‘Darth Maul’ through STAR WARS History

If you are any fan of Star Wars, no matter how big or small, you are definitely aware of Darth Maul. Played by Ray Parks, he brought a martial arts aesthetic to the Star Wars world through his work. A martial arts warrior from the planet Dathomir who created a mystery in Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. At the end, he supposedly died as he was cut in half and sent spiraling down a shaft.Or did he? For most casual fans he is still dead as he has not shown up in any more films so far but does his story stop there? Survey says no and today I will be showing you how to follow this amazing character throughout his entire history so far.

1. Marvel’s STAR WARS: Darth Maul Comic (2017)

This comic follows Darth Maul through his early days and deals with him being Darth Sidious apprentice. We see him sent on various missions and voyaging to many different locations or the Sith Lord. Through this 4 issue mini series we get him ramping up to his first encounter with the Jedi and from that, his skills are tested as a member of the Sith. Written by Cullen Bunn and Art by Luke Ross, the series is an enjoyable look at Maul before he sets foot in the movies and allows us to understand him before we meet his horned, menacing self in Ep 1.

2. Star Wars: EPISODE 1: The Phantom Menace

This is what most people will know Darth Maul from and is definitely his most popular appearance. He ends up spending most of the movie following the Jedi from Naboo to Tatooine. A trip that ends in his unfortunate demise down the shaft but it was a legendary battle. Showcasing his battle skills and prowess, it also tested the old and new Jedi’s to focus their skills on the battle at hand. His legendary double bladed lightsaber truly shone as he fought both Jedi’s at once

3. STAR WARS: The Clone Wars

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And SUPRISE or SPOILERS. He didn’t actually die at the end of Ep. 1. It isn’t completely clear how Maul ended up surviving but either way, he ended up with on a planet called Lotho Minor and was given a spider body attached to his upper torso to create a 6 legged Maul. Maul’s brother Savage Opress comes to the planet and tries to find him. When he does, Maul is in a mad state and is only cleared of this partially by the return of his brother and some familiarity in his life. They then travel back to their home planet of Dathomir and Mother Talzin used some form of magiks to remove the spider appendages and give Maul cybernetic legs. The brothers, now reunited kill an entire village on the planet as a way to send a message to the Jedi Order. The Jedi reluctantly send Obi-Wan as he feels it as redemption but a bounty hunter named Asajj Ventress also learns about this and finds a bounty for Savage Oppress. They all end up in the village from before and Obi-Wan is overpowered. His only salvation comes from Ventress who teams up with him to defeat the brothers. They are no match for the brothers and narrowly escape. After this, the Jedi and the brothers have another confrontation with Obi-Wan but this time Obi-Wan gets the upper hand but the brothers escape and continue to wreck havoc on the universe.

We pick back up with the brothers as they were unconscious from their previous battle and floating through space. The people that find him are Mandalorian and Maul and Opress are taken to Mandalore to heal, as they believe the two warriors could be an asset. They are shown around the main city and they quickly learn about Clan Vizsla‘s plan to over through the current ruler Dutchess Satine. Vizsla has a group called Death Watch which has committed themselves to Clan Vizsla’s service and is working with him in this endeavor. When they do take over, Maul and Vizsla true plans come to light and now they are at opposing sides as their plans conflict with each other. Vizsla is killed by Maul and a new figurehead Almec is put in power, but it is not clear if his loyalties are more towards Maul or the people. Maul continues his revenge plan for the Jedi by luring Obi-Wan back to Mandalore after endangering his possible lover/friend Satine. Obi-Wan is overpowered due to his good nature and is quickly placed into the cells under the city. Obi-Wan skillfully escapes the planet for his own safety but all has not finished for Maul. The Emperor has gotten word that Maul has re-emerged and he has shown up to restate his power. Maul tries to appease his old Master but Sidious sees through the deception and an all out fight engages. Maul is overpowered and taken with Sidious because he knows he may be useful in the future.

4. Dark Horse Comics DARTH MAUL: Son of Dathomir

This 4 issue series was originally planned for the animated CLONE WARS series but never happened as they series was canceled. The mini-series picks up with Maul in a prison called the Spire on Stygeon Prime. He is rescued by a group of his old followers from Death Watch. They escape to a planet called Zanbar but General Grievous and the Separatist Droid Army is not far behind. They battle but Maul is at the losing end and is forced to flee again, this time for Mandalore and with witch mother. After making contact with Mother Talzin, the two enact a plan to take back the empire from the Sith and begin their plan by luring Count Dooku and General Grievous into a trap. The Jedi have been hearing rumors about Maul’s return and send an assault force which is met by Maul and Count Dooku. Obi-Wan and Mace Windu lead the assault but this is not the end game for Maul. Secretly, Mother Talzin has been making her way to a confrontation with Sidious who has come to save his apprentices and they battle. She attempts to take control of the galaxy but is killed my General Grievous. As a last ditch effort, she throws Maul away from the fight and he escapes yet again.

5. STAR WARS: Rebels

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Star Wars Rebels takes place approximately 5 years before Episode 4: A New Hope and we meet Maul at the end of season 2 so approximately 3 or 4 years before the Battle of Yavin.  Our main Jedi protagonists, Kanan, Ezra and Ahsoka Tano are on a mission to discover how to discover how to destroy the Sith on their homeworld Malakor. As Ezra enters the Sith Temple he is trapped in and slowly continues inward. He is met by someone calling himself Old Master but we know him better by Maul. He slowly tricks Ezra into thinking of him as trustworthy and gains his allegiance. Once they leave the temple Ahsoka and Kanan are apprehensive about Maul and but for the time he aids them in fighting off Imperial warriors called Inquisitors. The team ends up escaping the planet with a Sith Holocron which is like an encyclopedia for dark side users.

A couple of months go by and Kanan has kept his apprentice from using the Holocron in fears that it will lead him to the dark side. Maul sets up a trap and our favorite band of rebels fall into it, this means that Kanan and Ezra are forced to give Maul the Holocron to save their crew. They retrieve it from Kanan’s hiding place and travel to meet Maul on an abandoned asteroid outpost. Maul and Ezra both want to learn from the Holocron so they make a temporary truce so that each can learn the secrets they need. They learn that both of their quests can be solved by the twin suns, a nod to Tatooine which plays a larger role in the Star Wars universe. They both leave feeling satisfied and not but they part ways once again. However, Ezra is now troubled with visions of Maul and it comes to a head when he almost kills a rebel soldier. They try to investigate what is creating these visions but once again they are met by Maul. As if there was some connection left from when they entered the Holocron, Maul was able to find them. Maul convinces them that he has important information for the Rebels and him and Ezra embark to his homeworld Dathomir. Maul has brought them here to clarify their earlier visions and through a magikal ceremony they see what they do not know yet to be Obi-Wan Kenobi and the final end

Ezra continues to be intrigued by the powers of the holocrons and one night while he is awoken by noises, he re-hears Obi-Wan in an old recording. Following this, he seemingly hears Maul’s voice. He takes the leap of faith that Obi-Wan is alive and travels to Tatooine. Once he arrives, he is easily lost in the sand but is rescued by Master Kenobi and he fathers him and gives him advice and guidance for his journey moving forward. They are both met by Maul’s arrivals and while Ezra tries to confront him but Kenobi decides to let the young Jedi return to his family. They both ignite their lightsabers and begin their duel. Maul is bested and stabbed as his rage is overcome by Kenobi’s confidence. As he is dying, he seemingly has a revelation that the importance of Kenobi’s role and his, is much larger than either of them. Maul then dies in Kenobi’s arms.

That brings the history of Darth Maul in the Star Wars Universe to a close and it spans about 15 years in our time but a lifetime for them. Many different versions have been seen from comics to movies and books and we got to explore the whole relationships he has had. He may not have had a major impact but he has iconic resonance and it will be intersting to see if and how he will be developed further.

Images courtesy of Star Wars, Marvel, and Dark Horse Comics