Darth Maul's Story So Far: What to Know Before Watching Maul - Shadow Lord

For a feline who was seemingly killed disconnected successful his debut movie appearance, Darth Maul has enjoyed a amazingly agelong and vibrant vocation arsenic a Star Wars villain. 1999’s Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace turned retired to beryllium conscionable the opening of Maul’s story, with the quality returning to prominence successful the animated bid Star Wars: The Clone Wars, wherever his conflict outcry came to echo crossed Star Wars fandom.

Suffice it to say, if you lone ticker the Star Wars movies, you’re missing retired connected a batch erstwhile it comes to Darth Maul. But that’s wherever we travel in. As this iconic ex-Sith Lord prepares to prima successful his precise ain animated series, Maul: Shadow Lord, we’re present to interruption down his communicative successful The Clone Wars and its spinoffs and explicate what you request to cognize to bask the caller series.

Darth Maul: The Basics

Darth Maul made his debut successful Episode I backmost successful 1999, and that movie tells you beauteous overmuch everything you request to cognize astir the character. He’s a Sith Lord apprentice to Darth Sidious, portion of Sidious’ maestro program to alteration the Republic into his idiosyncratic Galactic Empire.

But portion Maul is simply a fearsome combatant and Jedi hunter, helium yet proves to beryllium conscionable a pawn successful Sidious' overmuch larger game. No sooner does Maul termination Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn connected Naboo than he’s sliced successful fractional by Jinn’s ain apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Like Boba Fett earlier him, Darth Maul turned retired to beryllium a quality with a chill look and a fierce aura, but not 1 with a batch of staying power. Or truthful we thought astatine the time.

Over the years, assorted Star Wars novels and comics person sought to soma retired Maul’s aboriginal years and his beingness spent grooming nether Sidious. Many of those stories are present relegated to non-canon “Legends” status. But it is worthy pointing retired the 2012 caller Star Wars: Darth Plagueis. Though it excessively is present consigned to Legends, Darth Plagueis is the publication that provides an existent root communicative for Maul designed astir caller accusation revealed successful the Clone Wars animated series.

Darth Maul Rises From the Grave

Before The Clone Wars came along, the thought that Darth Maul someway survived his duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi connected Naboo was the worldly of imagination. Dark Horse Comics published a abbreviated communicative successful the 2005 anthology bid Star Wars: Visionaries wherever Maul returned to question revenge connected Kenobi, but that communicative was precise specifically not acceptable successful authoritative Star Wars canon. Still, the conception seemed to resonate capable with George Lucas and different Clone Wars storytellers that they made it authoritative successful the animated series.

Maul’s instrumentality is archetypal hinted astatine successful The Clone Wars: Season 3, wherever we conscionable his estranged brother, Savage Opress. The occurrence “Monster” establishes the conception of the Nightbrothers, antheral slaves of the Nightsisters of Dathomir who unrecorded successful servitude to the almighty witch Mother Talzin. Like Maul, each of the Nightbrothers are marked by those iconic, colorful tattoos.

After helium proves his mettle, Savage is dispatched by Talzin to beryllium the caller Sith apprentice to Count Dooku. However, Dooku doesn’t recognize that Talzin is secretly grooming Savage to assassinate him successful revenge for his effort connected the beingness of his erstwhile apprentice, Asajj Ventress. Savage and Ventress concisely articulation forces successful a failed effort to termination Dooku.

Afterwards, Talzin gives Savage a caller mission. She reveals that helium has a member named Maul, 1 who was severely injured warring a Jedi and needs to beryllium brought backmost into the fold.

That cliffhanger carries implicit into The Clone Wars Season 4, wherever Savage successfully tracks down Maul connected the junkyard satellite of Lotho Minor. Thanks to the powerfulness of axenic hatred, Maul managed to past being sliced successful half, but he’s gone insane and devolved into a half-man, half-spider-like cyborg. Savage brings his member backmost to Dathomir, wherever Talzin uses her Force witchcraft to heal him. More oregon less.

Now backmost successful warring shape, Maul wastes nary clip successful seeking revenge against Obi-Wan Kenobi. He and his member embark connected a Jedi sidesplitting spree to lure retired Kenobi. But they don’t number connected Asajj Ventress herself lending the Jedi Master a helping hand.

Darth Maul’s Shadow Collective

Season 5 of The Clone Wars is wherever Maul’s communicative truly kicks into gear. That marks the constituent wherever Maul starts to imagination bigger than conscionable getting revenge connected Obi-Wan. He begins laying the instauration for a transgression empire that tin rival the existent Empire his erstwhile maestro Sidious is building.

Maul and Savage’s archetypal effort doesn’t spell truthful well, arsenic they’re again foiled by the intrepid Obi-Wan Kenobi (though not earlier Obi-Wan’s state Adi Gallia is killed). But aft encountering the extremist sect of Mandalorians known arsenic Death Watch, Maul’s plans truly commencement to carnivore fruit.

Joining forces with Death Watch person Pre Vizsla, Maul and Savage statesman to unite the assorted intergalactic transgression cartels similar Black Sun, the Hutts, and the Pyke Syndicate nether 1 banner. Their caller enactment is known arsenic the Shadow Collective. The Shadow Collective past orchestrates Vizsla’s emergence to powerfulness connected Mandalore, staging an onslaught against the satellite that Death Watch is capable to defeat.

However, this confederation of evil doesn’t past agelong earlier Vizsla betrays Maul and his brother. Maul ends up challenging his erstwhile spouse to a duel connected Mandalore, sidesplitting Vizsla and claiming the coveted Darksaber for himself. That efficaciously makes him the caller ruler of Mandalore arsenic good arsenic the person of the Shadow Collective.

Maul executes Pre Vizsla connected Mandalore.

Naturally, the archetypal happening Maul does with his newfound powerfulness is laic a trap for Obi-Wan. He lures his nemesis to Mandalore utilizing the deposed person (and Obi-Wan’s erstwhile lover) Duchess Satine Kryze arsenic bait. Maul past executes her successful beforehand of Obi-Wan, yet paying him backmost to immoderate grade for the full being sliced successful fractional thing. However, Obi-Wan himself escapes with a small assistance from Satine’s sister, Bo-Katan.

Despite his caller victories, Maul is rapidly brought backmost to Earth (so to speak) erstwhile his aged maestro pays him a visit. Darth Sidious isn’t pleased that his erstwhile minion is inactive alive, overmuch little has go a morganatic threat. Sidious duels Maul and Savage connected Mandalore, sidesplitting the second and capturing the former. And that’s wherever Maul’s communicative ends successful the archetypal tally of The Clone Wars.

Son of Dathomir: The Lost Darth Maul Story

Because Cartoon Network opted to cancel The Clone Wars successful 2013, a fig of planned storylines abruptly became trapped successful limbo. Some of those stories coiled up being finished and released arsenic a truncated Season 6, known arsenic The Clone Wars: The Lost Missions. Others were alternatively adapted arsenic novels oregon comics. That’s wherever 2014’s Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir comes in.

Son of Dathomir is simply a comic publication adaptation of 4 canceled Clone Wars episodes. This bid is indispensable speechmaking for Maul fans, arsenic it fills successful immoderate large gaps betwixt the extremity of Season 5 and Maul’s unexplained instrumentality successful Season 7.

Son of Dathomir opens pursuing Sidious’ seizure of Maul, arsenic Maul is being tortured by Count Dooku for accusation connected the Shadow Collective. He escapes and reunites with his Death Watch commandos. This is besides erstwhile Maul discovers that Mother Talzin herself is his biologic mother.

Talzin attempts to usage Dooku and General Grievous arsenic bait to lure retired Darth Sidious. Ultimately, though, she sacrifices herself to prevention her lad and is killed by Grievous. Maul escapes with his commandos and makes his mode backmost to Mandalore, wherever the signifier is acceptable for the last Clone Wars storyline.

The Siege of Mandalore

Disney gave The Clone Wars a caller lease connected beingness successful 2020 erstwhile it released a long-delayed seventh and last play to necktie up immoderate escaped ends. Most importantly, Season 7 ends with a four-part arc called The Siege of Mandalore. It’s fundamentally a full-fledged animated movie that takes spot concurrently with Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

These 4 episodes absorption chiefly connected Ahsoka Tano and Maul arsenic the 2 conflict it retired connected Mandalore adjacent arsenic Sidious makes his last moves to alteration the Republic into the Empire. Ahsoka is sent with a battalion of Clone Troopers to liberate Mandalore from Death Watch’s control. Maul attempts to enlistee Ahsoka to his cause, informing her of his master’s program to destruct the Jedi and crook Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side. Ahsoka rejects his overtures and manages to seizure her enemy.

Maul is imprisoned and taken to Coruscant to basal proceedings for his crimes. But helium and Ahsoka find themselves temporarily connected the aforesaid broadside erstwhile Sidious executes Order 66 mid-flight and Ahsoka’s soldiers crook connected her. The 2 negociate to evade capture, and Maul steals a shuttle and makes his mode backmost into the lawless fringes of the galaxy.

How Maul: Shadow Lord Fits Into the Star Wars Timeline

That’s fundamentally wherever Maul: Shadow Lord picks up. The Clone Wars person ended, and the recently minted Emperor Palpatine is consolidating his grip connected power. It’s a acheronian clip for the galaxy, but besides 1 rife with accidental for anyone with the courageousness to prehend it.

As Shadow Lord opens, Maul is looking to rebuild the Shadow Collective, which has efficaciously collapsed since his little seizure astatine Sidious’ hands. Maul has a fewer loyal soldiers near among his Death Watch commandos, but helium has a agelong mode to spell earlier reclaiming the powerfulness helium concisely held.

In Shadow Lord, Maul’s quest takes him to the satellite Janix, a distant satellite that frankincense acold has managed to mostly flight the Empire’s eye. There, he’ll articulation forces with Devon Izara, an Order 66 subsister whom Maul sees arsenic a imaginable apprentice. He’ll besides butt heads with Captain Brander Lawson, a constabulary detective hopeless to support Janix retired of the Empire’s watchful gaze.

It remains to beryllium seen conscionable however overmuch of the Star Wars timeline Maul: Shadow Lord volition cover, but we bash cognize that Maul is yet palmy successful gathering his transgression organization. 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story is acceptable 10 years aft Revenge of the Sith, and it establishes that Maul has built up a caller enactment called Crimson Dawn.

Years later, Maul returns successful the Season 2 finale of Star Wars Rebels, wherever he’s revealed to beryllium marooned connected the Sith satellite of Malachor. Maul takes a radiance to young Ezra Bridger arsenic a imaginable caller apprentice. And helium concisely helps Ezra and the pack earlier doing his accustomed happening and betraying the group.

How Maul goes from starring Crimson Dawn to being stranded and unsocial has ne'er been revealed. Maybe Shadow Lord volition yet get astir to settling that mystery. But we bash cognize wherever Maul’s communicative yet ends. Season 3 of Star Wars Rebels sees Maul way down Obi-Wan Kenobi to his hiding spot connected Tatooine. After a little duel, Maul is mortally wounded, and helium senses that Obi-Wan is protecting the Chosen One. Maul’s dying anticipation is that the lad tin avenge him and each the radical who were wronged by Sidious.

A bittersweet but fitting extremity to a complex, fascinating Star Wars villain. Then again, if Maul managed to past his evident decease successful The Phantom Menace, tin we beryllium perfectly definite he’s truly dormant this time? Regardless, there’s intelligibly inactive much communicative near to archer with the character, and that process begins erstwhile Maul: Shadow Lord premieres connected April 6, 2026.

Are you excited to spot Darth Maul yet headlining his ain Star Wars series? Let america cognize successful the comments below, and marque definite you similar and subscribe to IGN wherever you watch.

For much connected the Star Wars franchise, brushwood up connected each Star Wars movie and bid successful improvement and spot Hasbro's enactment of Maul: Shadow Lord figures.

Jesse is simply a mild-mannered unit writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intelligence thicket by following @jschedeen connected BlueSky.