Star Wars and Disney Plus have gone hand-in-hand for over half a decade. Just as Marvel Studios has, the Lucasfilm franchise has successfully brought one of the most successful silver screen sagas to the small screen to tell a host of new stories via the now-iconic streaming service. It hasn't been completely smooth-sailing, but for the most part, it has marked a gripping new chapter in the ancient Star Wars lore, providing us with plenty of thrilling new stories in that galaxy so far, far away.
We've even seen some Star Wars legends headline their own Disney Plus shows along the way. Obi-Wan Kenobi returned for his own series, with Ewan McGregor reprising the role for the first time in nearly 20 years. Meanwhile, names in the franchise that were so well-known to the most devoted of fans now got to be showcased to wider audiences in The Book of Boba Fett, Andor and Ahsoka. And the Disney Plus streamer itself turned The Mandalorian and Grogu into global phenomenons.
Although the future of the live-action Star Wars shows seems a little unclear as the franchise heads back to the big screen, one iconic character from the film series is set to headline his own animated show on the streaming service. And now, we have the first look at his return.
The first look at Darth Maul's comeback in Star Wars Maul: Shadow Lord unveiled
We have our first look at Darth Maul's spine-tingling return. At San Diego Comic-Con, Lucasfilm unveiled the first ever image from upcoming Disney Plus animated series Maul: Shadow Lord and the image features none other than the warrior himself. To say he looks frightful would be an understatement. However, he also looks epic. Very, very epic.
Sam Witwer, who voices the character in both Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels reprises the role here. Needless to say, that's a well-earned opportunity for a man who has delivered with the character in the past. And it sounds like we're in for one heck of a story here too, as Maul is set to take us on a rollercoaster. But don't worry, we won't lose the essence of the character for this one won't be ending in redemption, according to Witwer. However, it might show us a more nuanced side to him.
"It's about bad guys vs worse guys," he told fellow Star Wars icon Katee Sackhoff. "This isn’t going to be a show where you find out Maul is a real teddy bear, man… We’re not doing that ... but is he as bad as Sidious or Vader? Actually no... from the Sith perspective, this guy has flaws... [there's] humanity that seeps in at various points... because of things that have happened to him."
Darth Maul is one of the franchise's most iconic and yet infamous characters. His most famous appearance in the film series came in 1999's Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. The prequel movies aren't all that well-received but there is no denying that he was a force-to-be-reckoned with in this one. The sight of him alone was enough to send shivers down audiences' spines.
His only other live-action appearance came in 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story in which he made a cameo appearance in the final act of the movie. However, the villain found new life in the franchise's animated outings. The fact that Maul: Shadow Lord is set to be a spinoff of two of the Star Wars story's most beloved outings suggests we are right to have our hopes very, very high for this one.
Maul: Shadow Lord premieres on Disney Plus in 2026.
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