Darth Maul

**Maul** (formerly known as **Darth Maul**) is one of the major antagonists of the *Star Wars* franchise.

He has appeared in *Star Wars: The Phantom Menace*, *The Clone Wars*, *Rebels*, and *Solo*, as well as several novels.

In *The Phantom Menace* and *Solo: A Star Wars Story*, he was portrayed by Ray Park, who also played Toad and Snake Eyes, but his voice was provided by Peter Serafinowicz. In his TV appearances and *Solo: A Star Wars Story*, he was voiced by Sam Witwer, who also played Galen Marek/Starkiller in the *Force Unleashed*, and the Son in *Clone Wars*.

## Biography

### Early Life

The boy who would become Darth Maul was born on the planet, Dathomir, to Mother Talzin and had two brothers, Feral and Savage Opress. As a Dathomirian, Maul and his brothers were Nightbrothers, a group of males who were subservient to the Nightsisters). He and his brother, Savage, were given their tattoos before their first birthday. While still young, Maul's mother was made an ally of Darth Sidious. However, Sidious noticed that Maul was highly sensitive to the Force
Seeing great potential in the boy, Sidious abducted Maul to become his Sith apprentice, earning Talzin's resentment and hatred for the Sith.

Earning the title "Darth Maul," he became highly skilled in lightsaber dueling and gaining a strong hatred for the Jedi.

### Star Wars Prequel Trilogy

#### *Episode I - The Phantom Menace*

After two Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi prevented the Trade Federation to make their invasion of Naboo legal by rescuing Queen Amidala, Nute Gunray and his allies failed in searching for her. Impatient, Sidious dispatched Maul to retrieve the missing ship that Queen Amidala was on and capture her and to kill the two Jedi. Maul traced a distress call from the governor, Sio Bibble, which the queen received on Tatooine. Maul found the Jedi on the desert planet. Finally tracing the Jedi as they were about to leave the planet, he subsequently encountered and ambushed the Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn while he and the boy, Anakin Skywalker. Qui-Gon yelled at Anakin to run while he faced off Darth Maul. However, before Maul could finish his opponent off, Qui-Gon was saved by his allies, where he was attended to by Obi-Wan and Anakin and revealed that Maul was highly skilled in lightsaber.  This caused Darth Maul to fume with rage and anger. Because of this, Maul had revealed himself and his Master to the Jedi. However, Maul had taken great pride within it.

After the Jedi returned to Coruscant, the Jedi were surprised that the Sith had returned due to them being extinct for more than 2000 years. At that moment, Queen Amidala and her forces returned to Naboo to fight the Trade Federation. Sidious sent Maul to fight the Jedi, but warned him to be mindful. When Qui-Gon and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, entered the ship hangar where Nut Gunray was hiding and the Jedi, queen and Republic Officers had taken the Droids out, Maul was on the other side of the door and drew out his double-bladed lightsaber. He engaged Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan in a three-way duel. It was long and hard fight between the three. During the long battle, Maul chased the Jedi into the reactor room, where Obi-Wan was separated from his master and Maul's duel by the laser walls in the security hall. Maul had proceeded in killing Qui-Gon rather quickly. Enraged, Obi-Wan attacked Maul, who was caught off guard. Because of the loss of his Master, Obi Wan was able to slice Maul's saber in half. With only one saber left, Maul knocked Obi-Wan into an air shaft while king the Padawan's weapon into the pit. While Obi-Wan hang for his life, he used the Force, calling his master's lightsaber into his hand.

Obi-Wan took his master's saber and cut Maul in two halves, causing Maul to fall into the air shaft. Both Palpatine and the Jedi thought Maul had perished on Naboo.

### Between the Series

Miraculously, Maul survived and used the Force to grab onto an air vent. His mutilated body was eventually dumped on the junk planet of Lotho Minor.  He managed to replace his legs with a six-limbed apparatus that allowed him to walk again. During his exile, he made a bargain with a sentient sneaky Anacondan called Morley, who agreed to bring Maul food in return for his leftovers. Maul's mind became mutilated, with his thirst for revenge against Kenobi still causing him to live. He began living in the bowels of Lotho Minor.

### *The Clone Wars*

#### Season Four

During the final days of the Clone Wars, Maul continued to scrap for food from individuals that Morley lured until one of the victims was his brother, Savage Opress sent by their mother Talzin. Having lost his mind from years of being alone and his thirst for revenge against Kenobi, Maul attacked Savage as a creature due to his construction of spider-like prosthetic legs until he realized who the creature really was when his medallion that Mother Talzin blessed glowed (as it could only glow when Savage grew nearer to his brother). Seeing Savage through the light of his brother's medallion, Maul tried to flee until the younger Zabrak revealed he had been searching for him for months and that they were blood. After killing Maul's minion, Savage tried to figure out what happened to his brother and how long he had been staying there. The former Sith continued reciting the Sith code in his deranged estate until revealing that Obi-Wan was the cause of his misery. Maul, angered, demanded to Savage that he must have vengeance on his old enemy. Meanwhile Yoda senses that maul is still alive and warns Obi-Wan, who is perplexed and how his old enemy was still alive. ("Brothers")

Following Savage finding Maul, he took his brother back to their home world, where Maul's mind was fully restored by mother Talzin, well so give him a new pair of cybernetic legs. Shortly afterwards, Talzin disappeared into Green smoke as Savage and Maul were properly acquainted with each other. As Maul got used to his new legs, Maul felt an imbalance in the force, where Savage informed his brother of the Clone Wars. Upset that the war started without him and with his lightsaber, Maul proclaimed his hatred for Obi-Wan Kenobi, whom he entirely blamed for his pain and suffering. To draw Obi-Wan out, he slaughtered an entire planet and through a hologram, told Kenobi to come and face him or let other innocent people die. Maul confronted Kenobi when he arrived on the planet and mocked him over his master, Qui-Gon's death and blamed him for all his suffering. As they entered a brief duel, Kenobi gained confidence that he could kill Maul this time, but his brother, Savage, emerged from the shadows and overpowered Kenobi and taking him as their captive on their ship. As Maul and Savage tortured Kenobi, they were interrupted with the arrival of Savage's ex-lover, Asajj Ventress. Feeling she wronged his brother, he vowed to destroy her, as well as Kenobi. Maul and Savage entered a duel with their opponents. The two brothers proved to be a greater match for Obi-Wan and Ventress, who fled to their own ship and were able to escape. Maul anticipated Obi-Wan's return and told his brother to remain patient. ("Revenge")

#### Season Seven

Maul and other parts of his loyal forces returned to Mandalore and at this time, continued to rule over the organizations that remained loyal to him. Among them was forging ties with the criminal organization, Crimson Dawn, and the Pykes' spice mining operations. The Pykes hired Rafa Martez to deliver the spice, but her sister, Trace, dumped the spice into hyperspace, leading to their capture by the Syndicate. Shortly afterwards, Maul contacted the new leader, Marg Krim, who informed him of his delay in production, especially recalling that Republic forces have raided one of his bases. Maul questioned if there were Jedi involved but Krim was not sure since none of his men made it out alive. However, he warded it off and surmised the Jedi were likely involved. Mid-way through the conversation, Maul felt a presence of Ahsoka Tano, who was spying on them from below). Maul warned Krim to risk no more delays or else Crimson Dawn would take control of their operations before ending the transmission. ("Together Again")

At the close of the Clone Wars, Republic forces besieged Mandalore led by Captain Rex and Ahsoka Tano. He planned a trap for Kenobi, anticipating the Jedi's return by intentionally leaking information to Bo-Katan that he was in Sundari, the capital of Mandalore, where she hoped to capture Maul. When his Mandalorian warriors informed Maul of the girl's trail, he ordered them to lure her into the trap and kill her of Clone Trooper escort. However, Maul did not anticipate Ahsoka to be the Jedi. He personally confronted her, and questioned why she was there instead of Kenobi. ("Old Friends Not Forgotten")

Maul, who is unfamiliar with Ahsoka, further expresses his disappointment that she is there in Obi-Wan's stead and wonders why he sent her instead of coming with his former Apprentice, Anakin Skywalker. She sarcastically remarks that he could surrender now and personally ask Kenobi, but Maul, knowing the age of the Empire and Order 66 will be upon them, declines, knowing the Jedi and republic will fall. Ahsoka assumes he wants to take over, but Maul reveals someone else will and reveals a name to her: Darth Sidious. However, they are interrupted when Rex and the battalion arrive to Ahsoka's aid, causing Maul to take out his lightsaber and briefly duels the girl before fleeing and losing them in the sewers. Maul later attacks and apparently kill a group of Clone Troopers, questioning about his new opponent, and takes the eldest one, Jesse, hostage. As he speaks to the clone, Maul reminiscent that he was cast aside by his master, especially his successor, Dooku, whom he now realizes was not so different from their last encounter. He strives to survive in the new world when "the plan" is being put into motion, but first, invades Jesse's mind to learn more about Ahsoka Tano. Through the clone, Maul becomes aware of Ahsoka's trial and her departure from the Jedi Order. Later knowing what is to come, he tells the other leaders of the Shadow Collective to hide out. With the presence of Rook Kast, and Gar Saxon, he recalls how they saved him from Sidious' imprisonment and rallies them to fight or die trying. Later, Maul sits upon the Mandalorian throne, confronting Rex, Ahsoka and Bo-Katan, who Maul briefly chokes when she tries to kill him. As a show of good faith, Maul sets Jesse free and allows him to return to Rex, who Ahsoka tells to get Jesse to safety.

Suddenly, Mandalorians attack republic forces, Ahsoka urges Bo-Katan to go help their allies, leaving Maul alone with her. Watching the battle in the throne room, Maul, aware of what is going to happen, knows that no one else knows what is to come. Ahsoka questions what the former Sith means and once again sarcastically tells him to surrender, however, Maul reveals he just wants to speak to her, confronting her about her departure from the Jedi Order. Maul acknowledges they were both used for a greater power. Ahsoka makes it clear that she is there to bring him to justice, however, Maul reveals to her that it won't exist in the new government that will replace the republic and promises that Sidious will reveal himself when the Empire takes over. Ahsoka tries convincing Maul to help the Jedi stop Sidious before it is too late, however, Maul knows the fall of the Republic has already begun and that Ahsoka does not see it and reveals that there will be nothing but chaos when the new order takes over. He convinces Ahsoka that the Jedi Order has already fallen and they cannot defeat Sidious, and offers for her to join him while offering his hand out to her. The former Padawan accepts but asks for one question, which Maul promises to answer. Ahsoka asks what he wants with Anakin. Maul reveals that he orchestrated the Mandalorian Civil War in hopes of luring Anakin there and kill him so he can deprive Sidious of an apprentice and tells Ahsoka how Anakin will fall to the dark side, as the whole war was about Sidious grooming Anakin to become his Sith Apprentice, causing Ahsoka to believe his vision to be flawed and activate her lightsabers. When he realizes Ahsoka will not join him, Maul decies she needs one more lesson before igniting his lightsabers duels the young Padawan before attempting to flee, where Saxon asks him for reinforcements. However, Maul reveals he is abandoning them and to die for their cause before trying to escape. Ahsoka finds him as he is about to escape. During the battle, they nearly fall. Maul offers her one last chance to join him but she refuses. As he tries to kill her, Ahsoka loses her lightsabers and pushes him in self-defense but catches him with the Force. As Maul yells for Ahsoka to let him fall to his death, he shouts to his captors that they will all die for what is to come. However, Bo's and Ahsoka's men stun him, successfully capturing Maul. ("The Phantom Apprentice")

After his capture Maul is transported to a prison that prohibits Force-sensitive users from using their powers and is transported to a Republic ship. However he is freed by Ahsoka Tano, who wants him to provide a distraction. Maul once again proposes she join him but Ahsoka refuses. He attacks the Clones before making his escape by destroying the hyperdrive to Ahsoka Tano's Star Destroyer and surviving yet again ("Shattered")

### *Solo*

Darth Maul eventually dropped the title of "Darth" from his name to distinguish himself from the Sith, who he grew to hate as much as the Jedi. He took over the crime syndicate, Crimson Dawn but he worked behind a figurehead, Dryden Vos. At this point, Maul had become aware of Qi'ra, a Corellian young woman.

Towards the end of the film, Qi'ra contacts Maul and informs him of Dryden's demise and how the coaxium shipment he has been searching for has been taken by Vos' friend, Tobias Beckett (who allegedly murdered him) without mentioning Han Solo's or her other friends' involvement in the coaxium's theft. Maul realizes that Beckett couldn't have acted alone and told Qi'ra to meet him on Dathomir, where he instituted the two would work more closely from now on before ending the transmission.

However, Maul's empire soon collapsed, causing the Former Sith Lord to flee to Malachor, a planet of the Sith where Maul had once visited with Sidious.

### *Rebels*

#### Season Two

After the collapse of his Empire, Maul had stayed on Malachor since his ship crash-landed but failed to retrieve the Sith Holocron from the inside. Fifteen years later, having dropped "Darth" from his name, Maul crossed paths with fifteen-year-old Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger when he was separated from his Master Kanan Jarrus and mentor, Ahsoka Tano. Ezra remains wary of the stranger and threatens him with his lightsaber. Maul insists he is no threat to the teenager and reveals that he is at Malachor for knowledge, just like Ezra and his friends have come here for. He agrees to help Ezra get out of the lower levels of Malachor if he shows the location of the prize that will know how to defeat the Sith. Maul tells Ezra to call him "Old Master" while Ezra used his "Jabba the Hutt" alias. During their conversation and way to the Sith Holocron, Ezra learns that Maul was once a force-wielder and accuses him of being a Sith. However, Maul reveals it was the Sith who took his mother and brother, which causes Ezra to relate how he lost his parents and family to the Empire as well.

They came across a stone-closed door and opened them with the Force due to the Rule of Two established by the Sith Order. It was there that Ezra revealed what his real name was and that he is in fact called Maul. They find the Sith Holocron, but at a further distance; Ezra has Maul throw him with the Force to get the holocron. He retrieves it but Maul orders for Ezra to jump nonetheless even though the temple was collapsing. Ezra nearly falls to his death but Maul force-grips the teenager and grabs the Holocron. While it appears he is about to let Ezra fall to his doom, Maul brings him back up as well. The two managed to get out of the chasm, coming to the aid of Ahsoka and Kanan and they fend off the Seventh Sister, the Fifth Brother and the Eighth Brother, causing them to retreat.

Kanan and Ahsoka were reluctant to trust Maul due to his past actions against the Jedi, but Ezra convinced them they all had to work together in order to succeed in defeating the Inquisitors and learning more about destroying the Sith. Maul and Ezra sepa

    rate from Ahsoka and Kanan while taking the Sith holocron. Maul attempted to sow the heated and strained relationship between master and apprentice by seeing Ezra's potential Force abilities. They are suddenly attacked by the Seventh Sister, who engages in a duel with the Jedi Padawan and the former Sith lord. As Ezra fought the Inquisitor, Maul told the teenager to let his emotions fuel his duel with the Sister. Maul overpowered the Seventh Sister by Force-gripping the defenseless Inquisitor and goaded Ezra to strike her down. However, the boy hesitated, unable to kill a defenseless opponent. Maul shared no such qualms and took his Lightsaber and decapitated the Seventh Sister. He scolded Ezra, telling the teen Jedi that if hesitated like that again, it would cost him the lives of himself and his friends.

Maul sent Ezra the rest of the way to use the holocron to activate the temple while he went and helped Kanan and Ahsoka kill the Fifth and Eighth brother. However, Maul ultimately betrayed Kanan and Ahsoka, blinding the former and revealed that Ezra was going to activate the Sith weapon and revealed that he intended take Ezra on as an apprentice and to use the weapon to crush his enemies. During the duel, he taunted both Ahsoka and Kanan, who ultimately bested Maul in combat and set him falling off of the cliff. However, Maul survived and left on the Eighth Brother's TIE fighter.

#### Season Three

Six months later, Maul resurfaced. but this time, decided to torment Ezra and his friends. He tortured one of the rebel commanders into coercing him to reveal where Ezra's home, the Ghost, was located, where Maul captured Ezra's and Kanan Jarrus's crew and held them hostage. Maul contacted the two Jedi. Infuriated, Ezra demanded to know what Maul wanted after betraying him on Malachor. Maul offered to spare them in exchange for the Sith holocron he and Ezra retrieved on Malachor. Ezra and Kanan agreed, promising to deliver it in exchange for their friends' safety. Maula greed to their terms but also asked for Kanan's Jedi holocron. During his time on the Ghost, Maul saw the ship was more than just Ezra's ship, but also his and the crew's home. He tricked Hera into showing him around the ship in order to find Kanan's holocron. Shown all the crew's room, when he appeared at Kanan's cabin, he successfully identified it as a Jedi's headquarters and attempted to get Hera to show him where the holocron was, but the Twi'lek woman lied and pretended not to know anything about him until Maul learned through probing through Hera's mind that she knew Kanan's real name was Caleb Dume and therefore, knew more about him what she let on. Probing through her mind, Maul learned how the Ghost crew met Ezra, how it was Hera's idea to recruit him and that where Ezra found the Holocron when he stole it. Maul later attempted to open the Holocron, however, he was unable to open it because he was too imbedded within the dark side. He later found the Ghost crew escaped and attempted to take the Ghost crew back from Maul. However, the former Sith Lord overpowered the crew and threatened to kill them when their usefulness was over.

Shortly after Kanan and Ezra's arrival, Maul saw Ezra had found the Sith Holocron and told Mandalorian guide droids he re-programmed to lead him to the command center and pretended to lead the Jedi Knight to where their friends were supposedly taken until he shoved the Jedi out of airlock in another attempt to make Ezra his apprentice and ordered the droids guarding Ezra to kill Hera, Sabine and Zeb. They combined Kanan's Jedi and the Malachor Holocron together to find the answers they sought. However, Ezra broke their connection when Kanan called for Ezra to look away before it was too late. The boy looked away, ultimately cutting off his and Maul's connection to the Sith holocron. However, the brief connection caused Maul to realize that Kenobi was still alive and left in a hurry, leaving the Ghost crew behind. ("The Holocrons of Fate")

## Powers and abilities

Darth Maul had an affinity with the Force when he was found by Darth Sidious, who kidnapped Maul as a child and brutally trained him. Through the Sith training, Maul became a dangerous but talented lightsaber duelist, using the double bladed red lightsaber with relative ease. He usually used psychological tactics to crush his enemies. Maul is a master manipulator, having tricked several characters, which included manipulating Ezra Bridger into unwittingly setting off the Sith Temple on Malachor.

He was also familiar with Nightsister Magicks, enough to perform a spell between him and Ezra when they failed to combine the Sith and Jedi holocrons. Maul also has an indomitable will and a high tolerance to pain.

## Trivia

* The term "Maul" usually means to maim someone
* As of *Twilight of the Apprentice*, Maul dropped "Darth" from his name  to show he was no longer affiliated with Palpatine or the Sith Order.
	+ Despite dropping "Darth" from his name, Maul is still credited as "Darth Maul" on merchandise and called "Darth Maul" by Ezra when he mentions him to the Bendu for the first time.
* Maul is one of the precursors to Anakin Skywalker becoming Darth Vader due to both becoming cyborgs and their legs were cut off by Obi-Wan Kenobi
* Maul dies in Kenobi's arms in the exact pose when he held Satine Kryze and Qui-Gon Jinn.
* Ian McCaig designed Darth Maul as a figure that manifested in the form of his own nightmares, courtesy to George Lucas' suggestion. The abandoned concept art of Maul was later used for his mother, Talzin for The Clone Wars television series
* Maul was originally going to die in "Twilight of the Apprentice" during a confrontation with Vader on Malachor.
* Everyone thought that Maul, including the audience and most of the characters, that the character originally died in the Prequel Trilogy until the Clone Wars proved otherwise.
* To prevent leaks about Maul's appearance as the true leader of Crimson Dawn in *Solo: A Star Wars Story*, he went unnamed in the script, even causing some of the filmmakers to think the decision of who was Crimson Dawn's leader was still undecided. Instead, he was credited as "The Boss."
* Maul is voiced by Sam Witwer, who also voiced Palpatine in other media and Galen Marek/Starkiller in *The Force Unleashed*, and The Son in the "Mortis" arc.