Star Wars Settled the Vader vs Maul Debate Over 20 Years Ago (And it Was Awesome)

Ever since Star Wars: The Clone Wars revealed that Darth Maul survived being cut in half at the end of The Phantom Menace, fans have wanted to see him square off with Darth Vader. You have to admit, a fight between Palpatine’s two angriest apprentices would certainly be a duel for the ages. Would the slow but powerful Vader overtake Maul, or would the smaller, more agile Sith Lord run circles around the former Jedi? While it’s a question that canon Star Wars has yet to answer, Legends settled the Vader vs Maul debate pretty definitively all the way back in 2001. Surprisingly, the battle didn’t come down to strength versus speed, but which combatant had more hate in their heart, a competition Darth Vader won easily.

Star Wars Tales was what Wookiepedia calls “a quasi-canonical” Legends comic book anthology published by Dark Horse Comics from 1999 to 2005. The series was basically the Legends version of Star Wars: Visions mixed with Marvel’s What If? The series contained everything from comical stories like “Skippy the Jedi Droid” a non-canon account of A New Hope from R5-D4’s perspective to more serious fare like “Resurrection” a story from Star Wars Tales #9 detailing the above mentioned Sith conflict.

What Happened When Darth Vader Fought Maul?

“Resurrection” came out seven years before The Clone Wars made its debut on Cartoon Network in 2008, so the common assumption among fans was that Darth Maul died when Obi-Wan bisected him on Naboo. The story gets around this by introducing a Sith cult known as the Prophets of the Dark Side, who manage to bring Darth Maul back to life using Sith Alchemy. The cult intends to have the newly resurrected Maul replace Vader as Palpatine’s rightful apprentice.

Things begin in 0 BBY, just after the Rebel Alliance obtains their copy of the Death Star schematics. Darth Vader lands on a volcanic moon known as Kalakar Six in search of the stolen plans, but instead walks into a trap set by the Prophets of the Dark Side. The Prophets claim that Vader can’t be a true Sith because his past as a Jedi has left him “tainted” and unworthy of training under Darth Sidious. The cultists then reveal the reborn Darth Maul and their plan to have him replace Vader at Sidious’s side.

The two Sith begin a vicious battle, with Vader accusing Maul 2.0 of being a “sham” and Maul turning the insult back on Vader, calling him “Jedi” like it’s a curse word. As tempers flare and lightsabers clash, Maul tells Vader, “My Darkness, my hatred, is unending,” before accusing him of having too much of the light side in him. The combatants continue to duel while hurling insults at each other.

Both Maul and the Prophets are surprised by Vader’s skills, but they remain confident that he will eventually fall. The two Sith are relatively evenly matched until Darth Vader takes his lightsaber and impales himself through the stomach, making sure that the blade goes through Maul as well. With his dying breath, Maul asks Vader, “What could you hate enough to destroy me?” to which the former Anakin Skywalker responds, “Myself.”

The fight ends the only way it logically could, with Darth Vader as the victor. Darth Maul may be full of hate for Obi-Wan and the Jedi, but he’ll never have the same boiling, black rage in the pit of his stomach that Vader carries with him. Maul fights for revenge, but Vader lives for it. He knows that death would be preferable to his existence of constant physical and emotional agony, which is exactly why he keeps going. Vader continues his miserable existence specifically because it hurts. Hatred may be a powerful motivator, but it will never trump pain.

While there’s nothing in canon preventing Vader from fighting Maul at some point prior to Maul’s death in Star Wars: Rebels, it would end up being a fairly uneventful duel. Neither Sith can kill the other because fans already know they both die fighting different opponents. On top of that, there isn’t really any motivation for Maul and Vader to fight. Unlike in “Resurrection,” Maul post Phantom Menace isn’t really looking to become Palpatine’s apprentice again. On the flipside, Vader doesn’t have any beef with Maul whatsoever.

It may very well end up that “Resurrection” is the only time we see these two Sith titans throw down. If that’s the case, at least it’s one heck of a brawl.