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(SeaPRwire) –   Upon the release of The Phantom Menace in 1999, Darth Maul was briefly set up as the potential successor to Darth Vader. However, after Obi-Wan Kenobi apparently defeated Maul at the conclusion of Episode I, his prospects as the next Vader appeared to be over. Consequently, Maul and Vader never engaged in a lightsaber duel—until 2001, that is. In a non-canonical comic anthology titled Star Wars: Tales, Sidious pitted the two against one another in a test of the Dark Side. Occurring in Tales #9 from Dark Horse Comics, this battle has never been considered a true canonical encounter between the two Sith Lords, either then or now.

However, the situation has evolved. The finale of Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord features the long-awaited canonical battle between Darth Vader and Maul, and it is truly epic.

Spoilers follow.

In Episode 9, “Strange Allies,” Maul and his cohorts forge a shaky alliance with Lawson, Rylee, Two-Boots, Master Daki, and Devon, only to find themselves almost trapped by the Inquisitors—the Eleventh Brother and Marrok. Yet, these lightsaber-wielding villains are the least of their concerns. Darth Vader appears at the episode’s conclusion. As established in Rebels and further examined in Obi-Wan Kenobi, Vader commands the Inquisitors, indicating he was the one who dispatched them to hunt down Maul initially.

Significantly, in Episode 10, “The Dark Lord,” the Shadow Lord finale, Maul is completely unaware of Vader’s identity, asking fearfully, “What are you?” Both he and Master Daki appear to suspect Vader is a former Jedi, though they do not voice it explicitly. Strangely, prior to his transformation into Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker never battled the resurrected Maul during The Clone Wars. Thus, although Maul knew of Anakin—he is familiar with Ahsoka, after all—he had never fought Anakin until now.

Since Shadow Lord is set between 17 BBY and 13 BBY (preceding the Battle of Yavin in A New Hope), Vader has been leading the Inquisitors for some time. However, this timeline is still a few years before his clashes with his former master in Obi-Wan Kenobi, which occur around 10 BBY. It is notable that despite Maul’s extensive knowledge of the galaxy, he is entirely ignorant of Vader’s existence and influence.

Shadow Lord Season 1, Ending Explained

Clearly, neither Maul nor Vader can kill the other in Shadow Lord, as Vader must survive for the remainder of the original trilogy, along with Rebels and Rogue One. Similarly, Maul lives on to rise as a prominent leader in the crime syndicates, not meeting his end until much later in Rebels. In the Legends story, Vader defeated Maul’s apparition by impaling himself on his own lightsaber. While nothing so dramatic occurs here, the face-off between Maul and Vader is a monumental event in Star Wars canon, effectively completing Maul’s transformation. Rather than continuing the duel in “The Dark Lord,” Maul strategically withdraws, knowing this will lead Vader to kill Master Daki.

When the inevitable happens and Vader kills Daki, Maul achieves his goal. Driven by rage over her master’s death, Devon is more eager than ever to embrace the Dark Side. Ultimately, Maul failed to inflict significant harm on Vader. However, he now possesses his own apprentice, mirroring Vader and Palpatine. The lingering question is: what becomes of Devon between the events of this series and Rebels?

Shadow Lord Season 1 is streaming on Disney+. Season 2 is currently in pre-production.