Sam Witwer Teases Darth Maul's Brutal Path in SHADOW LORD: "Bad Guys vs. Worse Guys"
At Star Wars Celebration Japan, Lucasfilm officially pulled back the curtain on Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord, a new animated series that picks up Maul’s story one year after the events of The Clone Wars.
This is going to give fans a deeper dive into the mind of a man consumed by rage, revenge, and loss. If you were hoping for a redemption arc for Darth Maul, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.
IGN caught up with Sam Witwer, who once again lends his voice, and emotional depth, to the fan-favorite former Sith. And from the sound of it, Maul is more broken and dangerous than ever.
Witwer explained: “Maul comes from a time of magic… now he’s seeing an Empire he knew was coming, and the magic and color is being sucked out of the universe. How does he feel about that?
“This different than what he expected and how does he feel that affects him? What does he wanna do about it, and can he? He’s not very equipped right now. So this is a guy who’s trying to figure out what his destiny is.”
At this point in Maul’s life, his brother Savage is gone, Mother Talzin is gone, and every strategic alliance he built during the Clone Wars has crumbled. Add to that Ahsoka turning down his plea to help stop Anakin, and by extension, Palpatine, and what you have left is a man stripped of purpose, grasping for something to control. That something, it turns out, will evolve into Crimson Dawn, the criminal empire seen in Solo and Star Wars Outlaws.
Witwer makes it crystal clear: Maul isn’t on a journey toward the light.
“He’s a bad guy in this show. Our show is bad guys versus worse guys, so Maul is every bit as bad as he was before—in some ways even worse.”
Witwer also teased that Maul will take on a new apprentice, someone he described as “quite something.” While details are still under wraps, the trailer shown at Star Wars Celebration hinted at a twisted mentorship that’ll likely echo Maul’s own dark upbringing under Sidious.
Maul: Shadow Lord is set to premiere in 2026.