Sam Witwer Had One Rule For The Return Of A Forgotten Sith Warrior
“You don’t dare bring this character back unless there’s something interesting to say.”
Star Wars fans know the beginning and extended end of Darth Maul’s story, thanks to a baffling resurrection in The Clone Wars and a surprisingly rewarding villain arc in Rebels. But if there’s one thing Lucasfilm’s chief creative officer Dave Filoni loves, it’s a midquel — and Maul is the next character in a line of fan favorites to get one.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is filling in an unexplored moment in the villain’s time in the galaxy, picking up right after the Clone Wars to show us how Maul became the kingpin we see briefly (in live-action) in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Maul has been hopscotching across the Star Wars timeline for years now, but he’s never helmed a show or film of his own. As overdue as that might seem, it’s not entirely necessary; even Sam Witwer, who’s voiced the character since 2012, seems to know there’s more than a slight risk of redundancy.
“You don’t dare bring this character back unless there’s something interesting to say,” Witwer recently told Star Wars Insider (via Holo Files). That’s as true for Maul — whose story could have ended at least three times already — as it is for his lesser-known apprentice, Savage Opress. According to Witwer, he’s set to play a big role in Maul’s next adventure, encouraging some much-needed introspection for the former Sith lord.
Savage Opress will haunt his old master in Maul – Shadow Lord.
Savage was actually the character responsible for bringing Maul back to the land of the living. He was first introduced in Clone Wars as a kind of proxy for Maul, hand-picked by Count Dooku’s former apprentice, Asajj Ventress, to serve as her new ward. Savage grows strong thanks to some magical meddling from the Nightsisters of Dathomir, and when he finally breaks free from Ventress’ control, he’s instructed to search for his “brother” who’s lost his way. He finds Maul on the junkyard planet Lotho Minor, miraculously alive despite being sliced in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Phantom Menace. As master and apprentice, the pair live up to their respective namesakes, tearing apart any Jedi who stands in their path. Still, they’re no match for the evil Emperor Palpatine, who murders Savage to teach Maul a lesson about breaking the Rule of Two.
While Savage’s impact begins and ends with The Clone Wars, Witwer affirms that the apprentice will play a role in Maul’s next act. “He’s exploring who he is and also thinking about his brother, Savage Opress, his first apprentice, and family,” the actor explained. “Did he treat him as well as he should’ve, considering how loyal Savage was? No. But now he’s finally assessing that and realizing, ‘I failed him.’”
Maul’s failure with Savage won’t stop him from trying again with a new apprentice.
Savage probably won’t physically return in Shadow Lord, but his memory will loom large as Maul strives to regroup. If nothing else, it will only strengthen his hatred for Palpatine, who now rules the galaxy with an iron fist. And it will undoubtedly inform his relationship with a new apprentice, Devon Izara, a former Jedi Padawan who’s got no love for the Empire either. Sure, it’s treading a bit of the same ground that other animated Star Wars shows have enthusiastically mined — but there’s also a truly interesting opportunity for growth.
Shadow Lord is set between The Clone Wars and Rebels, where Maul tried to take on another, final apprentice in Ezra Bridger. His partnership with Devon could inform so much about his motivations and fears in Rebels. Will the knowledge of his failure with Savage help Maul do things differently with Devon? As we know absolutely nothing about this new character and her future, is Maul destined to fail her, too? There’s more to know about Maul than it seems: a forgotten character from his past could be the key to unlocking a whole new corner of the galaxy.
