Maul May No Longer Be A Sith, But Shadow Lord Proves He Still Respects Dark Side Rules

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Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord episodes 5-6

As a huge Star Wars fan, I’m really intrigued by the new Darth Maul comic. Even though he’s not officially the Dark Lord anymore, Maul – Shadow Lord shows he still holds onto a lot of the core principles and traditions he learned from Darth Sidious. It’s cool to see that even after everything, he hasn’t completely abandoned the dark side’s rules.

So far in the Shadow Lord comic, we’ve seen Darth Maul as a Sith operating on his own, having been abandoned by Darth Sidious during The Clone Wars after being brought back to life. After seemingly dying in The Phantom Menace, Maul was first superseded by Count Dooku during the Clone Wars, and now by Darth Vader in the time of the Empire. Palpatine and Vader are the main Sith Lords, and Maul is a persistent rival who Palpatine definitely wants eliminated.

Despite everything, Maul’s efforts to find his own apprentice in Shadow Lord show he still thinks and acts like a Sith Lord, even though he’s no longer officially one.

Maul May No Longer Be A Sith Lord, But He’s Still Holding To Classic Traditions

After six episodes of Shadow Lord, the show has offered a compelling look at how Darth Maul subtly corrupts Devon Izara, a young Jedi who survived Order 66, and the seductive pull of the dark side’s power.

Maul isn’t just tempting Devon with the power of the dark side, offering her a way to find meaning and overcome her challenges – he’s positioning himself as a valuable partner against the Empire. Despite this, Devon remains hesitant and even fought Maul, breaking his double-bladed lightsaber in the process during an encounter in Shadow Lord episode 3. Maul used this fight to push her closer to the dark side, and by the end, she briefly gave in to her anger. However, Maul ultimately allowed her to leave, showing he’s planning for the future and sees her as a long-term asset.

As a huge Star Wars fan, one moment that really stuck with me was in Shadow Lord episode 5. Maul’s response when his lieutenant, Rook Kast, questions why he’s sticking around on Janix, even with the Empire showing up, is just chilling. She doesn’t get why he’d bother with Devon after she tried to kill him, and his reply – “An admirable attempt, she will make an excellent apprentice” – is so casually menacing and reveals so much about his mindset. It’s a perfect example of how he sees potential even in those who oppose him, and it’s honestly a bit terrifying!

Darth Maul’s positive reaction to Devon’s attack on his life actually fits with traditional Sith beliefs. In the Star Wars universe, Sith apprentices are supposed to try and defeat their mentors – it’s how they rise in power and eventually become masters themselves, taking on their own apprentices. This continues the ancient ‘Rule of Two’ established by Darth Bane.

Maul thoroughly understands the dark side, having been trained by Darth Sidious from a young age. Even though he’s no longer officially a Sith, he still acts according to those principles. If given the chance, it’s likely Devon will receive the same kind of training.

Does Maul Want To Fully Replace Darth Sidious As A New Sith Lord?

This also makes us wonder what Maul is really trying to achieve. He’s clearly determined to regain his strength and get revenge on those who wronged him, with Darth Sidious being his primary target. But what happens after that? What’s his long-term plan?

If Maul succeeded in killing Darth Sidious and Vader, would he try to take Palpatine’s place and reclaim the title of Darth Maul? It’s unclear if he’s considered what he’d do after getting his revenge, or even if he’d want to rule as a Sith Lord again.

As a big Star Wars fan, we all know how Maul’s story ultimately ends – it’s pretty tragic, and Sidious and Vader continue as the Sith Lords we see in the original movies, even after Maul’s final appearance in Rebels. But what makes reading Shadow Lord so compelling is finally getting to see just how close Maul almost came to achieving his goals. It’s a dark, fascinating look at what could have been.

New episodes of Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord release Mondays on Disney+ from Lucasfilm Animation.

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2026-04-24 04:09