Maul

"If you define yourself by your power to take life, a desire to dominate, to possess, then you have nothing."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Maul

Maul was a Dathomirian Zabrak male who lived during the last days of the Galactic Republic and the reign of the Galactic Empire. Maul, the son of Mother Talzin of the Nightsisters, was taken as the Sith apprentice of Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith, and given the name Darth Maul. After revealing the existence of the Sith to the Jedi Order, Maul fell in a lightsaber duel against Obi-Wan Kenobi during the Battle of Naboo. Over a decade later, he returned from exile and formed the criminal army known as the Shadow Collective, intent on reclaiming the power he had lost. His quest for revenge against Kenobi and the Sith continued into the Imperial age, bringing him into conflict with the early rebellion against the Empire.

As a Sith Lord, Maul believed it was his destiny to rule the galaxy and bring about the end of the Jedi and the Republic. After the Battle of Naboo, that destiny was taken by Count Dooku, a former Jedi Master who became Sidious' new apprentice. The Sith's war to destroy the Republic began without Maul, as the Clone Wars raged across the galaxy, but Maul returned during the conflict and brought the Shadow Collective together to destroy his enemies and regain what he had lost. He led the takeover of the planet Mandalore with the help of his allies, the Mandalorian splinter group Death Watch, and killed Duchess Satine Kryze as part of his revenge against Kenobi, as she was an old friend and romantic interest of the venerable Jedi Master. Maul was captured and imprisoned by Sidious soon thereafter, who used his former apprentice as part of a plot to eliminate Mother Talzin, whom Sidious considered a threat to his future rule of the galaxy.

Sidious succeeded in destroying the Jedi at the end of the war, and he transformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire and proclaimed himself Emperor. During the Empire's reign, Maul dwelled on the ancient Sith world of Malachor after his ship crash landed there in the hopes of unlocking the superweapon at the heart of the Sith temple. It was his hope that he could use the temple to destroy Sidious and his apprentice, Darth Vader&mdash;whom Maul viewed as the embodiment of everything he could have been. Maul's plan was thwarted by two Jedi, Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger, the latter of whom Maul hoped to corrupt as his own apprentice.

Later, Maul kidnapped Kanan and Ezra's rebel comrades. He also obtained Ezra's Sith holocron and Kanan Jarrus' holocron through which he learnt that his nemesis Obi-Wan Kenobi was still alive. Maul's efforts to recruit Ezra as his apprentice failed when the young man refused to abandon his friends following a skirmish on Dathomir. Seeking to find hope and purpose, Maul sought out Kenobi on the desert planet of Tatooine. Following a duel, Maul was ultimately killed by Kenobi; ending his quest for vengeance, and finding a sense of peace in the knowledge that the end of the Sith was at hand.

Early life
"[Sidious] promised to make me his right hand, but instead he stole what was most dear to me... my own flesh and blood. My son!"

- Mother Talzin recounts how Darth Maul became Darth Sidious' apprentice

The boy who would become known as Darth Maul was born the son of Mother Talzin on Dathomir. As a Dathomirian Zabrak male, he was a Nightbrother and had two blood brothers, Feral and Savage Opress. Before his first birthday, Talzin gave Maul and his brother Opress their first tattoos. When Maul was a child, Mother Talzin became an ally of Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith, and the two exchanged wisdom and power. Sidious eventually abandoned Talzin, despite promising to make her his apprentice, and instead took Maul once he realized the boy's potential. Once under Sidious' tutelage, Maul began training as his Sith apprentice.

For years, Maul was trained to become a weapon of the Sith. He became an acrobatic warrior, one trained to be relentless against his enemies, and learned to use a dual-bladed lightsaber. During his training, Sidious took Maul to Malachor to bear witness to a great battle that occurred there between the Jedi and the Sith. Sidious forced Maul to breathe in the ashes of Sith warriors, slain when an ancient weapon was activated in the Sith temple on the planet. While breathing in this ash, Maul had visions of members of the Sith order being struck down by the Jedi. He felt the slash of saber after saber as he felt the death of his Sith brethren. His Sith training made Maul long for revenge against the Jedi Order, which had defeated the Sith a millennium earlier. With his master, Maul hoped to destroy the Jedi and restore the Sith to galactic power.

First encounter with a Jedi
"Jedi. The peacekeepers of the Galactic Republic. Cowards. Wallowing... nesting... hiding in the peace they enforce. Their strength is waning. Deep down, they know they cannot maintain order forever. And when their time begins to tumble into darkness.. they will find me waiting for them."

- Maul as he stalks Khaat Qiyn and her apprentice.

Several years into his training as Sidious' apprentice, Darth Maul began to become impatient. He longed for a confrontation with the Jedi. Maul spent time hunting wild game, such as Rathtars on Twon Ketee, and stalking the Jedi Khaat Qiyn and her apprentice in the shadows on Coruscant. It was while hunting Rathtars that Maul reflected on their viciousness, ruthlessness, and freedom. The Rathtars he hunted had no master, unlike himself. Sidious warned Maul to avoid the Jedi until his plans were ready to unfold. While he praised Maul for this thirst for vengeance, Sidious did not want Maul revealing himself until the time was right. Sidious threatened Maul with death if he continued to risk detection.

In an attempt to satiate Maul's bloodlust, Sidious sent him to the Kellux system to dispatch pirates who were interfering with the Trade Federation. Maul traveled to Kellux, dispatched the pirates who had kidnapped members of the Trade Federation. A pirate, mistaking Maul for a Jedi, begged for his life in exchange for information. The pirate informed Maul that Xev Xrexus of the Xrexus Cartel had captured a Jedi Padawan who was going to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Maul dispatched the remaining pirates as well as the kidnapped members of the Trade Federation, and began his search for the Padawan.

Maul hired a group of bounty hunters (Cad Bane, Aurra Sing, Vorhdeilo, and Troo-Tril-Tek) and traveled to Nar Shaddaa in an attempt to gain information about the location of Xrexus's auction. Maul got into a bar brawl after being accused of being a Jedi. He was blinded during the fight, and was about to be killed, when he was rescued by Bane, Sing, and Vorhdeilo. Bane informed Maul that the bounty hunters had gotten ahold of an invitation to Xrexus's auction. The bounty hunters had killed the Haddrex Gang and stolen their ship and protocol droid, FE-B3. Troo-Tril-Tek and Maul tortured FE-B3 until they were able to extract the location of the auction.

Maul and the bounty hunters then traveled in the Haddrex Gang's ship to a space station in the Drazkel system to attend the auction. Xrexus told those gathered that the Padawan, a Twi'lek named Eldra Kaitis, had been found on a crashed Republic transport vessel which had been attacked by pirates. While Xrexus greeted her guests, Maul searched the space station and found Kaitis in a holding cell.

Revealing the Sith to the Jedi
"At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge."

- Darth Maul to Darth Sidious

After years of longing for revenge against the Jedi, Maul became part of his master's plan to take over the Galactic Republic and destroy the Jedi. Sidious, who was secretly Senator Palpatine of Naboo, conspired with the Trade Federation to invade his planet as retaliation for the taxation of trade routes in outlying Republic star systems. The Federation launched their vessels and formed a blockade against Naboo, and prepared their battle droid army. Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum, who Palpatine aimed to replace through the invasion, dispatched Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi to resolve the situation, but the Federation attempted to kill the two Jedi, forcing Jinn and Kenobi to the surface. Once there, and as the invasion began, they rescued Queen Padmé Amidala and escaped from Naboo. Because Amidala was necessary for their plans&mdash;the queen needed to sign a treaty that would legitimize the illegal occupation of Naboo&mdash;Sidious dispatched Maul to find the queen and the Jedi. Maul traced a distress call from Sio Bibble, the governor of Naboo, which Queen Amidala received on Tatooine. With his master's blessing, Maul traveled to Tatooine to locate the queen. He landed in the desert with his personal starship establishing it as a mobile base for his operation. From his starship he launched a trio of Sith probe droids to seek out the Queen and her Jedi protectors and thanks to one of them, he discovered her ship just before it was preparing to leave. Maul rode across the Tatooine sand dunes on his Bloodfin, his personal vehicle of choice, towards the Queen's ship. However, he encountered Qui-Gon Jinn, one of the Jedi Knights that was trying to protect the Queen, and a young boy named Anakin Skywalker, whom Maul felt had an unusually powerful connection with the Force. Nevertheless, the Sith Lord attacked Qui-Gon Jinn, and the two engaged in lightsaber combat. The Jedi commanded that Anakin board the ship and tell the pilot to take off. It was a short but intense duel, Maul using his terrifying agility and ferocity to tire Jinn out with his vicious lightsaber technique. Just as Jinn had succumbed to Maul's power and fury, and Maul was looking to finish the Jedi off, the Queen's ship came to the rescue and Jinn jumped aboard, leaving the Sith Lord fuming with rage on the sand. Although Jinn and the queen were able to escape, the Sith had revealed themselves to the Jedi for the first time in a millennium, and the Jedi Order began wondering how the Sith could have returned after so many centuries. Despite his narrow defeat, Maul embraced what he had achieved and let himself become more consumed with darkness and hatred. What Maul did not know was that Skywalker, the young boy who was destined to be the Chosen One, would one day all but destroy the Jedi and become a Sith Lord himself.

Duel on Naboo
"Lord Maul, be mindful. Let them make the first move.''" "''Yes, my Master."

- Darth Sidious instructs his apprentice before the Battle of Naboo

After the Jedi and the queen escaped, they made their way to Coruscant where Sidious, as Palpatine, manipulated Amidala into calling for a Vote of No Confidence against Chancellor Valorum, prompting a new election where Palpatine was a favorite to win and take over the Republic. Maul, meanwhile, returned to Naboo, where Amidala and the Jedi also returned to in order to fight the Federation occupation force. The Naboo, along with the Gungans who lived in Naboo's oceans, led the Federation army into battle away from the capital city. Using the battle as a diversion, the queen and the Jedi fought to regain control of the city.

The battle for the capital reached the royal palace, where Maul was waiting for Jinn and Kenobi. The Sith Lord fought the Jedi in the palace hangar, before moving into a generator complex. The duel raged on throughout the generator rooms, with Maul dominating the duel; he did, however, give ground in order to lead the Jedi throughout the complex. Maul managed to separate the Jedi by knocking Kenobi down several levels, and Kenobi was unable to catch up to Maul and Jinn due to laser walls standing in his way. Taking advantage of their separation, Maul fought Jinn in single-combat and eventually stabbed the Jedi Master through the torso, mortally wounding him. When Kenobi finally caught up, the two engaged in a vicious fight, with Kenobi filled with anger and grief over the death of his master and friend. Although Kenobi managed to chop Maul's double-bladed lightsaber in half, leaving the Sith Lord with only one blade, Maul was able to disarm Kenobi and Force-push him over the edge of a vast reactor shaft, forcing the young Jedi to cling for dear life on an input nozzle just below the edge. As Maul attempted to make the young Jedi fall to his death, Kenobi managed to calm himself and used the Force to jump back up and summon Jinn's lightsaber into his hand. In an instant, Kenobi sliced the blade through Maul's waist, cutting him in half and sending him falling down the shaft. That same day, Sheev Palpatine became Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. Both he and the Jedi believed that Maul had perished on Naboo.

Exile in the Outer Rim
"...he lives in the Outer Rim, in exile."

- Mother Talzin tells Opress that Maul survived

However, through his hate and will to survive, Maul used the Force to grab an air vent as he was tumbling down the reactor shaft. He then managed to make it to a trash container. Maul's shattered body was dumped on the junkyard world of Lotho Minor. He lived in the bowels of the planet and had his legs replaced by a six-legged apparatus that allowed him to walk again. During his exile, he made a bargain with a sentient sneaky Anacondan called Morley, who agreed to bring Maul food in return for his leftovers. Over the years, Maul was driven mad with rage and despair, but remained driven by thoughts of revenge against Kenobi.

During those years, Anakin Skywalker, while training in lightsaber combat at the Jedi Temple, altered a training droid, giving it Darth Maul's appearance.

Rescued by his brother
"What? It can't be&hellip; Brother!"

- Savage Opress discovers that the spider-like creature on Lotho Minor is his brother, Darth Maul

Mother Talzin knew that Maul had survived. During the Clone Wars, she told his brother, Savage Opress, that the former Sith Lord could be found in the Outer Rim. Talzin gave Opress a talisman that would help him find Maul, and Opress set out to locate his brother. Opress found Lotho Minor and discovered his crazed brother living there, but Maul did not know who Opress was, and barely had a hold on his own identity. All that remained of the one-time Sith Lord was his lust for revenge against the Jedi. Believing that Morley had severed his brother and driven him crazy, Opress killed the Anacondan and, to restore Maul's memories, took him to Dathomir, where Mother Talzin repaired Maul's mind and gave him a pair of cybernetic legs through an incantation, using parts of the Separatist droids destroyed during the Battle of Dathomir.

Resurfacing in the galaxy
"To continue, we need one singular vision&hellip;my vision.''" "Brother, let us share our strength. There is no need for dominance between us." "Always two there are, my brother&mdash;a Master, and an apprentice. And you'' are the apprentice."

- Darth Maul and Savage Opress

With his mind restored, Maul set out to seek revenge against Kenobi for defeating him on Naboo, and led the now-Jedi High Council member to Raydonia by slaughtering civilians to draw Kenobi out. Maul and Opress captured Kenobi, but the Jedi was rescued by Asajj Ventress, a former acolyte of Darth Tyranus and the Dathomir Witch who once commanded Opress. Kenobi and Maul engaged in a lightsaber duel for the first time in over a decade, and Maul attempted to goad Kenobi into anger by talking about how he killed Qui-Gon Jinn. Kenobi was briefly overwhelmed as a result, so he and Ventress escaped the ship. Although Kenobi had escaped, Maul knew that the Jedi would soon begin pursuing him, which would play into Maul's hand in his quest for revenge.

The brothers began a rampage across the galaxy, which took them to the Cybloc transfer station in the Cybloc system. After defeating the station's guards, the brothers discovered a credit coffer filled to the brim. Maul demonstrated his martial superiority to his brother by disarming him, earning the latter's respect. From that point, Maul referred to himself as Opress's Master, taking upon himself control of the traditional Sith Rule of Two dynamic.

After stealing the valuables on the space station, the brothers traveled to Florrum, where they bribed a squad of pirates into joining them. Although some joined, others questioned Maul and Opress's motives and were killed as a result. Hondo Ohnaka, the pirate leader, was forced to watch. Eventually, the brothers were faced off against Kenobi and Adi Gallia, a fellow member of the Jedi High Council, who tracked them there. After a duel that left Gallia dead, Kenobi lured the brothers into the pirate base, where they continued their duel in an isolated passage. When Opress had his arm cut off, Maul knew they were outnumbered and ordered a retreat. He also discovered that Ohnaka's forces reconciled with the renegade pirates, and likewise, Maul's hired group had turned on him. The brothers promptly escaped, although the escape cost Maul one of his artificial legs. They later barely escaped the doomed ship after one of Ohnaka's pirates shot out its engines with a rocket launcher. Because of this, Hondo believed that Maul and Opress were incinerated in the crash, though Kenobi suspected otherwise

Building the Shadow Collective
"Doubt will only lead to failure. Our combined strength will be rewarded. Mandalore will be yours. And Kenobi, this Sith pretender Dooku, and all our enemies…will fall."

- Darth Maul to Pre Vizsla while Force choking Bo-Katan.

Maul and Opress managed to escape Florrum, although they eventually passed out from lack of oxygen in their escape pod. As they floated aimlessly in deep space, they were discovered unconscious and half-alive by Death Watch, a Mandalorian splinter group led by former Governor Pre Vizsla. Discovering Maul's lightsaber, Vizsla decided not to kill them as his lieutenant, Bo-Katan Kryze, wished to do; Vizsla believed that if they were enemies of the Jedi, then they were his friends. Vizsla and his men returned to their base on Zanbar, with Maul and Opress in tow. On Zanbar, medical droids healed Maul from his wounds and replaced the legs he had received from Mother Talzin for a pair of Human mechanical legs that returned him to his previous height. Waking after the surgery was completed, Maul was groggy and only tried to react when he saw the still unconscious Opress next to him, as the droids fitted the wounded brother with a mechanic arm. Vizsla and Bo-Katan entered and began to interrogate Maul, threatening to kill Opress if Maul refused to answer. Maul revealed that they were Sith Lords, which immediately led Vizsla to question him as to his links to Count Dooku. Maul angrily stated that he and Opress served no one and that they were brothers, the true Lords of the Sith. Satisfied, Vizsla asked him as to his intentions, and Maul revealed his plans to seek power and influence to gain his revenge over the Jedi. He also informed the Mandalorians that the Jedi responsible for their troubles was Obi-Wan Kenobi. Having faced Kenobi before, and knowing that the Jedi Master was a close friend of Vizsla's enemy, the Mandalorian Duchess Satine Kryze, Vizsla ordered the droids to complete the repairs to the brothers.

Maul was later taken to Vizsla's shelter and revealed himself as a member of Death Watch, who purported to be the descendants of Mandalore's true warrior faith which had been rejected by the pacifists who ruled Mandalore. Vizsla also informed Maul of his and his warriors' exile from Mandalore after failing to overthrow the Mandalorian government and mused against the one responsible for their exile: Kenobi. Realizing that they possessed a common goal and a common enemy, Maul proposed an alliance between the brothers and Death Watch, claiming that it was the will of the Force. Bo-Katan rebuffed him, stating that the last time they had allied with a Sith, they had been betrayed. She also denigrated the Sith as being weaker than they claimed as opposed to the Jedi. Maul used the Force to choke her and, as the Mandalorians aimed their weapons at him, he claimed that, thanks to their alliance, Mandalore would be theirs and they would dispose of all their enemies, as well as gaining their revenge against Kenobi and Dooku. He then released Bo-Katan, and Vizsla sent him to see to Opress while they put the alliance to a vote among the Mandalorians.

Opress emerged from his coma and proceeded to destroy the medical droids with his new mechanical arm while Maul watched. As Opress grew agitated, Maul appeared to calm him and informed him of who they had fallen upon. He insisted that the Mandalorians would be more useful to their plans than the pirates ever would have been, because the Mandalorians had honor. While Opress rejected this as a weakness, Maul stated that his plans would be better served by them and, once they had reclaimed Mandalore, they would use its resources to further their own plans, with the Death Watch under their command. Vizsla then arrived and announced that the alliance had been accepted by the Death Watch.

Maul convinced Pre Vizsla they needed to recruit Black Sun so they could build an army. The alliance proceeded to go to Mustafar to recruit the Black Sun rulers into their ranks. Upon arrival, their request for Black Sun to join were shot down and mocked by the Black Sun leader, although one of their leaders ended up joining after witnessing Opress single-handedly wiping out all the other ruling council members. Upon returning to their camp on Zanbar, the Pykes also declared their allegiance to the Sith brothers.

Next, the alliance traveled to Nal Hutta to convince the Grand Hutt Council to join their group. The brothers and Death Watch were initially met with refusal, and bounty hunters began to attack them, so the alliance retreated outside and began an attack, killing almost everyone. After defeating the bounty hunters and the guards, they met Oruba the Hutt, who was captured by Bo-Katan and her forces. After the Hutt could only tell that they would find the other Hutts at Jabba's Palace on Tatooine, they killed Oruba, resulting in Jabba declaring the Hutts' allegiance to the Sith brothers.

The coup
"I will use my army of crime lords to attack different targets across Sundari and sow chaos to undermine the Duchess' rule. Our gangsters will make her look too weak to maintain control. Then you and your Death Watch will capture and arrest us, bringing order where Satine's weak government could not."

- Darth Maul to Pre Vizsla

Now with an army under his command, Maul and the Shadow Collective planned to overthrow the government of Duchess Satine on Mandalore. Their goal was to make the Duchess look weak by sending the Collective's criminal elements to attack the capital city, Sundari, at which time Death Watch would arrive and drive them off. Maul also anticipated and counted on Pre Vizsla and Bo-Katan betraying him, an act that he counted on as part of his own plans.

After Death Watch drove the criminals away, Maul's suspicions were confirmed when he and Opress were arrested. With Maul imprisoned, Death Watch declared themselves the leaders of Mandalore. Maul suspected that there would be other political prisoners nearby, other than the deposed and imprisoned Satine, who Maul could use for his own ends. The two Sith brothers broke out of their cells and sought to find a new ally, choosing former Prime Minister Almec as a puppet; Almec had been imprisoned by the Duchess on corruption charges.

Having fought his way out of prison, Maul stormed into the Mandalorian throne room and challenged Pre Vizsla to an honorable death match, knowing that the winner would gain the allegiance of Death Watch and become their new leader. After a long and spectacular duel, Maul overpowered Pre Vizsla and beheaded him with his own weapon, the Darksaber that ancient Mandalorians had stolen from the Jedi, which Maul then claimed as his own. However, Maul's victory split the Death Watch in two, with Bo-Katan and her forces refusing to pledge loyalty to Darth Maul. The other half submitted to Maul's rule, while Almec was reinstated as Prime Minister&mdash;albeit with Maul as the true power on Mandalore.

Revenge against Kenobi
"You think you know me? It was I who languished for years thinking of nothing but you! Nothing but this moment! And now, the perfect tool for my vengeance is in front of us. I never planned on killing you, but I will make you share my pain, Kenobi."

- Maul prepares to murder Duchess Satine Kryze in front of Kenobi

Shortly after the coup, Maul learned that the Duchess had tried to escape from prison and transmitted a distress call to the Jedi. Having learned of Kenobi's old friendship and relationship with Kryze, Maul realized she could serve as bait for his archenemy and the perfect tool for his revenge against the Jedi Master. As Mandalore was technically neutral in the Clone Wars, Maul knew that Kenobi could not receive an official sanction from the Jedi Council for a rescue mission. As such, he predicted that Kenobi would mount his rescue alone.

After Kenobi managed to infiltrate the palace and liberate his friend, Maul and the Mandalorian forces chased the two of them all the way to Kenobi's ship, Twilight. The Mandalorians fired missiles at the ship and crippled it, forcing Kenobi and Kryze to abandon ship before it was destroyed. Although dazed from the crash, Kenobi recognized Maul and Opress and attacked them, but Maul disarmed him and ordered his forces to bring Kenobi and the Duchess to the palace.

In the throne room, Maul taunted Kenobi to give in to the dark side, all the while holding Kryze in a Force grip. Kenobi refused, and told Maul he had been to the Sith Lord's village on Dathomir; Kenobi expressed his belief that it had not been Maul's decision to join the dark side, but rather the Nightsisters forced it upon him. The comments struck a nerve, angering Maul and causing him to lash out. He reminded Kenobi that it was the Jedi Master who truly made Maul suffer for over ten years, and that it was time for Kenobi to share in his agony. At that moment, Maul activated the darksaber and stabbed it through the Duchess' chest. Kryze died in Kenobi's arms, before Maul ordered that Kenobi be taken to the prison to contemplate his loss. Kenobi later escaped with the help of Bo-Katan, who revealed herself to be the Duchess' sister.

Duel with Darth Sidious
"Remember the first and only reality of the Sith: there can only be two, and you are no longer my apprentice. You have been replaced!"

- Darth Sidious rejects Darth Maul's claim of Sith lordship

As Bo-Katan and her Nite Owls fought Maul's Mandalorian super commandos, bringing a civil war to Mandalore, Darth Sidious arrived at the royal palace, having sensed that Maul was growing stronger and had become a rival; as Palpatine, Sidious had learned from Kenobi and Skywalker that Maul was alive. When Sidious arrived, Maul sensed his old master's presence and prepared to face him. Maul claimed that he had taken Mandalore and built an army in the hopes of becoming Sidious' apprentice once more, but the Dark Lord saw through Maul's deception and attacked the brothers, demonstrating his superior power through Force attacks.

After Sidious released the duo from his Force grip, all three drew their weapons and began to duel. Sidious easily gained the upper hand over the brothers, battling them both before stunning Maul and taking Opress on alone. Maul regained consciousness just in time to see Opress be fatally impaled by Sidious' blades and rushed to his brother's side. In his final moments, Opress expressed his regret that he had failed his brother as an apprentice. Sidious was amused and reminded Maul that there can only be two Sith, and that he had been replaced.

Enraged, Maul lit both his own lightsaber and the darksaber, and attacked his former master, but was overpowered and disarmed after a brief, but intense duel. Sidious telekinetically assaulted Maul multiple times, severely weakening him. Maul pleaded for mercy, but Sidious ignored him and sadistically tortured him with blasts of Force Lightning. The Sith Lord revealed he had no intention of killing his former apprentice and still had uses for Maul; he wanted to use Maul to draw Mother Talzin into the open so she could be defeated, though he did not reveal his plan to Maul.

Capture and escape
"The war you have waited your entire lives to fight is upon us, my brothers. Victory or death!"

- Darth Maul to his Death Watch forces

After the duel on Mandalore, Sidious took Maul as his prisoner and brought him to the remote world of Stygeon Prime, where the Confederacy of Independent Systems operated the Spire, a prison fortress in the mountains. On Almec's orders, Sidious' vessel was pursued by Maul's Death Watch forces, with the intention of rescuing their captive leader. Once he was imprisoned, Maul was subjected to torture at the hands of the Sith, as Sidious reminded Maul that he still had plans for his former apprentice. The two were interrupted by Count Dooku, whose arrival angered Maul.

Dooku returned to Maul after conferring with Sidious, with orders from the Dark Lord to learn more about the Shadow Collective and the names of Maul's associates. Dooku interrogated his predecessor, electrocuting him in an attempt to find the information he was seeking. Maul resisted the torture and refused to give up any information. After Dooku left, Rook Kast and Gar Saxon of Death Watch attacked the prison and rescued their captive leader. The Mandalorians blew a hole in the walls of Maul's cell, and together they rappelled down the mountain and escaped aboard a Death Watch ship. Unknown to Maul and the Death Watch, the Sith intended for Maul to escape so he could lead them to Mother Talzin.

Maul and Death Watch regrouped with more of their forces on Zanbar. After his arrival, Maul spoke to Prime Minister Almec via hologram, and the Prime Minister told Maul that the prison break was repayment for when Maul released Almec from imprisonment. Once again in command of his forces, Maul reclaimed his darksaber and promised the Mandalorians that the war they had longed for was at hand. Soon thereafter, Separatist forces under the command of General Grievous reached Zanbar. Grievous launched all of his forces against Death Watch, with both sides suffering heavy losses. During the battle, Maul destroyed four of Grievous' magnaguard droids and then attacked Grievous himself. Despite Maul's obvious power, he quickly realized that he could not win and backed down after Grievous kicked him hard in the chest. With most of his forces in ruins, Maul ordered his warriors to retreat. Grievous allowed Maul to escape, hoping that Maul would seek out Mother Talzin for help.

Capturing Dooku and Grievous
"We must assume he allowed you to break free. With Sidious, nothing is ever as it seems. We must be this way, as well."

- Mother Talzin, to Darth Maul

As Grievous predicted, Maul contacted Mother Talzin after leaving Zanbar, calling out to her through the Force for guidance. She appeared to him from afar in a cloud of smoke and he informed her of his escape from prison and defeat on Zanbar. Talzin anticipated that Sidious hoped to lure her into a trap, so she ordered Maul to go to Ord Mantell, where the Black Sun had a base of operations. Once there, Talzin wanted him to gather his forces for another battle against the Separatists, this time to lure Dooku and Grievous into a trap and capture them&mdash;which Talzin believed that Sidious would not expect. Talzin herself would not go to Ord Mantell, as she knew she was a target of the Sith Lords.

Maul arrived on Ord Mantell and conferred with his Shadow Collective allies, including Ziton Moj of Black Sun and Fife of the Pyke Syndicate. He informed them that a battle would take place against the Separatists, who were being lured to Ord Mantell thinking they could capture Maul. Despite some reservations from his allies, Maul was confident that his plan would succeed and they could trap the two Separatist leaders. Maul and his allies quickly began planning their attack against the Separatists, which including luring the droid army into a specific point in the Black Sun-controlled territory so the Shadow Collective forces could attack them.

As the Collective prepared for battle, a team of Nightbrother warriors, led by Brother Viscus, arrived after having been sent from Dathomir by Mother Talzin to reinforce Maul's army. While Maul greeted his fellow Nightbrothers, the Separatists arrived in orbit and began their attack, using their fleet to bombard the surface of Ord Mantell. Maul immediately ordered his forces to begin carrying out their assault, while the Nightbrothers were to wait in the command center for instructions. Maul, meanwhile, made his way to Mandalorian warships, which he and Death Watch forces would use to assault the Separatist fleet in orbit.

Maul arrived in orbit while the Separatists began landing their troops&mdash;as well as Count Dooku&mdash;on the planet, quickly overwhelming the Shadow Collective army. Maul's ships attacked General Grievous' command vessel, before attaching itself to the hull of the Separatist ship so Maul and his forces could board and make their way to the bridge. Once there, Maul and Death Watch eliminated the battle droids defending the cyborg general, and Maul then subdued Grievous and gave him a choice: disable the signal powering the droids on the surface, or die. Grievous begrudgingly disabled the signal and was taken into custody. Dooku, who engaged and killed the Nightbrothers in battle, was captured by Shadow Collective forces on the surface, while the disabled battle droids were eliminated.

Alliance with Dooku
"So it is true&mdash;you are working together!''" "''Of course. Only our hatred of you could be strong enough to unite us!"

- Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul

After the battle, Maul contacted Mother Talzin once again to inform her of what had happened on Ord Mantell. Talzin promised Maul that, with Dooku and Grievous in custody, they would capture Sidious as well&mdash;and gain their revenge against him. Maul and his forces cleared off of Ord Mantell, leaving little trace they were there, and made their way to Vizsla Keep 09, a Mandalorian supply outpost.

From the outpost, Maul contacted Darth Sidious, informing him of the capture of Dooku and Grievous. Claiming that he had no further use for the two, Sidious told Maul to kill them, but the former Sith Lord had other plans. Grievous was locked in the brig, while Maul tempted Dooku to join him. They were both betrayed by Sidious, so Maul suggested that he and Dooku could be natural allies. Dooku did not believe that Sidious could be challenged, and claimed he did not think he should ally with Maul and Mother Talzin, the latter of whom once tried to kill Dooku. Talzin herself appeared using Nightsister magic and told the story of how she was once an ally of Sidious, how she too was betrayed when Sidious took Maul from her, and how Sidious was already seeking to replace the Count. Neither Talzin nor Maul believed Dooku would sincerely ally with them, and simply wanted to ensure he could be taken to Dathomir.

As they spoke, a Jedi-led Republic assault team attacked the supply outpost. The Jedi, including Kenobi and Mace Windu, had tracked the Shadow Collective from Ord Mantell. With both of their lives at stake, Dooku feigned an alliance with Maul, while Grievous escaped in the chaos using an escape pod. Maul and Dooku engaged the Jedi in a lightsaber duel, which lasted until Kast shot a small explosive towards the Jedi, incapacitating the Jedi and allowing the two Sith Lords to escape.

Fall of the Shadow Collective
"At last, the great deceiver comes to rescue his pawn.''" "''I come to end this farce once and for all."

- Darth Maul and Darth Sidious

Having fled the outpost, Maul and his followers made their way towards Dathomir. While en route, Maul was contacted by Moj and the Pykes, who grew concerned that Maul's vendetta was causing the Shadow Collective's plans to fail. Maul assured them that they would be paid and that Sidious would die, allowing the galaxy to be controlled by the Shadow Collective. To ensure loyalty, Maul ordered Saxon to keep the Pykes and Black Sun in line. He also revealed to Dooku that he knew the Sith Lord was not an ally, and that Sidious had ordered his apprentice to feign allegiance with Maul.

Once on Dathomir, Maul was greeted by Brother Viscus, who survived his fight with Dooku on Ord Mantell. The Nightbrother told Maul that they were ready for the next step of their plan, so Dooku was taken before Mother Talzin, who appeared before them in a cloud of smoke. She unleashed her magic upon the Sith Lord, using it to draw Dooku's life force so she could physically manifest herself again; Talzin's physical return required a sacrifice, and they had chosen Dooku for that purpose. They were interrupted, by an explosion ripping through the area, and the arrival of Grievous and Sidious. Sidious reminded his former apprentice that there was only one plan that mattered: Sidious'.

The arrival of the Dark Lord and Grievous led to a lightsaber duel, one which Talzin joined after she took control of Count Dooku's body. Talzin fought Sidious while Maul fought the cyborg general, and Sidious quickly gained the advantage over the Dathomir witch. Sidious bombarded Talzin with Force lightning, and the witch released Dooku and appeared in physical form once more. Maul, meanwhile, Force-pushed Grievous out of the opening that the explosion created. Once Sidious attacked her with a barrage of lightning, Maul pleaded with his mother to use his own life force to grow more powerful, but Talzin demanded that he retreat as she held off the Dark Lord's attacks. The witch used her powers to toss Maul from the fray and he was dragged away by Kast and another Death Watch warrior. As they fled, Maul watched as Grievous returned to fatally stab Talzin with his lightsabers.

Maul fled from Dathomir, which was being attacked by the Separatists. The Shadow Collective, meanwhile, had also been defeated by Separatist forces. In Sidious' eyes, despite Maul's escape, the former Sith Lord had been eliminated as a rival to the future Sith rule of the galaxy.

Losing Mandalore
After his time with the Shadow Collective, Maul and his loyal forces returned to Mandalore, where they remained in hiding for some time. During the final days of the Clone Wars, they found themselves under siege by a battalion of clone troopers led by Captain Rex and former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano. During the siege, Maul briefly crossed lightsabers with Tano, mocking her as they fought, but was lured into a plaza, where the former Jedi's comrades trapped Maul in a ray shield. Though Tano was given the opportunity to kill Maul, she instead chose to save Rex. As a result, Maul escaped once again.

Escaping Malachor
"So, the rumors are true; Darth Maul lives.''" "''Formerly Darth, now just Maul."

- The Seventh Sister and Maul facing off

After the siege of Mandalore, Maul dropped his Darth title and ceased to identify as a Sith. He traveled to the world of Malachor in search for an ancient weapon located in a Sith temple and obtained a new lightsaber. However, his ship crashed, leaving him trapped there for years without contact of the wider galaxy. Maul was also tracked down by the Eighth Brother. Eventually, three years before the Battle of Yavin, Maul came across the Jedi apprentice Ezra Bridger, who he manipulated into helping him retrieving a Sith holocron. Along their brief adventure, Maul also taught Ezra the ways of the dark side by preying upon the boy's passionate and aggressive tendencies.

After gaining the holocron, Maul and Ezra used the holocron as a key to reach the front of the temple, where they came across Kanan Jarrus and Ahsoka Tano, Ezra's companions, who were in combat with the Inquisitors. While Tano and Jarrus were reluctant to trust Maul, with his help the four of them forced the Inquisitors to retreat.

Still unwilling to trust Maul, they only cooperated at the behest of Ezra, who remained adamant that Maul was on their side. With Maul's guidance, the rebels scaled the temple in an attempt to reach the top, where Maul claimed the knowledge they sought was. Along the way, Maul and Ezra engaged the Seventh Sister, with Maul able to subdue her in a Force choke. It was then that Maul put his teachings into action, imploring Ezra to strike down the woman in cold blood. The Padawan hesitated, forcing Maul to finish off the Inquisitor. Maul scolded Ezra for his hesitation, warning him that it could cost him his life or the life of his friends in the future. Maul and Ezra continued on and met up with the other two Jedi, who were engaging the Fifth Brother and Eighth Brother. It was then that Maul sensed the presence of Darth Vader, who was approaching Malachor. He however dismissed his feeling to Ezra when the young Jedi asked him what was wrong. Maul then engaged the inquisitors while Ezra continued on alone. Maul, with Ahsoka's assistance, slew the Fifth Brother while Jarrus damaged the Eight Brother's lightsaber. As the Eighth Brother attempted to escape using his weapon it malfunctioned, and the Inquisitor fell to his death.

Betraying the Jedi
"My apprentice is activating the temple, or more precisely, this battle station, which I shall use to exact my revenge on ALL my enemies!"

- Maul talking to Ahsoka Tano about Ezra activating the temple after striking down Kanan Jarrus.

With all the Inquisitors dead and Ezra nearing the top, Maul then betrayed the Jedi, striking at Kanan and blinding him. With Kanan subdued, Maul engaged Tano and the two dueled briefly. It was then he revealed that the holocron was intended to power an ancient superweapon and that Maul intended to make the young boy his apprentice. Tano left to confront Darth Vader as Kanan regained himself, with Tano claiming to the former Sith Lord he would have to face Kanan to get to her. Underestimating Kanan, Maul declared that he would finish off the Jedi quickly. However, using his other senses, amplified by the Force, Kanan easily caught Maul's arms and tripped him, where the Nightbrother fell from the Temple to the ground below. Maul survived, and fled the planet in a TIE Advanced v1 with his plans in ruins. Despite this, his influence had a profound effect on Ezra, who drifted closer to the dark side.

Capturing the Ghost crew
"He lives! He lives!"

- Maul on finding out that Obi-Wan Kenobi is still alive

Months later in 2 BBY, Maul resurfaced. Managing to board a Hammerhead corvette, Maul interrogated one of the rebels onboard, forcing him to reveal the location of the rebel freighter, and Ezra Bridger's home, the Ghost. Shortly after, Bridger and Kanan Jarrus arrived at the transport and learned of the attack. Believing it to be the work of an Inquisitor, the pair contacted Hera Syndulla, the Ghost ' s pilot, and found out that Maul had taken her and the rest of the crew hostage. In exchange for their friends lives, Maul demanded the Jedi give him both the Sith holocron and the Jedi holocron, to which they agreed.

While Jarrus and Bridger returned to the planet Atollon to retrieve the Sith holocron, Maul softly demanded Syndulla give him a "tour" around the Ghost, prompting Sabine Wren to implore her not to, to which Maul replied she should trust him, for he did once rule her people. Surveying each living quarter, Maul identified Jarrus' as the dull and dour one, befitting of a Jedi. Instructing Syndulla to reveal the location of the Jedi holocron, the Twi'lek told Maul that she didn't know anything about Jarrus. Knowing this to be a lie, Maul probed her mind with the Force, and learned that it was Syndulla's idea to recruit Bridger, and that the boy once stole the holocron, which was being held in a compartment below Jarrus' bed.

While Maul struggled to open the holocron, the Ghost ' s crew took the opportunity to escape. Managing to use their restraints to destroy the reprogrammed tour guide droids guarding them, the rebels quietly moved down to the cargo hold, planning to magnetize it in order to immobilize Maul's robotic legs. Discovering their absence, Maul went searching for the rebels and eventually made his way to the cargo hold. Seconds later, the rebel crew's astromech droid, C1-10P, activated the magnets, causing Maul's legs to adhere to the vessel's ceiling. The rest of the rebels promptly rushed into the cargo hold and started firing at him, however Maul managed to deflect one of the bolts into the control interface, deactivating the magnets. Knocking the crew down with the Force, Maul became angry, threatening the rebels with death once their usefulness was over.

Having already informed the Jedi of their rendezvous point, the Mandalorian asteroid outpost, Maul landed the Ghost in one of its hangars and kept the rebel prisoners under the watch of his reprogrammed droids. When the Jedi arrived, they met with Maul in the hangar, where the Dathomirian instructed Bridger to follow his droids to the command center, while Jarrus came with Maul. Looking to succeed where he failed on Malachor, Maul led the Jedi to an airlock and pushed him in, proceeding to eject him into space. Believing Jarrus to be dead, Maul went to meet Bridger, quietly instructing one of his droids to execute the rebel crew.

Swapping holocrons, Maul and Bridger sat down on the floor and opened the devices, seeking to combine them and have their questions answered. After combining the holocrons, Bridger, who wanted to know the key to destroying the Sith, saw locations both familiar and unfamiliar, while Maul saw nothing. Shortly after, the Ghost crew, who had been freed by Jarrus after he managed to make his way back into the hangar, arrived at the command center, but were dazzled by the light coming from the holocrons. Bridger exclaimed that he saw "twin suns", and Jarrus implored his apprentice to look away, while Maul incited the Jedi to focus. Heeding his master's warning, Bridger closed his eyes, causing the energy from the holocrons to explode and giving Maul a chance to escape. As Maul proceeded back to his ship, he realized what he had seen in the holocrons, repeating the phrase, "He lives."

Return to Dathomir
"Our futures converge on a planet with two suns. We can walk that path together as friends, as brothers."

- Maul to Ezra Bridger on their shared vision

Due to the ritual involving the two holocrons, Maul and Ezra became mentally linked. As a result, Maul was able to find Chopper Base on the planet Atollon. Using his mastery of the dark side, Maul tormented Ezra by causing the young Jedi to see and hear visions of him. On one occasion, Ezra even attacked and almost killed a rebel trooper whom he mistook for Maul. Later, he approached Ezra and Kanan in the wilderness while they were talking to a mysterious Force wielder called Bendu, who served as a bridge between the light and dark sides of the Force. Despite Bendu's warnings not to turn around, Kanan and Ezra did so and found Maul watching them from the top of a dune.

After complimenting the two Jedi for their safe hiding place, Maul assured them that he had come in peace to talk with his "apprentice" Ezra. When Ezra demanded to know how Maul tracked him down, the Dark Sider replied that Ezra's abrupt severance of their connection to the holocrons caused them to see fragments of each other's visions and knowledge. Maul then added that he needed Ezra to come with him in order to retrieve the remaining fragments of the vision from his mind. When Kanan refused to negotiate with Maul, the Dark Sider threatened to activate a homing beacon that would alert the Empire to their presence in the event of his death.

Maul then offered to show Ezra the knowledge on how to destroy the Sith. With Kanan's reluctant approval, Ezra complied with Maul's ultimatum and departed with Maul on the Nightbrother. Maul then took his unwilling apprentice to his homeworld of Dathomir. Unknown to them, Kanan and Sabine had placed a tracker on Ezra's wrist comm and followed them there. Maul then took Ezra to the ruins of the Nightsister lair and explained that he was the last survivor of the Nightsisters. As Maul led Ezra into his cave dwelling, he explained that the only way to retrieve the information was to merge their minds again in a ritual.

Maul had the cave filled with relics from his past including the Darksaber, a Mandalorian symbol of power. For the ritual, Maul and Ezra drank glasses of magick water which caused their eyes to turn green and shoot bright rays. As a result, Maul and Ezra discovered that his nemesis Obi-Wan Kenobi was hiding on a planet with twin suns and that Kenobi held the key to destroying the Sith. After completing the ritual, the two were confronted by Nightsister spirits that demanded that Maul and Ezra sacrifice their flesh and blood in return for the answers.

At that point, Kanan and Sabine entered the cave and opened fire on the spirits. However, the spirits overwhelmed and possessed them. The possessed Kanan and Sabine then attacked Maul and Ezra. Maul was forced to parry with the possessed Kanan while Ezra was forced to dodge the possessed Sabine's blasts. Following a struggle, Maul and Ezra managed to reach the entrance of the cave. The Nightsister spirits were unable to leave because the altar was the source of their power. Having accomplished his objective, Maul then offered Ezra a place as his apprentice and claimed that their destiny was linked with the planet with the twin suns. However, Ezra refused to abandon his friends. Exasperated by the sympathy and compassion of the young man towards his friends, Maul told Ezra that he had disappointed him before leaving to find his old enemy, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Final showdown
"He will avenge us."

- Maul's final words to Obi-Wan Kenobi, referencing Luke Skywalker

Maul eventually made his way towards Tatooine in search of his old nemesis Obi-Wan Kenobi. Amidst searching for him in the desert's desolate wastes, Maul soon realized that he was lost and collapsed to the sand, screaming Kenobi's name. Maul pondered on his destiny and if his life would "end here like this?" Finding a renewed sense of determination, Maul persevered and resumed his search for Kenobi. Knowing that he was unable to find his old enemy on his own, he planned to draw him out, and using the matrix he had taken from the Sith holocron, he reached out to his "apprentice", Ezra Bridger.

Bridger, inspired by the vision sent by Maul, came to Tatooine to prevent the former Sith Lord from killing Kenobi. The Jedi apprentice also hoped to recruit the old Jedi Master to join the growing rebellion. Landing in a canyon at night, he discovered the fragment of the Sith holocron that Maul had planted as bait to lure in. Deducing that it was a trap, he and his droid were suddenly ambushed by a band of Tusken Raiders, who attempted to kill Bridger. Whilst the Tuskens failed to kill him, they did succeed in destroying his ship arrived in. Bridger was knocked unconscious by the explosion. Moments later, Maul arrived and cut down all of the Tuskens before seemingly leaving Bridger alone.

Seeking a way offworld, Bridger and Chopper, who had stowed away on Bridger's ship, debated whether to follow the natural ridge lines of the canyons in the hope of finding a nearby settlement or crossing the vast desert at front of them. Maul appeared in an apparition and convinced Ezra to travel into the desert. Ezra and Chopper traveled into the desert but the two collapsed due to a sandstorm. A short while later, Bridger and Chopper were discovered by Kenobi, who was riding a dewback. Constructing a small campfire, Kenobi recharged Chopper with power from a portable light and tended to Bridger's wounds. After Ezra awoke, Kenobi told the boy that he believed Maul had manipulated Ezra into leading him to him. At that moment, Maul arrived to settle his score with his old rival. Bridger wanted to fight Maul but Kenobi warned the boy that he would "mend this old wound." After Ezra and Chopper had left, Maul remarked on the destitute conditions in which Kenobi lived and considered the possibility of leaving Kenobi "festering in [his] squalor." The former Sith Lord then wondered what brought Kenobi to such a remote planet and correctly deduced that Kenobi was "protecting someone," namely Luke Skywalker.

Realizing that Maul had to die in order to ensure the young Skywalker was kept safe, Kenobi activated his lightsaber and assumed the Soresu ready stance. Maul in turn activated his blade and the two enemies locked gazes. Kenobi soon swapped to the ready stance of Ataru. Recognizing the stance of Kenobi's late master Qui-Gon Jinn, Maul leaped at Kenobi believing that he could easily overwhelm Kenobi as he did his master on Naboo. However, Kenobi swiftly blocked Maul's strikes. Anticipating Maul's hilt-strike to the head, the same technique that bested Jinn thirty years earlier, Kenobi bisected Maul's lightsaber in two while simultaneously mortally wounding him with a slashing blow to the torso.

A shocked Maul collapsed to the ground as Kenobi caught him. With his last breath, Maul asked Kenobi whether or not the person that he was guarding was the Chosen One. Kenobi confirmed that this was the case. Maul seemed to come to terms with his death stating that "He [Luke] will avenge us." With that, Maul died. As a final gesture of respect, Kenobi closed the fallen darksider's eyes.

Legacy
"Do you feel that...? ...I feel...cold..."

- Leia Organa senses remnants of Maul's dark power

Twenty-three years after the end of the Clone Wars, Palpatine's Galactic Empire was overthrown by the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the last Jedi Knight in the galaxy: Luke Skywalker, the son of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala. Luke's twin sister, Princess Leia Organa, traveled to Naboo shortly before Operation: Cinder, which forced her, the queen, and her escort Shara Bey to reopen the Theed Royal Palace hangar-where Maul dueled Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi over three decades earlier- in order to access starfighters. When she entered, Organa felt, through the Force, remnants of Maul's dark side power, feeling physically cold because of it.

Personality and traits
"You may have forgotten me, but I will never forget you. You cannot imagine the depths I would go to to stay alive, fueled by my singular hatred... for you."

- Darth Maul to Obi-Wan Kenobi on Raydonia

Darth Maul's life and motivations were based around revenge. As a Sith apprentice, Maul sought revenge against the Jedi for their triumph over the Sith, and wanted to return the Sith to power over the galaxy. After his exile and the restoration of his mind, Maul turned his thoughts of revenge towards the galaxy, declaring himself and his brother the true Sith Lords; and especially towards Obi-Wan Kenobi, after the Jedi defeated him and forced him into exile after the war on Naboo. He felt the vacuum from losing power, having known about the Clone Wars and intending to be part of it, only to learn that the Sith plans moved on without him. Maul was therefore willing to go to great lengths to achieve his vengeance, including slaughtering civilians and thrusting Mandalore into civil war to gain power and draw Kenobi out into the open.

During his exile, Maul's mind was shattered. He became obsessed with revenge, fueled and kept alive only by his hatred for Kenobi, despite losing his mind and many memories. His aggression and fear increased in his crazed condition, as Maul attacked Opress when he first encountered his brother on Lotho Minor. It required magic from Mother Talzin to restore his mind, bringing him clarity again while still preserving his desire to seek revenge against those who had wronged him.

Maul's power made him crave dominance over the Sith and the galaxy, though he recognized the power that Darth Sidious possessed that Maul did not. Maul feared his old master when Sidious arrived on Mandalore, and begged for mercy after Sidious bested him in a lightsaber duel. After the electrocution that Sidious subjected him to on Mandalore, he later told Death Watch that he had become indifferent to pain.

However, despite his ruthless and vindictive nature, Maul was not completely heartless. He showed genuine care for his brother, Savage Opress, and their mother, the Dathomir Witch Mother Talzin. Though Maul didn't always get along with Opress, they did genuinely care about each other; when Opress was killed by Sidious, Maul was grief-stricken and briefly mourned him before flying into a rage and attempting to avenge him. Maul was extremely loyal to his mother and reciprocated her loving and protective affection for him. Even when cornered by Sidious and his minions, he refused to leave her behind and was devastated by her death.

Even after many years, Maul still held an extremely bitter grudge against Sidious and all those who served him for taking everything he cared about from him. He also developed a slight fondness for Ezra Bridger, seeing great potential in the boy's abilities, desiring him as an apprentice, and even saving his life twice. However, he sought entirely to manipulate Bridger and use him to further his own agenda, and attempted to kill Kanan Jarrus on two occasions in order to be free of the Jedi's influence in attempting to do so.

While still practicing their beliefs, Maul disassociated himself from the Sith, mainly due to the Order's association with Sidious. Cunning and deceptive, Maul was perfectly willing to feign weakness to accomplish his purposes, or even side with the Jedi if necessary. He was not above taunting such "allies," as evidenced by his calling Ahsoka "Lady Tano" and "a part-timer" in mockery of her departure from the Jedi Order as well as referring to Jarrus as "Master Jedi."

Desiring hope, Maul kidnapped Bridger and Jarrus' rebel companions in a successful effort to force them to surrender the Sith holocron from Malachor and Kanan's Jedi holocron. He wanted to merge the holocrons in order to create clarity of vision. Maul also hoped to take Ezra as his apprentice. Despite his promise to Bridger that he would not harm his friends, Maul secretly made an attempt on Jarrus's life and ordered his droids to execute the other Spectres in an attempt to claim Bridger as his apprentice. Despite Jarrus convincing Bridger to close his eyes and stop the vision, Maul nonetheless learned that his old enemy Obi-Wan Kenobi was still alive.

Maul's still burning desire for vengeance against Kenobi led him to use his mastery of the Dark Side to torment Bridger in an effort to gain his attention. While Maul was aware of the high price of Nightsister magick, his desire to learn Kenobi's location led him to risk the wrath of these spirits. Due to their revelations, Maul came to believe that his destiny was linked to finding and killing Kenobi on Tatooine. Maul regarded Bridger as an excellent candidate to be his apprentice. However, Bridger's attachment and loyalty to his friends angered Maul, who chastised his desired apprentice as a "disappointment" for refusing to break the chains of the past. Later, Maul's vendetta towards Kenobi led him use his mastery of the Force to lure Bridger to Tatooine. Maul was willing to manipulate Bridger to serve his own aims and goals. Despite his hatred for Kenobi, he was able to reconcile with his adversary in his last moments. Maul passed away with the belief that Kenobi was protecting the Chosen One who would restore balance to the Force by destroying the Sith.

Powers and abilities
"You have been well trained, my young apprentice. They will be no match for you."

- Darth Sidious orders Darth Maul to move against the Jedi during the war on Naboo

As the apprentice of Darth Sidious, Maul was trained to be a weapon of the Sith, one intended to help Sidious bring about the destruction of the Jedi and take over the galaxy. He became an acrobatic warrior, one who could relentlessly pursue his enemies while utilizing his double-bladed lightsaber. He showcased his efficiency with a blade against Qui-Gon Jinn on Tatooine and Naboo, allowing him to kill Jinn in their second encounter; it was during this duel that Maul took on two Jedi Knights at once, holding his own very well against them. It was an overconfidence in his abilities, however, that allowed Kenobi to get the better of him and defeat him, leading to the loss of the lower-half of his body and over a decade of crazed-exile in the Outer Rim.

Maul later defeated Kenobi in a number of encounters after emerging from exile, including on Mandalore, though their duel on Florrum ended in stalemate. Maul also fought the Mandalorian Death Watch leader Pre Viszla in a vicious duel, and though the Mandalorian put up a fierce fight, he proved to be no match for Maul's combination of martial prowess and Force potency. Determined to defeat his former master, Maul fought Sidious using his own lightsaber and Pre Vizsla's darksaber. Though he put up a considerable fight, managing to keep up with Sidious longer then Opress did and even managing to kick the elder Sith backwards at one point, he was ultimately no match for Sidious, who was able to counter Maul's bladeblock and disarm him.

Maul was also able to temporaily hold his own against Mace Windu and Aayla Secura on a Mandalorian supply outpost, and even managed to match infamous Jedi hunter General Grievous; though he fought to a stalemate with the cyborg in their first encounter, he was able to overwhelm him in their second and third encounters. Maul's mastery of the dark side enabled him to overpower and capture the renowened rebel pilot Hera Syndulla and her crew. Over a decade later, while Maul initially told Ezra that his advanced age had diminished his abilities, this was later revealed to be an affectation not unlike that previously employed by Yoda, as Maul's walking stick served mainly to disguise a double-bladed lightsaber created to replace his original weapon. Though apparently convinced that he lacked the ability to defeat Vader by himself, Maul demonstrated considerable skill against the Inquisitors and full confidence in taking on Kanan and Ahsoka. However, he still had a tendency to underestimate his enemies, as shown when Kanan was able to force him off the edge of the temple despite being blind.

In addition to skills with a lightsaber, Maul proved to be strong with the powers of the Force, able to destroy numerous enemies including Banking Clan droid guards, and subduing Mandalorians such as Bo-Katan. During the skirmish on Florrum, he pulled a several-ton Eta-class shuttle off of a hill, where it slid to a stop in front of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hondo Ohnaka's pirates. His skills paled in comparison to Sidious, however, even after Maul declared himself the true Lord of the Sith. During their encounter on Mandalore, Sidious easily pinned Maul to a wall using the Force and bested him in lightsaber combat, though it took more effort to defeat him than Opress.

Maul was a capable manipulator, a skilled strategist, and had political skills from his time as Sidious' apprentice, managing to form the Shadow Collective in a surprisingly short amount of time. Maul was also skilled in Mind probing, as shown when he used the power on Hera to find the location of Kanan Jarrus' Jedi holocron and his true name Caleb Dume. Maul was also familiar with the magick practices of the Nightsisters, including a scrying spell which involved two people sharing a potion of spirit ichor. Maul was able to use his mastery of the Force to create apparitions of himself. He also used the fragment of a Sith holocron to activate Kanan's Jedi holocron and the Malachor Sith holocron as part of a plot to trick Ezra into luring Kenobi out of hiding. Maul used his lightsaber skills to strike down several Tusken Raiders but proved no match for the seasoned Kenobi, who slew him in combat.

Behind the scenes
"George Lucas had described Darth Maul as a figure from your worst nightmare. So... I drew George my worst nightmare."

- Iain McCaig, describing how he designed Darth Maul

Darth Maul first appeared in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, where he was played by actor and martial artist Ray Park. The character was a presence throughout the film, but only spoke three lines in total&mdash;all of which were voiced by actor Peter Serafinowicz. For the character's appearances in the animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, he was voiced by actor Sam Witwer.

For The Phantom Menace, the character was designed by concept designer Iain McCaig, who felt that designing a new Star Wars villain was a daunting task. He recalled George Lucas describing Maul as "a figure from your worst nightmare," so McCaig thought about his worst nightmares and then used those to design an initial look for the character. McCaig described his worst nightmare as a lifeless face pressed against a window in a thunderstorm, a dead yet alive figure who stares at him through the rain. McCaig used that as the first design, adding metal teeth and blood-red ribbons falling on it rather than rain. Lucas apparently felt it was too intense, saying "Okay. Now draw me your second worst nightmare..."

McCaig spent much of the three-year pre-production time drawing masks, attempting to design something similar to Ralph McQuarrie's original design for Darth Vader from Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Eventually, however, he felt he was on the wrong track. He ended up finding his stride when he drew members of the Episode I Art Department as Sith Lords, using their personalities and faces to design characters. At one point, McCaig used a circuit board as a face, a design that intrigued Lucas. Lucas also liked a concept based on production photographer Greg Gawlowski.

Darth Maul's design went through a number of other variations until McCaig created a series of Rorschach designs by creating splattered ink patterns, which led to the tattooed look of Darth Maul. McCaig wanted to soften the look of the character, at one point adding feathers the top of Darth Maul's head. McCaig saw these feathers are being part of the Sith Lord's personality; "every morning I imagined Darth Maul would get up and bind his head with this piano wire, and that the feathers had to end up at the right points&mdash;it was just a part of the focusing of the Sith." These feathers were interpreted as horns, however, which became part of the final design.

With the face of the character completed, McCaig also designed Maul's costume. Originally, Maul wore a large muscle suit, "making him larger than life," with Batman-like spikes on his neck. That costume made it through most of the storyboarding process, until McCaig changed the costume and made it smaller after Lucas talked about an acrobatic lightsaber duel. The costume was therefore made smaller, resulting in the Sith robes Maul wore in The Phantom Menace.

For his return in The Clone Wars, actor Sam Witwer knew that Maul was a popular character and felt a responsibility to get it right and respect the character's iconic status. He described Maul as broken, and attempted to convey a shattered mind through his acting. One way of doing so was to quote the Code of the Sith from the Expanded Universe, part of which made it into the episode. The character's design on the show was very similar to his look in The Phantom Menace, and the animators used the designing of the character as an opportunity to improve animation on the series. Because the character's appearances required him to show emotion such as anger and hatred using only facial expressions, the animators spent time improving the modelling process so they were able to achieve better expressions.

Because Maul had been cut in half in The Phantom Menace, he required a new set of cybernetic legs for The Clone Wars. The cyborg form of Darth Maul had previously been created by Industrial Light & Magic concept artist Aaron McBride for the Infinities graphic novel Star Wars: Visionaries. Similar to the events of the show, Maul appeared in the Visionaries comic Old Wounds with cybernetic legs and sought revenge against Obi-Wan Kenobi.

In Angry Birds Star Wars II, Maul's defeat didn't occur. After he kills Qui-Gon Jinn, he was never cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi and never throw into the reactor; he escapes from the scene victorious.

Non-canon appearances

 * William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace: Star Wars Part the First
 * Disney Infinity 3.0
 * LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales Episodes I-III
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens