Darth Maulis easily one of the most badass characters inStar Warshistory, and that point has been made clear in his film and television appearances alone.Maul debuted inEpisode I, acting as the first Sith to be publicly spotted in 1000 years, who successfully murders a Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn. Then, Maul returns to canon inStar Wars: The Clone Wars, where he takes over the galaxy’s underworld before conquering all of Mandalore, and even stands his ground against Darth Sidious himself.
Indeed,Darth Maul’s many feats inStar Warshave cemented his reputation as one of the most hardcore characters in the franchise, and his many comic book appearances only add to that legacy. FromStar Warstales that take place within the established canon, toLegendsstories that offer fans alternate (yet equally awesome) looks at the badass Sith, these are10 of the best Darth Maul moments of all time that fans only got inStar Warscomics!
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10Darth Maul is a Legitimate Horror Movie Monster Before His ‘Resurrection’
Star Wars Adventures: Return to Vader’s Castle#1 by Cavan Scott, Francesco Francavilla, and Megan Levens
The mere fact alone that Darth Maul is a vicious, merciless Sith makes him incredibly terrifying, but in Return to Vader’s Castle, he’s utter nightmare fuel.This story takes place during the time period when Darth Maul found himself trapped on Lotho Minor after being defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi on Naboo. AsStar Warsfans know, it was at this point in Maul’s life that he no longer had the bottom half of his body, and had to compensate with robotic spider legs.
In this story, a few unfortunatewannabe smugglers find themselves on Lotho Minor and in Darth Maul’s clutches. Since they didn’t know who he was, Maul just seemed like a local monster, which is essentially what he became after his crushing defeat and before his official ‘resurrection’ - and this story captures that perfectly.
9Star Wars Details Exactly How Darth Maul Survived After Episode I
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - The Sith Huntersby Henry Gilroy, Steven Melching, and Vicenç Villaagrasa
Fans ofStar Wars: The Clone Warsknow the story of how Maul survivedEpisode I, and how he eventually returned to his former glory (and beyond). However, the specifics of what Maul went through were never explicitly shown, only briefly summarized - until this comic.The Sith Huntersis a story that fits perfectly intoStar Wars: The Clone Wars(as if it was an unaired episode), and itshows exactly how Maul survived getting cut in half, and then dumped on Lotho Minor.
Witnessing the utter hell Darth Maul endured is comparable to seeingAnakin Skywalker burned alive on Mustafar. It allows fans to experience the hardships of the character, and better appreciate what they went through, making this comic a must-read for Darth Maul fans.
8Star Wars Reveals How Darth Maul Escaped the Clutches of Darth Sidious
Star Wars: Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir#1-4 by Jeremy Barlow and Juan Frigeri
One of the biggest unanswered questions inThe Clone Warsanimated series is how Darth Maul escaped the clutches of Darth Sidious after Palpatine killed Savage Opress and captured Maul on Mandalore.Sidious tells Maul he has big plans for him upon Maul’s capture, but then Maul is free the next time fans see him a few seasons later. Well, with theSon of Dathomircomic book story arc (which was originally meant to be aClone Warsstoryline), that mystery is solved in truly spectacular fashion.
Son of Dathomirsees Maul rescued by his Mandalorian Death Watch squadron before he aligns himself once more with Mother Talzin to take on Count Dooku, General Grievous, and even Darth Sidious all at the same time. Thisis a standout moment in Darth Maul’s personal Star Wars lore, and it deserves every bit of praise it gets.
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7Darth Maul’s Sith Mind Trick is Too R-Rated for Star Wars’ Main Canon
Star Wars: Darth Maul - Death Sentence#1 by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo
Death Sentenceis similar to the likes ofSon of DathomirandSith Huntersin that it is a continuation of Darth Maul’s post-‘resurrection’ journey during the Clone Wars.Except, this comic isn’t strictly canon, which allowed the story to be a bit more R-rated. The gruesome brutality of Darth Maul and Savage Opress as they’re on the run from the Jedi is put on full display, especially one scene in particular.
Darth Maul uses a Sith Mind Trick to force a guard to detonate an explosive - while holding it - right in the middle of where every one of his fellow guards were standing,allowing Maul and Savage easy access into the fortress they were trying to infiltrate. That’s a pretty hardcore scene for a famously family-friendly franchise likeStar Warsto show, and way too R-rated for the main series canon.
6Darth Maul Gets an Even More Badass Weapon than His Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Star Wars: Darth Maul#1 by Cullen Bunn and Luke Ross
Darth Maul’s double-bladed lightsaber is one of the coolest weapons inStar Warshistory, which is made clear by how iconic the weapon’s debut was inThe Phantom Menace. However, as awesome as this lightsaber unarguably is, it’s actually not the most badass in Darth Maul’s arsenal. During a training session in this issue,Darth Maul is fighting many-eyed, sharp-toothed, tentacled beasts in the forests of Twon Ketee, and he’s doing so with a giant battle-ax.
To be clear, the ax Maul wields in this Star Wars comic is no substitute for his double-bladed lightsaber,as the saber is infinitely more effective in battle. However, in terms of sheer badassery, the ax has the lightsaber beat, as it gives Maul a more barbaric, brutal edge.
5Darth Maul Finally Got the Chance to Battle His Replacement: Darth Vader
Star Wars Tales#9 “Resurrection” by Ron Marz and Rick Leonardi
The greatest crime thatStar Warsever committed was robbing fans of an on-screen battle between Darth Maul and his Sith replacement, Darth Vader, especially after Darth Maul’s ‘resurrection’, which meant they were around at the same time and could have conceivably crossed paths (and blades). Thankfully,Star Wars Legendsmakes up for this shortcoming with theStar Wars Talesstory, “Resurrection”, which showedDarth Maul being resurrected through Sith alchemy, and pitted against Darth Vader by a group of Sith cultists.
The battle between Maul and Vader is marked as one of the coolest lightsaber duels inStar Warshistory (canon or not). It finally showed the two most iconic Sith warriors battling it out to settle which one is truly superior, and it’s something everyStar Warsfan needs to experience.
4Darth Maul is Killed by Star Wars’ Least Likely Hero
Star Wars Visionaries“Old Wounds” by Aaron McBride
Above all else, Darth Maul’s main goal throughout Star Wars is to find and kill Obi-Wan Kenobi, as he is utterly consumed by vengeance. Forming the Shadow Collective, conquering Mandalore, and anything else Maul did were all secondary to that one, obsessive goal. In Star Wars Visionaries, Maul finally tracks down Obi-Wan on Tatooine, attacks the Lars family farm to get his attention, and succeeds in doing just that. While Maul and Kenobi duel,it isn’t Obi-Wan who delivers the killing blow to Maul, but rather Uncle Owen.
Owen shoots Maul in the head with a blaster when Obi-Wan fails to finish him off.Maul threatened the lives of Beru and Luke after assaulting Owen, so he wasn’t going to stand by and let this clear danger to his family simply walk away because of the misguided ideals of a Jedi.
3Darth Maul was Anakin Skywalker’s First Sith Master Before Palpatine
Star Wars: Jedi Quest#1 by Ryder Windham and Pop Mhan
Palpatine was the one who turned Anakin Skywalker into his perfect Sith Apprentice, butSidious wasn’t the first one to teach Anakin the ways of the dark side - Darth Maul was(sort of). In Jedi Quest, Obi-Wan takes Anakin to Ilum so that the young padawan can find a kyber crystal and build his first lightsaber. During that process, it’s not uncommon for the padawan to experience a Force vision. In Anakin’s case, he imagined that Darth Maul was in the cave with him, and Maul was trying to seduce Anakin to the dark side.
During their metaphysical lightsaber duel, Maul was teaching Anakin to give into his fear and anger, and tap into the dark side. While Anakin refuses,it’s interesting that the manifestation of Darth Maul is the one who introduces him to these ideas, especially since Anakin would eventually listen to these teachings.
Darth Maul has one of the most interesting fighting styles in the whole Star Wars Universe:
2Star Wars Gives Fans a Version of Darth Maul as… a Jedi
Star Wars: Age of Republic - Darth Maulby Jody Houser and Luke Ross
Before Darth Maul’s fateful battle against Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi inThe Phantom Menace, he was simply the apprentice of Darth Sidious who was anxious to start killing Jedi. Seeing his lack of patience, Sidious gives Darth Maul a training exercise. Maul is sent on a Sith vision quest that, ironically enough, forces Maul to imagine himself as a Jedi.Maul wore classic Jedi robes, saved the lives of a random family in need, and even wielded a blue-bladed version of his iconic double-bladed lightsaber.
The vision of Darth Maul as a Jedi is truly a sight to behold, giving fans a fascinating glimpse at what could have been if this powerful Force-wielder wasn’t sold off to Sidious at such a young age, and was instead found by the Jedi.
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1Darth Maul Becomes the Greatest Hero the Star Wars Galaxy has Ever Seen
Star Wars: Darth Maul - Black, White, & Red#1 by Benjamin Percy and Stefano Raffaele
During one of the missions Darth Sidious sends Darth Maul on before the events ofThe Phantom Menace, Maul finds himself face-to-face with an evil that far exceeds that of the Sith: the Final Occultation. This cult worships an other-dimensional energy source that can only be described as the Anti-Force, and they mean to access this power and bring it into theStar Warsgalaxy, which would turn the entire universe into a hellish realm of chaos and death.
Darth Maul defeats the Final Occultation, and even tells Darth Sidious that the evil he faced while fighting them was unlike anything he’d experienced before - which is incredibly telling, coming from a Sith Lord. But more than that,the fact that Darth Maul defeated the Final Occultation means that he effectively saved the universe, making him the greatest hero theStar Warsgalaxy has ever seen. Which is why this is one of the 10 bestDarth MaulmomentsStar Warsfans can only see in the comics.
Darth Maul
Palpatine’s apprentice, Darth Maul was nothing more than a tool to winnow down the ranks of the Jedi ahead of Darth Sidious' true plans. Discarded after he was defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi on Naboo, Darth Maul swore revenge against all those he blamed for his past struggles - Jedi and Sith alike. Maul tended to operate within the shadows, running various syndicates, and even established himself as a true rival for Palpatine on at least one occasion. He was eventually killed by Obi-Wan in a duel on Tatooine.
