When Star Wars fans were first introduced to Darth Maul in 1999’s Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, he was seen as nothing more than a really cool side character for our heroes to face off against. The prototypical action movie, “heavy” if you will. Maul had a unique design and fighting style, thanks to the performance of stuntman Ray Park, but had very few lines and was very clearly the second big bad of the movie behind (at the time) Senator Palpatine.
Maul’s death at the end of the film is used more as character development of Obi-Wan Kenobi than as the conclusion of the arc of The Phantom Menace’s main villain. It seemed we had seen the end of Darth Maul in Star Wars. However, Star Wars: The Clone Wars showrunner and new president of Lucasfilm, Dave Filoni, had other plans for the character.
The release of Star Wars - Maul: Shadow Lord on April 6 marks the first leading animated series with the famed dark force user, but he has been a crucial part of Filoni’s storytelling in Star Wars animation to date. From furthering the audience's understanding of the Sith’s “rule of two” to becoming a key figure in both Ahsoka Tano and Ezra Bridger’s stories, Maul has some of the most iconic moments and lines that Filoni has overseen during his time running Star Wars animation. As Filoni begins his tenure as the President of Lucasfilm, I’m looking at how he evolved Darth Maul as a character in animation and how those creative ideas could affect other characters in the Star Wars universe.
Maul first returned in the season 4 finale of Star Wars: The Clone Wars when his estranged brother, Savage Oppress, found him on the junk planet Lotho Minor. Maul was in a feral state, going insane after his body was cut in half by Obi-Wan at the end of The Phantom Menace. After nursing him back to health, Savage and Maul set out to seize significant power in the galaxy.
It is fascinating to watch Maul regain his understanding of the force and his need for revenge on Obi-Wan and his master, Darth Sidious. There are times when the audience is rooting for Maul to at least have a battle with Obi-Wan to get some closure on their connection. A moment that once played as character development for Obi-Wan became one of the most pivotal in the entire Star Wars universe.
As Maul’s character evolved in The Clone Wars, so did his involvement in pivotal moments throughout the canon. He was heavily involved with the Mandalorians during The Clone Wars and helped start the Mandalorian civil war that is referenced throughout The Mandalorian television series. In one of the more memorable scenes in recent Star Wars history, Maul is with Ahsoka Tano during Order 66, where he fully explains to her the “chosen one” idea before being bested in a fight by her. Throughout his arc across the Star Wars animated universe, Maul has been the perfect morally “gray” character, who Filoni uses to demonstrate unrest and turmoil in the galaxy.
When we meet Maul in Shadow Lord, he is in the midst of a war between crime syndicates and is trying to make his mark in the galaxy through trade and corruption. The story is set between the events of The Clone Wars and the rebellion, and the Empire is continuing to grow around him. He is not ashamed of using his lightsaber or Force powers but does not identify as a Force user trying to create any “balance in the Force." It will be interesting to see how Maul's power continues to grow throughout the show and if he has any greater impacts on the galaxy.
Whether it was with a previously introduced character like Darth Maul, or an animated creation like Ahsoka Tano, or the entire crew of Star Wars Rebels, Filoni has a great ability to develop characters over time and give real depth to their arcs. How he took Maul from a cool side character to one of the more complex and consequential force users in Star Wars canon is genuinely impressive and opens the door for other potential stories to be told with Filoni leading Lucasfilm.