At Celebration Japan 2025, Lucasfilm Animation unveiled the next animated series in the vein of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars: The Bad Batch.” Entitled “Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord,” this series will delve into the life of the former Sith Lord, Maul, as he maneuvers through the criminal realm of the “Star Wars” universe approximately a year post-“The Clone Wars.” Given that fans anticipated another show centering on clone troopers, Palpatine’s quote, “a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one,” seems fitting. The series is likely to establish Maul’s connection with the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate as depicted in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” Attendees of Celebration were treated to a sneak peek of “Shadow Lord,” although it did not disclose much about the upcoming show, except hinting at a new Twi’lek apprentice for Maul, which has sparked speculation that this character could be a rendition of the Legends figure Darth Talon.
As a passionate Star Wars fan, I can’t help but feel excited about the untapped storytelling potential in the character development of Maul, particularly during the 16 years that were left unexplored between “The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars: Rebels”. With the upcoming series, “Shadow Lord”, it presents a golden opportunity to bring to life a long-anticipated confrontation that fans have only dreamed of – Maul versus Darth Vader.
Maul and Vader are two legendary Sith Lords within the Star Wars universe, with Maul previously serving as one of the most feared apprentices under Count Dooku, before his apparent demise in “Episode I – The Phantom Menace”. However, the revelation that he survived until just a couple years prior to the original trilogy’s events opens up the intriguing possibility of a duel between the first and last of Palpatine’s Sith apprentices.
Darth Maul and Anakin Skywalker Did Not Meet During Star Wars: The Clone Wars
In the realm of legends, a comic portrayed Darth Vader battling a revived Maul, but such an event hasn’t occurred in canon. Maul’s only confirmed encounter with Anakin Skywalker was during The Phantom Menace, where he nearly hit young Anakin with a speeder bike while pursuing Qui-Gon Jinn. Interestingly, despite Maul becoming a major antagonist in the later seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, there’s no record of him engaging or even speaking to Anakin. This was due to Grievous and Anakin meeting conflicting with film lore; however, it didn’t necessarily mean that Maul and Anakin couldn’t have crossed paths. Instead, they simply had separate agendas. Maul was consumed by his quest for revenge against Obi-Wan Kenobi, making him less inclined to face off against Anakin, while Anakin had numerous enemies of his own to attend to.
Regardless, Maul and Anakin were well acquainted with each other. Anakin had been part of conversations regarding Maul, and he urged Ahsoka Tano to chase after Maul during the Siege of Mandalore. As depicted in the canon comic book series Star Wars: Anakin and Obi-Wan, Anakin even engaged in a sparring match with a training droid. On the other side, Maul received a premonition that Anakin would succumb to the Dark Side and understood that Palpatine aimed to exploit Anakin to dominate the galaxy. To thwart this, Maul devised a scheme to summon Anakin and Obi-Wan to Mandalore, with no noble intentions in mind – he merely wished to prevent Palpatine from acquiring a potent new apprentice. Unfortunately for him, Ahsoka went to Mandalore instead of Anakin and Obi-Wan, rendering the plan unsuccessful. Later on, Maul endeavored to caution Ahsoka about Anakin’s impending doom; however, she refused to believe that her master could be so wicked until it was too late.
Maul Shares a Major Goal With Darth Vader
| Canon Films and Series Including Maul | Release Year(s) | Year(s) Set | Actor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | 1999 | 32 BBY | Ray Park (body), Peter Serafinowicz (voice) |
| Star Wars: The Clone Wars | 2008 – 2020 | 22 BBY – 19 BBY | Sam Witwer |
| Star Wars: Rebels | 2014 – 2018 | 5 BBY – 1 BBY | Sam Witwer |
| Solo: A Star Wars Story | 2018 | 10 BBY | Ray Park (body), Sam Witwer (voice) |
| Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord | 2026 | Approximately 18 BBY | Sam Witwer |
In the Star Wars series “Rebels,” an episode titled “Twilight of the Apprentice” brought Maul and Vader close to crossing paths in canon. On the planet Malachor, Ezra Bridger, Kanan Jarrus, and Ahsoka Tano were guided by Yoda to seek out the Sith Temple. During their journey, Ezra was separated from his companions and found himself face-to-face with Maul, who had been trapped on Malachor for an unexplained reason. Since Ezra knew nothing of Maul’s past, he was easily manipulated by him, who claimed Ezra as a new apprentice and attempted to use the Sith holocron to activate a temple weapon. However, Kanan and Ahsoka were not deceived and fought Maul upon their encounter, resulting in a battle. Although injured, Kanan managed to overpower Maul by pushing him off the edge of the temple into a deep abyss. Just as Maul fell, Vader appeared in pursuit of the Sith holocron. If Vader had arrived a moment earlier, he would have confronted and possibly fought Maul, but fate had other plans.
In the story of “Shadow Lord”, Maul and Vader might encounter each other due to their common enmity towards Obi-Wan. Since this story takes place before they can successfully locate him, they may follow similar leads regarding his whereabouts. It’s also possible that Vader seeks out Maul intentionally. Although Maul was never a Jedi, he posed as a threat to Palpatine after gaining power. The Inquisitors were tasked with eliminating Maul, but failed; this is why they were on Malachor when Ezra and his companions arrived. Footage from “Shadow Lord” at Star Wars Celebration hints at this. However, the Inquisitors were not Palpatine’s only hunters for Jedi like Maul. Maybe, after Marrok’s mission fails, Palpatine will dispatch Darth Vader to complete what the Inquisitors couldn’t.
Maul Became an Enemy of the Jedi and the Sith Alike
In Star Wars animation, a confrontation between Maul and Vader would be an unforgettable spectacle, one that fans would talk about for years. However, it wouldn’t be a fair match; Ahsoka was convinced that Anakin could easily overpower Maul. This seems to be accurate, given that Anakin’s Force power far surpassed Maul’s and he demonstrated this against the training droid by outsmarting Maul’s fighting technique. Even Maul himself acknowledged this, realizing that he and Ahsoka had a better chance of thwarting Palpatine’s plan if they teamed up.
A face-off between Palpatine’s disciples would serve as a remarkable demonstration of their power, illustrating their ability to overpower a warrior who gave Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn trouble. Nevertheless, Maul must survive the confrontation, allowing the writers to devise a strategy for Maul to outwit or divert Vader, giving him enough time to flee. His new apprentice could play a crucial role in this endeavor. While it may seem improbable, recent Star Wars productions have fulfilled fan expectations by introducing moments such as the introduction of a red lightsaber and an unconventional Sith, so we’ll just have to wait and see if these two antagonists will eventually engage in combat.
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2025-04-24 04:37