WandaVision isn’t the only thing Paul Bettany should be excited about these days, as it’s possible he might reprise his role as Dryden Vos from Solo.
When he was asked by Jake’s Takes to talk about which character he would love to revisit, the WandaVision star replied, “Oh, I would love to mess around with Dryden Vos. I would love to mess around with Dryden Vos. I love that idea.” Now that the thought is out there in the universe, let’s hope someone will hear and actually act on it—but in the meantime, it’s a good idea to revisit just what made this Star Wars villain tick.
Now that the Disney+ streaming service will soon be teeming with Star Wars content thanks to the huge success of The Mandalorian (and Baby Yoda, of course), director Ron Howard might just make a Solo 2 movie if there’s sustained fan support. But the hero is only ever as good as its villain, which is where the public face of the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate comes in.
Dryden Vos is a gangster of taste—aboard his yacht named First Light, he enforces his own brand of order with a merciless yet refined rule. A man of wealth, he values his socialization with the upper elite and his eccentric collection of goods. Coupled with good manners and exquisite taste in antiquities, he may look like someone you might underestimate, but be warned—this crime kingpin, once crossed, will not hesitate to unleash his wrath relentlessly. “Once you’re a part of Crimson Dawn, you can’t leave,” he tells Han.
Here’s a fun fact: Michael K. Williams was originally supposed to play Dryden Vos as a motion-capture character. When Phil Lord and Chris Miller were replaced by Ron Howard, the actor was replaced too, and it turned out well in the end for the so-called “near-human” villain. “Vos is somebody who is deliciously bad and really OK with it. No neurosis. No guilt. Just super-happy about being evil,” said Bettany.
Another fun fact: the scars on his face aren’t actually scars—they’re part of his alien physiology. As a “near-human” species, he possesses striations on his face that would grow more pronounced depending on the activity in his circulatory system as well as on his adrenaline levels, much like how we’d turn all red-faced during moments of rage or stress.
After Qi’ra’s betrayal, the opulent collector perished, but are we sure that this is the last we’ve seen from the lavish crime boss? A prequel is always possible, and spin-offs are everywhere nowadays that it wouldn’t be surprising if we somehow heard news of Bettany reprising his role soon. Also, after Qi’ra stabs Vos in the chest, it’s revealed that Darth Maul is actually the real head honcho of the group. As it turns out, there’s more to the crime syndicate than meets the eye, and if we’re going to see Darth Maul in a prequel or spin-off, Dryden Vos may very well be right there with him.
