We're a month away from the premiere of The Mandalorian Season 2 on Disney+ and we've already got an interesting tease to unpack. Giancarlo Esposito hasn't been shy in speaking about his work on The Mandalorian in the past (see our recent interview with the actor for further proof). But Esposito's latest comments on what will undoubtedly be a key showdown opposite Mandalorian actor Pedro Pascal are somehow more attention-grabbing than his past remarks.

Esposito offered a tantalizing teaser while speaking with Entertainment Weekly as part of a grand Season 2 preview with the rest of the cast as well as The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau and co-executive producer Dave Filoni. The actor touches on a showdown between Moff Gideon and the helmeted bounty hunter (real name: Din Djarin), plus what the outcome of their encounters could lead to as the show goes on.

"I’ll be going toe-to-toe with Mando. It’s an iconic battle. I want to disarm him mentally as well. Who knows? Maybe there’s an opportunity to get him to fight some battles for me. You may think I’m a villain, but I’m trying to harness some energy and some powers for a path that could be best for all. You’ll get to see him be somewhat diplomatic and more of a manipulator."

Lots to chew on here! The possibility of Mando falling under Gideon's spell, so to speak, and Gideon potentially revealing he's not the cold-blooded villain we think he is will be occupying my thoughts. Moreover, I'm sitting here wondering how Mando could possibly stand a chance at beating Gideon in this so-called "iconic battle." Will Baby Yoda step up and help their human friend face off against this Darksaber-wielding enemy? Will Mando be able to put his crafty bounty hunter skills to good use to evade Gideon? Ah! So many questions and, luckily, there's not a lot of time left until Season 2 gets here to answer them.

The Mandalorian Season 2 premieres on Disney+ on October 30. For more, check out the newest images from Season 2 and our round-up of the best shows on Disney+ you can watch now.

Allie Gemmill is the Weekend Contributing Editor for Collider. You can follow them on Twitter @_matineeidle.