Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker and Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
A new sequel to Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is set to change the galaxy far, far away forever and rewrite the rules of Star Wars. The upcoming animated series Maul - Shadow Lord is set to take an approach to its story that no other Star Wars show has ever done before.
In doing so, Maul - Shadow Lord is going to redefine how a story can be told in the Star Wars franchise. As fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars will remember, Maul survived being cut in half in The Phantom Menace. The upcoming series Maul - Shadow Lord takes place after the ending of The Clone Wars. Based on some of the details that have been released, we know that Maul is building up his criminal empire that ultimately ends with him controlling the Crimson Dawn. The groundbreaking part about the series, however, is its protagonist. Maul - Shadow Lord Follows A Villain Who Won't Be Redeemed Maul - Shadow Lord, which is set to premiere on April 6 on Disney+, follows the former apprentice of Darth Sidious, Maul as he rises to control a massive criminal syndicate. The trailers for Maul - Shadow Lord confirmed that the series is taking place in the immediate aftermath of Revenge of the Sith, in the very early days of the Empire's reign. Official descriptions of the series have also revealed that Maul is searching for revenge against the Emperor. What truly makes Maul - Shadow Lord unique, however, is its main character. Maul is no longer a Sith by the time of Shadow Lord, but he's certainly still a villain. He still has his vendetta against Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Jedi as a whole as shown in The Clone Wars, and his appearances in Star Wars Rebels confirm that he won't be redeemed in Shadow Lord in any meaningful way. Maul was evil before this new show, and he'll remain evil after. That's unique for Star Wars. The majority of Star Wars villains find redemption in some way. Darth Vader and Kylo Ren are the prime examples, but other villains like Asajj Ventress, Boba Fett, Armitage Hux, and more have also prominently turned to the light side. Villains sometimes stay evil until death, like Palpatine and Count Dooku, but they're never the focus of entire shows like Maul is about to be. While following a villain may not seem like a big deal, it's a major change for Star Wars. This entire franchise is built upon the core principle of hope, that things will get better even in the dark. Following a villain who never becomes an anti-hero goes against that principle. In essence, Maul - Shadow Lord is breaking from all the rules Star Wars set for itself, which should be very interesting to see. Star Wars Has Been Moving Away From Redemption, But Not To Maul's Extent Maul's lack of redemption in Maul - Shadow Lord is unique, but not entirely unprecedented. In recent years, Star Wars has demonstrated much more willingness to let its villains stay evil while also serving as the main characters of shows. The Tales of anthology series is the best example of this. Each Tales series, including Jedi, Empire, and Underworld, devotes half of its episodes to focusing on a villain who does not get redeemed. Count Dooku, Morgan Elsbeth, and Cad Bane, so far, have been featured as one of the main characters of their respective Tales of series, and none of them even get close to a redemption arc. Quite the contrary, in fact; each Tales series makes a point of explaining how these iconic Star Wars villains started out as good or at least neutral figures who eventually became villains. Related Darth Maul’s New Show Highlights The Biggest Problem With Dave Filoni’s Star Wars Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord looks great, but it's also continuing one of the biggest problems Dave Filoni has: his focus on the Empire. Posts 4 By Sean Morrison The reason Maul - Shadow Lord is still unique in Star Wars is that the Tales of series all are miniseries, and they only feature villains who don't get redeemed for half of their episodes. The other half of the Tales shows feature either heroes like Ahsoka Tano or villains who do get redeemed, such as Barriss Offee and Asajj Ventress. Maul - Shadow Lord is still the only full-length Star Wars show that highlights a main character who starts and ends as a villain. Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord Like Follow Followed TV-PG Animation Science Fiction Release Date April 6, 2026 Network Disney+ Franchise Star Wars Cast See All
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Star Wars Confirms The Mandalorian & Grogu Has a Villain Problem (Or There’s a Huge Twist)The Mandalorian & Grogu's marketing confirms a glaring villain that could derail the film unless Disney has a secret twist.
Read more »
Ryan Gosling’s Next Movie After Star Wars Revealed, Teams With Oscar WinnersProject Hail Mary star Ryan Gosling has found the next movie he's going to star in after 2027's Star Wars: Starfighter.
Read more »
Star Wars’ Kelly Marie Tran Leads Exciting Crime Movie Forge TrailerUtopia has released the first trailer for Forge, the upcoming crime movie starring Star Wars' Kelly Marie Tran, Andie Ju, and more.
Read more »
How Finn Can Make His Star Wars Return After John Boyega's Recent CommentsJosh is a film critic and journalist with over six years of experience, covering all things Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and more.
Read more »
Star Wars Star Thinks Fan Opinion for Sequels Will Change in ‘10 Years’Star Wars' BB-8 actor believes that the sequel trilogy is as 'polarizing' as the prequels and will get its love in '10 years' time.'
Read more »
'Star Wars' C-3PO prop head sells for over $1 million at auctionThe prop was used in 'Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back,' and sold alongside props from other movies like 'Jaws' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean.'
Read more »