Maul – Shadow Lord Must Include a Long-Awaited Dark Side Battle

There’s little to no chance that George Lucas and Co. realized the impact Darth Maul would have when he made his first appearance in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. After being nothing more than a pawn for Palpatine, he returned in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and started a years-long effort to get revenge. Maul’s become so important to Star Wars, in fact, that he’s getting his own animated series titled Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord. While it’s set to focus on his time as a crime lord, there’s still room for the show to do the right thing and bring a long-awaited dark side battle to life onscreen.

Maul’s no stranger to epic duels, having taken on the likes of Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Emperor Palpatine, and Ahsoka Tano. And while he doesn’t always come out on top, he never fails to put up a good fight, especially if he has real stakes in the conflict. But there’s still one person Maul has yet to cross paths with on the battlefield, one he still holds a definite grudge against.

Maul Wanted to Throw Down With Anakin Skywalker

The first time Maul crosses paths with Anakin Skywalker is in The Phantom Menace. He doesn’t think much of him, as he gets dispatched to take out Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. However, after Maul’s apparent death on Naboo, Palpatine takes a liking to Anakin and begins to scheme to make him his apprentice. Once Maul resurfaces and joins the Clone Wars conflict, he becomes aware of his master’s plans and begins to create one of his own.

It all comes to a head during the final episodes of The Clone Wars. Maul reveals to Ashoka that he orchestrated the conflict on Mandalore to lure Anakin there and kill him. Of course, the main goal is to stop Palpatine’s rise to Emperor, but jealousy is also part of Maul’s motivations. He doesn’t appreciate the fact that he was cast out and replaced with Anakin; unfortunately, Anakin isn’t the one who heads to Mandalore, and Maul isn’t able to convince Ahsoka to turn on her former master and friend. The former Sith Lord ends up getting captured, but he escapes due to the chaos caused by Order 66. Shadow Lord will pick up shortly after that, and Maul’s feelings are unlikely to have changed.

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Maul & Darth Vader Can Finally Come to Blows in Shadow Lord

With revenge still on Maul’s mind in Shadow Lord, it’s entirely possible that he sets his sights on Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine. It’s not going to be an easy mission, especially with the Inquisitors coming into their own, but never tell Maul the odds. His confidence rarely wavers, and if he thought he could take down prime Anakin Skywalker, he surely thinks he could do the same to Darth Vader.

It’s possible that Palpatine learns of Maul’s underworld dealings and sends his apprentice to take care of him, or maybe Maul seeks out Vader on his own and takes the fight to the Sith Lord. After all, prior to the events of Star Wars Rebels, Maul becomes obsessed with Sith artifacts, especially ones he believes will give him a leg up against the Sith. Shadow Lord can touch on that, with Maul facing off against Vader and learning that he’s not strong enough on his own to take out the Sith Lords.

There’s also enough wiggle room in canon to make it happen. When Maul returns in Rebels, he’s looking for a Sith holocron on Malachor and recruits Ezra Bridger to help him. Everything’s going well until the Inquisitors and Vader show up. The Inquisitors don’t pose much of a challenge, but Maul doesn’t attempt to take on Vader alone. In fact, he informs Ezra’s friends, including Ahsoka Tano, that it’ll take all of them to defeat the Sith Lord. That seems to tease that Maul is very much aware of Vader’s strength, and while it’s possible he’s just kept up with his accomplishments over the years, it’s more fun to consider the possibility that Maul already tried his hand at fighting his former master’s new apprentice.

Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord arrives on Disney+ in 2026.

Do you want to see Maul and Darth Vader fight in Shadow Lord? Who do you think would come out on top? Let us know in the comments below!