The tough decisions Darth Maul made as a wannabe young Sith Lord might still haunt him well into middle-age on Star Wars Rebels. A new Marvel series will explore the origins of Darth Maul, recontextualizing the character’s brief appearance in The Phantom Menace, and his long story arcs in both The Clone Wars and Rebels.
Speaking to Marvel.com about the writing of the new comic series— simply titled Darth Maul — writer Cullen Bunn explained that though this comic series will create the canonical origin story for Maul, the idea of who Maul will become later was part of the writing process. “I feel like the seeds of those changes might have been with them for a long time,” Bunn said. “So I wanted to write a character that readers can see turning into the man they would see in Rebels.
Most tellingly, Bunn reveals everything that’s happened in Maul’s life matters, and that the new series may radically change the perception of the character: “You’ll also see him take actions that inform the man he will become and that could haunt him even in his latest incarnation.”
Maul over the years
But other than getting some questionable face and body tattoos, what early decisions could Bunn be talking about? Because Maul developed a hatred of the Sith and the Jedi, he’s become something of a Star Wars iconoclast, rather than just a straight up bad-guy. And even though he is a wielder of the Dark Side, there’s no denying his plight hasn’t been made slightly more sympathetic since being brought back on The Clone Wars.
The new totally in-canon comic series Darth Maul will launch on February 1, written by Cullen Bunn with art from Luke Ross.
