Darth Maul Rethinks His War on the Jedi in STAR WARS: MAUL - SHADOW LORD
Darth Maul has always been defined by his hatred of the Jedi. From the moment he ignited his double-bladed lightsaber in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, he was a weapon forged for one purpose: destroy them.
He killed Qui-Gon Jinn, helped shift the fate of the galaxy, and even after being cut in half, he survived with that same rage driving him. But in Maul: Shadow Lord, it turns out the galaxy’s most relentless Jedi hunter might be questioning everything he was trained to believe.
The new animated series hits Disney+ on April 6 and is set after Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, during the early days of the Empire’s reign.
It all unfolds before Maul’s final showdown with Obi-Wan Kenobi, so there’s still a lot of ground to cover. And according to Sam Witwer, who returns to voice Maul, this version of the character isn’t quite the same rage-fueled assassin we first met in The Phantom Menace.
Speaking to Star Wars Insider in an interview highlighted by the Holo Files, Witwer revealed something pretty unexpected about Maul’s mindset at this point in the timeline. He said:
“He was trained to hate and destroy the Jedi without ever questioning it. Now he’s looking at the galaxy going, ‘Boy, we could sure use a Jedi Knight or two.’ At least with the Jedi, you knew where they stood. There’s something to respect there.
“This Empire, he sees no values there, just the naked grab for influence, power, and money. Principles are gone. And he looks at that with a certain level of distaste. He may not have agreed with the Jedi Knights, but at least they had principles. You knew who you were dealing with, and you could reason with that. There’s no reasoning with the Empire.”
That’s a wild turn for a character who built his identity around hunting Jedi. But, by this point in the Star Wars timeline, the Jedi are nearly extinct and the Empire is tightening its grip across the galaxy.
Maul was trained by Darth Sidious to destroy the Jedi without hesitation. That mission shaped his entire life. But now the Sith have essentially won. The Jedi Order has fallen, and what’s left is something Maul doesn’t respect.
The Empire isn’t driven by any code. It’s fueled by domination and greed. For someone who at least understands rigid ideology and structure, that shift apparently doesn’t sit well.
Maul may not agree with the Jedi’s philosophy, but he respected that they had one. That’s a fascinating element for a character who once lived for nothing but revenge.
We’ve already seen hints of this complexity in Star Wars Rebels, where Maul forms uneasy alliances and shows flashes of something beyond simple hatred. We also know from Solo: A Star Wars Story that he rises to become a crime lord, carving out his own corner of the underworld.
He isn’t just a blunt weapon anymore. He’s strategic, calculating, and aware of the galaxy’s shifting power structures.
So the big question is whether Maul: Shadow Lord will actually put him face to face with any surviving Jedi. And if it does, how will that encounter play out? Is this regret, pragmatism, or something closer to disillusionment with the Empire?
Whatever direction the show takes, it’s cool to see Maul evolving beyond the silent, double-bladed menace who first ignited his lightsaber in The Phantom Menace. He’s still dangerous and still angry, but now there’s something else simmering under the surface.
We’ll see exactly how that plays out when Maul: Shadow Lord premieres on Disney+ on April 6.