Our favorite Star Wars characters
Photo Credit: [Star Wars Rebels] Lucasfilm, Cartoon Network
Darth Maul
Appearances: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Solo: A Star Wars Story
Defining moment: Defeating Pre Vizsla and taking over Mandalore
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“At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge.”
That bone-chilling quote is really what drew me to Darth Maul. Yeah, he looked cool with those horns and that tattooed face and that savage fighting style, but the fact that he was so driven is what caught my eye.
In the final fight of The Phantom Menace, I saw just how intimidating Maul could be. Nobody had ever fought with a lightsaber like that–jumping around, kicking and head-butting, wielding that double-bladed weapon with unreal expertise. In the end, though, his cockiness got the best of him. The guy was just cold-blooded, cutting down Qui-Gon right in front of Obi-Wan, then coming oh-so-close to offing the Padawan.
I really thought that I’d seen the last of Darth Maul after that. I mean, I’d read the Shadow Hunter book and some of the comics, but I was convinced that the odds of seeing him on-screen were slim to none.
Then, it happened.
In The Clone Wars, I remember when Savage went on the journey to find his long-lost brother. There’s no way, I thought. Then, when we finally saw Spider-Maul, I was dumbfounded. Dave Filoni and the crew had really done it–they’d brought the Son of Dathomir back to life.
The Clone Wars really gave us a better look at Maul and the things that drove him. He and Savage just caused havoc in the galaxy, culminating in the duel for the Mandalorian throne with Pre Vizsla. Who else could’ve taken over a planet like that?
The last time we see Maul in TCW is when Sidious kills Savage and tortures his former apprentice. In Rebels, Maul tries to make one last comeback. It was really interesting because it felt like Old Man Maul was like a Dark Side version of Old Ben Kenobi. Maul tries to turn Ezra to the Dark, while Old Ben is making sure that Luke doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
Then, it was Solo. Right near the end of the movie, I thought “well, this was actually a lot better than I was expecting”. Then, Qi’ra starts talking to some guy in a hood. Then the hood came off, and it was the closest I’ve ever come to screaming “YYYEEESSSSS” in a theater.
Here’s to Darth Maul, the most savage man in the galaxy.