DARTH MAUL: Is He Star Wars’ Most Complex Character?

When Darth Maul hit the big screen in 1999 and unveiled his double-bladed lightsaber for the very first time, it changed 9-year-old me’s life forever. He was a character who said nothing and had an electric fighting style, whom we watched Obi-Wan cut in half, and that was that. Until it wasn’t, and we saw him revived with spider-like robotic legs, eventually morphing into regular robotic legs. He appeared in The Clone Wars, we saw him appear in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and even his story’s ultimate ending in Star Wars Rebels. Spanning decades, it’s time for me to say that Darth Maul may just be the perfect and complex character of all time.

Darth Maul’s History

He is a character built on rage and hatred. Maul survived his encounter with Kenobi out of rage and spite with the sole purpose of taking. him down all the while getting revenge on his former master, who cast him aside as well. When we meet him in Clone Wars, he turns his brother Savage to the dark side and trains him into an unstoppable force of nature. He set his sights on the planet Mandalore and set out to rule it, utilizing a manufactured crisis and the criminal underworld. Maul’s plan was genius as he brought all of the crime syndicates together against the Duchess Satine, who was the love of Obi-Wan’s life, all at the same time.

This was a two-for-one as Maul made her look weak while he and the Death Watch swooped in. Unfortunately, Pre Vizsla betrayed Maul once he overthrew the Duchess, thus imprisoning both Maul and Savage. Maul’s imprisonment was short-lived as he challenged Pre and beheaded him, thus taking ownership of the Dark Saber and ultimately Mandalore. Maul had his revenge against Kenobi as he killed Satine in front of him to inflict maximum pain upon the Jedi. It is perhaps one of the most emotional moments in Star Wars and shows just how brutal a villain Darth Maul can be.

However, Palpatine learned of Maul’s rule over Mandalore and arrived as Darth Sidious, killing Savage and defeating Maul in battle and dismantling his organization.

What makes Maul so great, though?

So, Maul is a Sith Lord and uses any means necessary to get what he wants for himself, so what makes him so great? While he may be a villain, I cannot help but point out that he makes some really great points. He realizes what Sidious’s true plan was before anyone else was able to do so, and even offered to join forces with Ahsoka to bring the reign to a short-lived end. He recognizes how disconnected the Jedi Order has become and how easily they were corrupted. Maul is wise enough to highlight how power corrupts, no matter if you are a Jedi, a Sith, or a crime lord. He’s a character who sees how broken the system is and how the endless cycle of violence will continue on and on.

Maul understands how consumed by rage he is; he is trapped inside that prison of rage and violence with no way to escape. These become his downfalls as he craves control and power and gives in to his anger repeatedly. He is a character who has bested Jedi Masters, stood toe to toe against Darth Vader and Darth Sidious, and is one of the most skilled swordsmen with a lightsaber the galaxy has ever seen. His self-awareness and abilities make it so we cannot help but fall in love with him and even see his reasoning in agreement more often than not. Darth Maul is the ultimate character in Star Wars and perhaps the most complex and well written ones at that. Even in his final moments on Tattooine as Obi-Wan held him dying in his arms, Maul understood his revenge quest was his downfall, and there was a truly beautiful moment between the two foes in these final moments.

I could follow Darth Maul forever as he is one of the best-written characters in the entire franchise and truly one of, if not the most compelling, at that. If you have not done so yet, give Maul: Shadow Lord a watch out now on Disney+ and read the comic series of the same name, written by Benjamin Percy, also available in stores now.

How do you feel about the Sith Lord? Be sure to let us know your thoughts below, and check out more by Matt!