Star Wars enthusiasts are familiar with both the start and the prolonged conclusion of Darth Maul’s journey, due to his puzzling return in The Clone Wars and his unexpectedly satisfying antagonist storyline in Rebels. However, if there’s one thing the franchise adores, it’s a midquel—and Maul follows a series of beloved characters in receiving one.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord will explore an uncharted period in the villain’s galactic timeline, beginning immediately after the Clone Wars and revealing how Maul evolved into the crime lord briefly glimpsed (in live-action) in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Maul has been a presence for years now, yet he’s never led his own show or film. Though that may seem long overdue, it’s not completely essential; even Sam Witwer, who has voiced the character since 2012, appears to recognize there’s a significant risk of repetition.
“You don’t dare bring this character back unless there’s something interesting to say,” Witwer recently told Star Wars Insider (via ). This applies to Maul—whose narrative could have concluded at least three times already—as much as it does to his lesser-known apprentice, Savage Opress. According to Witwer, Savage is poised to have a significant part in Maul’s upcoming journey, prompting some essential self-reflection for the former Sith lord.
Savage was actually the character who brought Maul back from the dead. He debuted in Clone Wars as a sort of stand-in for Maul, selected by Count Dooku’s former apprentice, , to become her new protégé. Savage becomes powerful through mystical interference from the Nightsisters of Dathomir, and after finally escaping Ventress’s control, he’s commanded to locate his “brother” who has strayed from his path. He discovers Maul on the junk world Lotho Minor, improbably surviving despite being cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Phantom Menace. As master and apprentice, the duo lives up to their menacing names, destroying any Jedi who crosses them. Nevertheless, they’re no match for the sinister Emperor Palpatine, who kills Savage to teach Maul a lesson about .
Though Savage’s influence starts and stops with The Clone Wars, Witwer confirms that the apprentice will factor into Maul’s upcoming chapter. “He’s exploring his own identity while also reflecting on his brother, Savage Opress, his first apprentice and family,” the actor stated. “Did he treat Savage as well as he should have, given his loyalty? No. But now he’s finally evaluating that and recognizing, ‘I failed him.'”
Savage probably won’t physically reappear in Shadow Lord, but his presence will cast a long shadow as Maul works to rebuild. At minimum, it will only intensify his loathing for Palpatine, who currently governs the galaxy with absolute authority. And it will certainly shape his connection with a new apprentice, Devon Izara, a former Jedi Padawan who likewise despises the Empire. Admittedly, this covers some familiar territory that other animated Star Wars series have already thoroughly explored—but it also presents a genuinely fascinating chance for development.
Shadow Lord takes place between The Clone Wars and Rebels, during which Maul attempted to recruit another, final apprentice in . His alliance with Devon could reveal much about his drives and anxieties in Rebels. Will understanding his failure with Savage enable Maul to approach things differently with Devon? Since we know nothing about this new character and her destiny, is Maul fated to fail her as well? There’s more to discover about Maul than appears: a neglected figure from his history could unlock an entirely new region of the galaxy.