Who Is Darth Maul?: Every Star Wars Movie & Show to Watch Before Shadow Lord

As we mentioned above, Maul first hit the big screen in the first instalment of the prequel trilogy, Star Wars Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace, in 1999. He begins by lurking in the shadows, chatting with Palpatine before stepping into the desert to confront Qui-Gon Jinn in a brief but foreboding encounter. He even attempts to run over little Anakin Skywalker with his speeder, so you know how ruthless he is.

Come the end of the movie, Maul reveals his double-ended red lightsaber and partakes in a blistering rematch with Qui-Gon before taking on a furious Obi-Wan Kenobi. This fight is set to the scintillating ‘Duel of the Fates’ score and is genuinely one of the best moments in Star Wars history. Despite the film itself spending far too long on rather dull political subplots and excessive podracing, there’s enough to appreciate in the more combat-heavy scenes, especially whenever Maul is on-screen.

It sounds crazy, given he’s only in Solo: A Star Wars Story for about 30 seconds, but this might actually be the most important clue as to what to expect from his new animated series. Indeed, Maul - Shadow Lord actually delivers on the Solo finale, which set Maul up as the underground crime lord Crimson Dawn – it’s just a shame we had to wait eight years for it to come to fruition.

Going back in time to tell the story of a young Han Solo, this heist movie sees Alden Ehrenreich take on the impossible task of doing justice to the character that Harrison Ford made so iconic. And you know what? He actually does a great job, IMO. The film itself is a lot of fun, with some really cool action set-pieces, and the character work is really charming. Solo got a bad rep after a tough box office run, but it’s well worth a watch on Disney+ if you fancy a nice, light adventure away from the Skywalker Saga.

When we saw Maul chopped in half by Obi-Wan in the climactic moments of The Phantom Menace, everyone assumed that was the end of the Sith apprentice. Thankfully, he lived to fight another day, and the character well and truly fulfilled his potential in the animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

He doesn’t arrive in the show until Season 4, but when he does, we learn all about how he was resurrected and his subsequent revenge mission to take out Obi-Wan. In the show, he takes over Mandalore, assembles a deadly team of assassins, and even confronts his former Sith allies. With or without Maul, this show is absolute peak Star Wars – it fleshes out so much of the Obi-Wan and Anakin partnership and also introduces Ahsoka Tano, making it an important Jedi story in its own right.

If you found yourself intrigued by what Maul was up to in The Clone Wars, you’ll absolutely love his involvement in Star Wars: Rebels. He drops into the third season and causes all kinds of chaos. Not only does he lead the main protagonist, Ezra Bridger, dangerously close to the Dark Side of the Force, but he also finally challenges Obi-Wan to a rage-fueled rematch that will go down in history as one of the most well-crafted and meaningful duels in Star Wars.

For me, Rebels is one of the most valuable additions to the universe. Not only is it a really charming and entertaining animated show, but it’s also packed with emotional beats, exceptional character development, and is littered with Easter eggs and wider references that Star Wars nerds will love.

While we’re all slowly coming round to the idea of The Mandalorian and Grogu (the latest trailer finally proved it might be worth our time after all), it’s Maul - Shadow Lord that I’m most excited for in 2026. The vibrant, poppy animation style is enough to catch our attention, but the fact that this 10-episode series will dive into Maul’s role as a criminal mastermind is so enticing. 

From the trailers alone, the animated series looks like a gritty and stylish action-thriller revealing the grimy underbelly of the galaxy. It’s a world we’ve only scraped the surface of in the past, with shows like Andor and movies like Solo, so it’s tantalising to know we’ll be exploring planets that are untouched by the Galactic Empire, but still rife with crime, violence, and chaos. Maul - Shadow Lord drops April 6, so get your Disney+ subscription sorted in time!