In Revenge of the Sith, Count Dooku walks into the duel on the Invisible Hand with only two B2 super battle droids beside him.
And when you really think about it, that feels almost ridiculous. This is Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi standing in front of him. Two Jedi generals, both veterans of the Clone Wars, both already familiar with Dooku’s style.
So did Dooku seriously believe two B2 droids were enough backup against them?
Dooku Had Already Beaten Them Before
On the surface, Dooku’s confidence in Revenge of the Sith makes sense because he had already fought Anakin and Obi-Wan before.
In Attack of the Clones, both Jedi faced him on Geonosis, and neither of them could defeat him. Obi-Wan attacked first, but Dooku quickly took control of the duel. He wounded Obi-Wan in the arm and leg, forcing him out of the fight.
Anakin then rushed in alone. For a brief moment, he fought Dooku with two lightsabers, but Dooku still overpowered him and cut off his arm.
The only reason Dooku did not finish them there was because Yoda arrived.
Dooku Thought Sidious Had Already Arranged the Outcome
In the movie, Dooku’s confidence already makes sense on the surface because he had fought Anakin and Obi-Wan before.
On Geonosis, they were not able to defeat him. Dooku wounded Obi-Wan, overpowered Anakin, and cut off Anakin’s arm before Yoda arrived. So by the time of Revenge of the Sith, Dooku has a reason to look at them as opponents he has already handled once.
That is why the two B2 super battle droids beside him are not really the point. Dooku is not standing there because he thinks those droids are enough to stop two Jedi generals. He is standing there because, from his point of view, he has already beaten this pair before.
But the deeper explanation comes from the Revenge of the Sith novelization.
In that version, Dooku and Palpatine already have a plan before the duel begins. Dooku believes he is supposed to kill Obi-Wan first, then lose to Anakin and surrender.
That would give Anakin a public victory. He would be seen as the Jedi hero who defeated Count Dooku and rescued the Chancellor. Palpatine could then use that moment to pull Anakin closer, while Dooku believed he would survive and still have a place in Sidious’s plans after the war.
So Dooku is not treating the duel like a real fight for his life. He thinks he is inside a controlled Sith setup. Obi-Wan is supposed to die. Anakin is supposed to win. Dooku is supposed to surrender.
The part Dooku does not know is that Sidious has already turned the plan against him.
Once Anakin defeats him and cuts off his hands, Dooku finally realizes something is wrong. When Palpatine tells Anakin to kill him, Dooku understands too late that he was never being protected. The duel was not just a trap for the Jedi. It was a trap for him too.