Star Wars Reveals the Final Fate of One Clone Wars Villain

Contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord

Of all the ways The Clone Wars improved the Star Wars prequels, arguably the most notable was the show’s surprise revival of Maul. Appearing at the end of Season 4, the iconic Phantom Menace villain became a wild card antagonist on the animated series, looking to rise to power in his own unique way. Maul became a player in the galactic underworld, forming the Shadow Collective, which consisted of various criminal syndicates such as Black Sun, the Pykes, and the Hutts. With the new show Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord chronicling Maul’s attempt to rebuild his criminal empire, it isn’t surprising that some of these old Shadow Collective figures are being featured again. And one of them met a very unfortunate end at the hands of Maul.

In the Shadow Lord episode “Chapter 4: Pride and Vengeance,” Marg Krim, the leader of the Pyke Syndicate is slain by Maul. Those who have seen Clone Wars are most likely familiar with Krim. He was the main antagonist for the Season 7 arc revolving around Ahsoka Tano’s misadventures with the Martez sisters. In the episode “Deal or No Deal,” Rafa Martez agreed to do a spice run for the Pyke syndicate before dumping the shipment en route to Oba Diah. Krim also appears as a hologram in “The Phantom Apprentice” as Maul tells the syndicate leaders to scatter following the Siege of Mandalore.

Why Maul Killed Marg Krim

The reasoning for Maul killing Krim is twofold. For starters, it’s an act of vengeance. Through dialogue, Maul reveals that Krim denied him asylum after the Clone Wars, a personal betrayal that obviously did not sit well with the former Sith Lord. The specifics of that situation are unknown for the time being (perhaps they’ll be the subject of a novel, comic series, or even a flashback on Shadow Lord), but it’s reasonable to assume that Krim saw Maul’s vulnerability post-Mandalore as an opportunity for him to break free and run his syndicate without having to answer to anyone. He probably wasn’t counting on Maul ever reemerging and becoming a key figure in the criminal underworld again.

Beyond revenge, eliminating Krim from the picture is a key step to Maul’s overarching plan. Shadow Lord is all about Maul trying to reestablish his criminal empire, building a force that could be strong enough to topple the Empire, which means bringing the syndicates back together to reform the Shadow Collective. The only way to do that is to ensure individuals who are loyal to Maul are at the top of the food chain in each syndicate; after killing Krim, Maul appoints Kalt to be the new leader of the Pykes, on the condition that he answers to Maul.

Read Next

Star Wars’ New TV Show Revives Debates About the Saga’s Coolest Character Being “Ruined” After 41 Years

This development on Shadow Lord could shed some light on an interesting detail in Solo: A Star Wars Story. In the spinoff film, Dryden Vos mentions that Crimson Dawn has a “fragile alliance” with the Pyke Syndicate, which is why he’s initially hesitant to run with Han Solo’s plan to steal coaxium from Kessel. Maul, of course, eventually becomes the leader of Crimson Dawn, so his killing of Krim is likely the origin of that “fragile alliance” between the two organizations. Since Kalt is reporting to Maul, Maul likely wants the Pykes and Crimson Dawn to be allies as opposed to competitive rivals. As he worked his way up the galactic underworld, Maul was a powerful overseer who looked to maintain control between the Five Crime Syndicates. The Pykes and Crimson Dawn are separate entities, but they both fall under Maul’s umbrella, essentially.

It’ll be interesting to see how much more the first season of Shadow Lord connects to Solo. The series appears to be laying the foundation for Maul’s ascension to the top of Crimson Dawn, but Season 2 was recently confirmed. There’s still a lot of this story to tell, so Lucasfilm may want to save some material to cover later in the series’ run. Regardless of what happens, it should be fascinating to watch Maul pull the strings as he spearheads his operation.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!