Star Wars fans are losing their minds today after Marvel Comics announced Star Wars: Darth Maul, a new comic miniseries set to begin this February. Ever since he made his debut in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Darth Maul has been a popular figure in Star Wars fandom. He said very little but made a lasting impression as a Sith warrior, so fans naturally wanted to know more. His character has evolved a lot since then, especially after Star Wars: The Clone Wars revealed that he actually survived the events of The Phantom Menace, so there’s a lot of story that could be told. Here are 5 things that the new Darth Maul comic could tell us:
How Darth Maul Lost His Home
In canon—that means everything that’s part of the official Star Wars storyline—Darth Maul’s past has always been a bit of a mystery. No one ever knew where he came from. That all changed in the 2014 comic miniseries Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir. The comic revealed that Mother Talzin, a powerful Nightsister witch from Dathomir who made several appearances in The Clone Wars, was in fact Maul’s biological mother. She and Darth Sidious were once in league with one another, but Sidious cut her loose and took her son as his apprentice. When that happened, Maul lost his mother and his homeworld of Dathomir.
How did he react to that? Did he resent it? Did he have any longing to return, and if so how did Sidious squash that to make Maul a weapon of the Sith? This comic could answer those questions.
How Darth Maul Lost His Past
Dathomir wasn’t the only thing that Maul lost. Though he would eventually reunite with his mother in Son of Dathomir, Maul’s past became a mystery even to him. In Star Wars Rebels, an aging Maul met Ezra Bridger on the ancient Sith planet of Malachor. Maul said that he once had a name, but it was so long ago that he forgot what it was. Perhaps this comic will shed further light on Maul’s origins and even reveal his true name? We’ll find out in a few months!
How Darth Maul Became a Warrior
If there’s one thing that fans know about Darth Maul, it’s that he’s a warrior. The Phantom Menace set the gold standard for lightsaber combat in the prequel trilogy, and the climactic “Duel of the Fates” between Maul and the Jedi remains a fan favorite to this day. How did he become such a skilled warrior? Did he learn everything he knew from Darth Sidious, or did he also find other ways to hone his skills against the Jedi? This comic can shed light on that and dive into the origins of Maul’s legendary abilities.
How Darth Maul Became a Politician
If there’s one thing fans don’t know about Darth Maul, on the other hand, it’s that he wasn’t just the silent assassin that The Phantom Menace depicted him as. The Clone Wars revealed he survived his duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi, and when he returned during the war he used his considerable persuasive and political skills, plus his underworld knowledge, to create a criminal empire. The Shadow Collective was meant to be his return to power, and he even briefly ruled Mandalore as a result.
Sam Witwer, who portrays Darth Maul in The Clone Wars and Rebels, made it clear that this shows Maul is more than just a warrior. Maul wasn’t supposed to fall in The Phantom Menace, which meant that he had to be trained as a political leader and military strategist—just as Count Dooku was when he replaced Maul as Sidious’ apprentice. Though we never got to see Maul as the leader of the Separatist Alliance as he was meant to be, we do have an opportunity to see how Maul gained his cunning and put it to use before he fell on Naboo.
What do you want to see in the new Darth Maul comic? Join the conversation on Wookieepedia!
