for sport. He earned a place in the pit after replacing a contestant he killed. In the end Krrsantan stood victorious over his dead opponent.

Marvel Comics

His work as a bounty hunter also saw him partner with the famed archeologist Doctor Aphra. He even came close to grounding Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon for good while hunting Luke Skywalker. That encounter saw him fight and best a weakened Chewbacca. The only thing that saved Solo’s life was C-3PO accidentally electrocuting the Wookiee when Krrsantan punched the protocol droid. (Oh the perils of literal brass knuckles.) And he then worked for and against Vader in the Sith Lord’s quest to capture Aphra, whom Krrsantan continued to partner with following the Battle of Hoth.

That’s where his adventures on the page ended. Now his live-action story has begun in Disney+‘s The Book of Boba Fett. Following the demise of the Galactic Empire and the death of both Jabba and Darth Vader, he is now in service to the Hutt Twins. They seek their late cousin’s throne on Tatooine. A fight that seems destined to end in blood.

Lucasfilm

There may be no more imposing bounty hunter or warrior the Hutt Twins could have hired, let alone someone who is both. Krrsantan’s natural strength and ferocity as a Wookiee make him immensely powerful. His training under the Xonti Brothers and the metal in his knuckles might make him the most powerful Wookiee of them all. And his ruthless nature assures he fears no one. Not even Boba Fett, who knows as well as anyone just how dangerous Black Krrsantan really is. Because even if Tatooine is “not the death pits of Duur,” and Boba Fett is “not a sleepy Trandoshan guard,” Krrsantan doesn’t care.

That doesn’t mean Boba will have to fight him though. Boba’s personal history with Krrsantan might put him in a unique spot to negotiate with the Wookiee. Despite his history and trail of bodies, Black K has shown a willingness to switch sides when it suits him, no matter the peril. He worked with Darth Vader before he worked against him. And the Sith Lord was far more dangerous than anyone he ever fought in a gladiator arena. Krrsantan might also be willing to abandon the Hutts and join his former bounty hunter brethren if Boba Fett can deliver on his promise to rule with respect rather than fear. That or Boba could pay more.

Or maybe Krrsantan will rip off both of Boba’s arms and then knock him out with his metal hand. From what we know of his history in Star Wars comics, that might be the only tribute he pays to the new Daimyo.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at  @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.