Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord Is Officially Remaking One Of The Franchise’s Best Stories

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Disney+’s newest Star Wars series is adapting a popular story from the franchise. In Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, which takes place as the Empire is growing, Maul lands on the planet Janix. He’s determined to regain his influence in the criminal world and get revenge on those who wronged him during the Clone Wars.

But revenge is Maul’s primary goal. He deeply resents his former master, Darth Sidious, both for abandoning him after The Phantom Menace and for killing his brother, Savage Opress, during The Clone Wars. Savage had been Maul’s first apprentice, and Maul has been searching for a replacement ever since, even once attempting to recruit Anakin Skywalker’s former Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, before the events of Order 66.

Though his story appears in Shadow Lord, Maul’s journey isn’t truly over. The first Star Wars story released under Disney’s official continuity showed an older, increasingly desperate Maul still searching for an apprentice – someone who could help him finally defeat the Sith. Many fans consider Maul’s storyline in the animated series Star Wars Rebels to be one of the best in the franchise, especially due to his complex relationship with the young Jedi, Ezra Bridger.

Darth Maul Wanted Ezra Bridger To Be His Apprentice In Star Wars Rebels

The second season of Star Wars Rebels ended with a two-part finale that sent Ezra Bridger, his mentor Kanan Jarrus, and Ahsoka Tano to the Sith planet Malachor. Guided by Yoda’s Force Ghost, they hoped to discover a way to defeat Darth Vader. Instead, Ezra found Maul, a Sith Lord who had been stranded in Malachor’s extensive underground caves for years.

Maul noticed Ezra’s growing strength and cleverly pretended to be his friend, convincing him they could team up to overthrow the Sith and the Empire. Although they both wanted the same outcome, their motivations were completely different. Ezra was driven by a desire for justice – his parents had died in an Imperial prison, and his home planet, Lothal, suffered under Imperial control. Maul exploited Ezra’s kindness and compassion to manipulate him.

After Ezra found Kanan and Ahsoka again, it wasn’t long before their enemies discovered them. However, before that happened, Maul injured Kanan, causing him to lose his sight. Though Ezra never formally became Maul’s student, the encounter unlocked a troubled side of himself. He felt responsible for Kanan’s injury and became fixated on defeating the Sith and the Empire, dedicating himself entirely to training and gaining power. Throughout this, he was plagued by visions of Maul, who continued to exploit Ezra’s feelings of pain and guilt, subtly controlling him and pushing him to do what he wanted.

Ezra’s connection with Maul pushed him to his limits, challenging his strength and his understanding of the Force. Through this difficult relationship, Ezra learned to cope with loss and rely on his friends. Ultimately, he became a key figure in the Rebellion, successfully defeating Grand Admiral Thrawn and freeing his home planet, Lothal, as shown in the finale of Star Wars Rebels. While Maul never truly became Ezra’s mentor, Ezra grew from their encounters, becoming a more skilled Jedi and a stronger person.

Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord’s Latest Order 66 Survivor Is Maul’s New Obsession

The story Maul – Shadow Lord features two new Jedi who survived Order 66: Devon Izara, a Twi’lek Padawan, and her Mosyk Master, Eeko-Dio Daki. The beginning of the story finds them hiding on the planet Janix, trying to avoid the Empire. When we first meet Devon, she’s upset with how things have become and is determined to help others, even if it means stealing food for her Master, despite his objections.

Maul arrives, sensing a strong power within Devon. He envisions her as his next apprentice and decides now is the moment to act. Devon has been living in fear since the events of Order 66, but she’s eager for a challenge. This becomes clear when she’s arrested for a minor theft – stealing fruit. Although her Master calms her down, her desire for action and willingness to fight remain.

Okay, so Maul doesn’t exactly try to connect with this new recruit the way he did with Ezra. It’s not about building a relationship. Instead, he really preys on her frustrations, highlighting what he sees as the Jedi’s flaws and failures. And it’s great because she doesn’t fall for it immediately. In fact, she’s pretty disgusted by the idea of teaming up with him at first, clearly wanting to get back to her Jedi Master as quickly as possible. It makes her eventual choices feel much more earned.

Similar to Ezra, encountering Maul awakens a strong desire for safety and control within Daki. If the dark side offers her that, she might be tempted to embrace it. Maul now sees her mentor as an enemy, particularly after Daki injured his mechanical leg during their fight in Shadow Lord episode 4, “Chapter 4: Pride and Vengeance.” If Daki were to fall, she’d be completely alone, with no one to guide her back to the light.

Maul’s New Jedi Target Has A Lot In Common With Ezra Bridger

Devon and Ezra have a lot in common, which is why Maul noticed them both. Their first meetings were remarkably similar – Ezra stole supplies for survival in the Star Wars Rebels pilot, and Devon stole fruit in Shadow Lord. Both are young, Force-sensitive individuals struggling to survive under the Empire, and neither can fight it alone.

Both Devon and Ezra have experienced significant trauma. Ezra, though not alive during Order 66, lost his entire family under the Empire’s rule, mirroring the fate of most Jedi during the Clone Wars. Devon, who likely grew up immersed in the Jedi Order, now finds herself, like Ezra, struggling to survive with the constant danger of the Empire always present.

Devon Izara’s Future In Shadow Lord Could Go Either Way

Devon’s appearance strongly resembles that of Darth Talon, a powerful Sith character from the older, expanded universe of Star Wars. There were early ideas for the sequel trilogy that focused on Darth Maul and his organization, with Talon intended as his apprentice. Though there’s no proof Devon will become Darth Talon, the visual similarities are striking and likely not accidental.

Devon’s path as a Jedi is even more unclear than Ezra’s once was. Unlike Ezra, who had a strong support system of friends and a clear role in the Rebellion, Devon relies almost entirely on her Master for a sense of identity. While she’s deeply loyal to him, and he to her, the current instability means anything could happen. It’s unknown how Devon will cope with her sadness if Maul tries to destroy the Jedi – he nearly succeeded in one episode – or if she and her Master are driven apart by differing viewpoints.

There’s a key difference in how Maul interacted with Ezra and Devon. When Maul tried to get Ezra on his side, he was genuinely interested, but also desperate. He’d been stranded for years when they met on Malachor and was actually weak. He didn’t just want an apprentice; he needed Ezra’s help to escape, which limited his ability to manipulate Ezra without alerting his friends.

Darth Maul has time to work with Barriss Offee. Since the Empire has taken over Janix, she and her Jedi Master are effectively stranded, with only a local detective offering limited help. Maul can gradually exploit her negative emotions—fear, anger, and shame—transforming them into a dangerous and potent force.

I’m so excited to see what happens with Devon! Her path isn’t clear yet, and honestly, she could go in so many directions. Maybe she’ll become a hero like Ezra Bridger, or even briefly fall to the dark side like Barriss Offee did in Star Wars: Tales of the Empire before finding her way back. One thing’s for sure: she’s definitely not sticking with Maul in Star Wars Rebels season 2, which takes place a few years before the end of the Empire in Return of the Jedi. Their partnership in Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord can’t last forever, and with season 2 coming up, I’m really anticipating seeing how Devon Izara’s story unfolds!

New episodes of Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord premiere on Mondays exclusively on Disney+.

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2026-04-16 18:51