Star Wars’ New Show Is Finally Teasing A Major Maul Betrayal

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

As a huge fan, I have a really strong feeling someone’s going to betray Maul in the new Shadow Lord series. Honestly, this show is already up there with the best Star Wars Disney has made, and there are still four episodes left! What I love most is that we’re finally getting to see more of Maul’s incredibly tragic backstory – it’s been amazing to watch his journey unfold.

Set one year after the events of Revenge of the Sith, Shadow Lord depicts the Empire strengthening its control over the galaxy. Meanwhile, Maul is trying to regain his power by rebuilding his criminal organization, the Shadow Collective. However, disagreements are already surfacing due to Maul’s conflicting goals in this new Star Wars story.

Maul is driven by a desire for revenge against those who have wronged him, and his former master, Darth Sidious (Palpatine), is his primary target. Though rebuilding his criminal network will increase his power, Maul understands that controlling the galaxy’s underworld isn’t enough to get back at Palpatine – he needs someone to train as an apprentice. Recent events in Shadow Lord suggest conflict is brewing within his organization, foreshadowing a significant betrayal that Star Wars fans will recognize as inevitable.

Maul’s Dual Objectives Are Creating Tensions Among His Mandalorian Agents

Maul deliberately chose the planet Janix as the center of his operations. It had strong connections to the galaxy’s criminal networks and, for a time, remained unnoticed by the Empire.

By episodes 5 and 6 of Shadow Lord, the Empire has arrived on Janix, even though Captain Brander Lawson, the local police chief, tried his best to keep them away. Instead of moving on to a different planet, Darth Maul decides to stay, recognizing the potential in Jedi survivor Devon Izara as a possible new apprentice.

Look, things on Janix are getting seriously dangerous with the Empire showing up. It’s especially worrying because of this Imperial Inquisitor, Marrok, and the trailers for Shadow Lord make it clear the Eleventh Brother is heading there too. I’m hearing that even the Mandalorians who’ve been loyal to Maul are starting to have doubts about his choices. They’re apparently going to Rook Kast – a Mandalorian who’s been with Maul since before the Siege of Mandalore – to voice their concerns. It’s a tense situation, to say the least!

It turns out these Mandalorians are primarily motivated by money, and they weren’t initially committed to working with the Empire. This proves they’re mercenaries, not truly dedicated to Maul’s goals. Even though Rook tells them to stay put, they’ll probably abandon him soon, which reinforces the idea that Maul’s connection to Mandalore after the Clone Wars was always unstable.

Maul Losing His Mandalorian Allies Feels Inevitable In Shadow Lord

During the Clone Wars, Maul became a powerful and intimidating leader, earning the loyalty of many Mandalorians after obtaining the famed Darksaber. However, his attempt to escape during the Siege of Mandalore – abandoning his followers before being defeated and temporarily captured by Ahsoka Tano – ultimately damaged his reputation.

Although Rook Kast appears loyal now in Shadow Lord, other Star Wars stories hint she’ll eventually turn against Maul. Both Rook and Gar Saxon were key leaders for Maul during the Siege of Mandalore. However, Star Wars Rebels reveals that Saxon later sided with the Empire, becoming their chosen ruler of Mandalore.

If Maul keeps risking his criminal empire to protect Devon, it’s unlikely the Mandalorians will remain loyal, particularly with the growing Imperial threat. Even Rook might eventually abandon him. We already know Maul will ultimately end up alone, as seen when he tries to take Ezra Bridger as an apprentice in Rebels. A significant falling-out and betrayal seems inevitable.

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

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2026-04-25 05:58