Maul – Shadow Lord ended with the duel Star Wars fans have longed to see since 1999. Darth Vader and Darth Maul crossed blades at last, and suffice to say it didn’t go well for Maul. Darth Vader absolutely dominated Maul, proving Palpatine was right not to give up on the Chosen One after he was so badly injured by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Maul only survived because he was aided by two Jedi, and even then really by sacrificing one of them to Vader. But why was Maul such a comparative pushover?
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Speaking on The Ringer-Verse podcast, Maul – Shadow Lord star Sam Witwer spoke about why Vader dominated his rival so easily. As he explained:
“Vader’s superior striking ability, the fact that he’s so strong and has figured out how to use those limbs to enhance the strength rather than detract [from] the strength. Maul’s strength comes from the agility. Vader has his brute force, and you imagine that his hardware is also designed for brute force. Maul can’t compete with that when their blades meet.
There’s also the matter of Vader sees things before they happen. We know that, and so Vader does not have to move as fast for his blade to be exactly where it needs to be at the right time. He’s just like, yep, and it’s there, and it’s there, now I go here, now there, Force push you, do this. You know, he’s a machine.
He’s also totally prepared for the fight. He’s already done all of the reconnaissance and intel that he could possibly need to know exactly how to take this guy apart. He has Inquisitors reporting back, you can imagine they’ve recorded all of those fights. Vader’s like, okay, I get it. One of the first things Vader does, boom right to the legs. He knows exactly what he’s doing. It’s not in any stretch of the imagination a fair fight, right? But it is a rich fight and full of character and interest, I think.”
Sam Witwer’s Assessment of the Duel is Absolutely Right
These comments are particularly important given Witwer has a significant creative role in Lucasfilm; Dave Filoni trusts him to shape Maul’s character, as proven by recent comments about Maul’s character progression since The Phantom Menace. Filoni openly credits Witwer for his creative mindset, his deep understanding of Maul, and the energy he brings to the role. So Witwer’s assessment is importand definitive, pointing to the significant advantages Darth Vader had over Maul during their lightsaber duel. Maul wasn’t only outclassed; he was also outthought.
As Witwer points out, Darth Vader had several key advantages over Maul. The first lies in the fact that his cybernetic enhancements actually act in his benefit; Vader has become optimized for raw strength, with hydraulic limbs meaning his lightsaber blows land with devastating impact. He doesn’t care about finesse, instead using brute force to smash through an opponent’s defenses, and even the acrobatic Master Eeko-Dio Daki was forced to fall back on the defensive lightsaber form of Soresu. Maul’s own lightsaber form (Niman) simply wasn’t dominant enough to counter Vader.
Vader is hardly unique for using precognition in battle; all Jedi and Sith have this power, and it’s how they block and deflect blaster bolts. The problem for Maul, though, is that Vader is simply too powerful, too relentless. When dueling a more typical opponent, the battle ebbs and flows as each foresees incoming attacks, switches to the defensive, and then goes back to the offensive. Darth Vader simply doesn’t care. He blocks occasionally, but his focus is entirely on the attack, and he even lets Master Daki get a shot in because he’s too aggressive. Maul simply can’t adapt to that.
Witwer’s last point is absolutely fascinating, though. Note that Vader chose not to go into Janix’s city, instead scouting out the exact area the fugitives would flee to. This gave him one final advantage, in that he knew exactly where the fight would take place. It’s anybody’s guess how Vader chose the location so precisely; the most likely explanation lies in his sensing it coming through the Force. If he really did foresee events to that extent, then Vader really is almost impossible to defeat.
What do you think of Sam Witwer’s explanation? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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