If you watched Star Wars: The Phantom Menace as a child, you’ll certainly remember the thrill of fear when Darth Maul – the sinister Sith Lord with a red and black face, yellow eyes and a crown of horns – appeared on screen for the first time. He attracted attention not only for his grotesque look but also for his unique weapon and acrobatic fighting style, which caused the Jedi plenty of trouble.
Although this dark-side adept made a strong entrance and showed plenty of potential, he disappeared from the universe after just one film. Luckily, after many years, Maul has found his way back to the Star Wars franchise, appearing here and there in various Disney productions.
Finally, one of the most charismatic villains in Star Wars has his own series – the latest Disney animation will debut on streaming this spring.
Who’s Darth Maul?
The demon-faced warrior first appeared in 1999’s Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, the first film in the prequel trilogy that tells the story of Anakin Skywalker, the father of Leia and Luke.
Darth Maul was a mysterious new enemy of the Zabrak race, coming from the planet Dathomir. Since childhood, he was trained by Darth Sidious, AKA Palpatine, to become a Sith Lord. Throughout the movie, Maul became known as a master at duels – his trademark weapon was a red, double-bladed lightsaber.
However, at the end of The Phantom Menace, Maul is defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi, who cuts him in half in a fight on planet Naboo.
Even though everything pointed to Maul’s death at the hands of the Jedi, after many years, George Lucas decided to bring the character back. In 2012, the sinister warrior emerged in season 4 of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
As it turned out, thanks to the dark side, Maul survived the clash with Obi-Wan. Mutilated and consumed by madness, a decade later, he was found by his brother, Savage Oppress. Thanks to magic and cybernetics, Maul recovered and decided to take revenge on Obi-Wan.
The Sith fighter reappeared again in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), revealing himself as the mastermind behind the powerful crime syndicate Crimson Dawn. Maul last appeared in the series Star Wars Rebels (2014 – 2018), where, at the end, he was defeated by Obi-Wan once more.
When will Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord be released?
The new Star Wars series will premiere on Disney+ on Monday, 6 April 2026.
What’s the plot of Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord?
The animated series will kick off right after the events of The Clone Wars. Maul will try to rebuild his criminal syndicate on an exceptional planet, called Janix. According to the series’ executive producer Matt Michnovetz:
It’s one part Gotham, one part Metropolis and a hundred percent Star Wars with all these different levels and layers. It’s a city essentially built into a crater on this planet that is untouched by the Empire. It’s got a functioning democracy and law enforcement doing a good job of policing their own community. It’s a rich environment for crime and gangsters, but so far there’s been a very peaceful accord between all of them in the interest of business.
A more detailed description of the Shadow Lord plot is yet to come. What we do know is that the series will fill a gap in Maul’s story, showing what happened to him between The Clone Wars and Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Who’s starring in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord?
Here’s the confirmed cast:
- Sam Witwer as Maul, a former Sith lord from the planet Dathomir
- Gideon Adlon as Devon Izara, a Twi’lek, Maul’s new apprentice
- Wagner Moura as Captain Brander Lawson, a respected police detective
- Richard Ayoade as 2B0T “Two-Boots”, a droid who is Lawson’s partner
- Dennis Haysbert as Master Eeko-Dio-Daki
- Chris Diamantopoulos as Looti Vario
- Charlie Bushnell as Rylee Lawson
- Vanessa Marshall as Rook Kast, Maul’s ally who led the Super Commandos during the Clone Wars
- David W. Collins as Spybot
- A. J. LoCascio as Marrok, a Jedi-hunting Inquisitor
- Steve Blum as Icarus
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