Sam Witwer opens up about Maul’s new path in upcoming Shadow Lord series

Darth Maul's voice will be heard again in the galaxy. Yes, Sam Witwer is once more stepping into the shadows, or rather, lending his voice to one. When Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord arrives on Disney+ in 2026, it will be a deeper exploration of one of the franchise’s most enduring and tragic figures.

Once a silent but deadly menace in The Phantom Menace, the Sith Lord has become far more than just the guy with the double-bladed lightsaber. Over the years, animated series like The Clone Wars and Rebels have fleshed out his rage, pain, and hunger for power, turning him into a fan-favorite villain whose story still feels unfinished.

Now, thanks to Witwer’s recent comments, fans are getting a clearer picture of where this antivillain's journey is headed and why Shadow Lord promises to reveal new dimensions of a character we thought we already knew.

Cinematic roots: from menace to myth

It’s hard to imagine that the character’s original screen time in The Phantom Menace was so limited. In 1999, he burst onto screens as a near-silent enforcer, his fierce red-and-black face, menacing horns, and unforgettable double-bladed lightsaber setting him apart as one of Star Wars’ most visually striking villains.

His duel against Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi is still considered one of the saga’s most iconic moments. Narratively speaking, his apparent death at the end of the film left him as little more than a flash of terror, a tool of Sidious, cut in half and discarded.

Yet, the impact of Maul’s short appearance couldn’t be ignored. Fans speculated, creators dreamed, and over time, his myth grew. What started as a one-off villain turned into one of Star Wars’ most enduring figures, a symbol of survival, vengeance, and tragic obsession.

Return in Solo and beyond

By the time Sam Witwer was voicing Maul in animated series, the character had already undergone a stunning reinvention. But for many casual fans, his shocking appearance at the end of Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) was their first hint that this villain’s story was far from over.

In Solo, we see Maul at the helm of Crimson Dawn, a powerful criminal syndicate. His brief but unforgettable cameo opened new questions: how did he survive after The Phantom Menace? How did he build a criminal empire? And how far did his influence reach before his eventual defeat in Rebels?

Shadow Lord promises to address these lingering gaps. Set roughly a year after the events of The Clone Wars, the series will follow Maul as he regathers power under the shadow of the Galactic Empire.

For Sam Witwer, returning to this complex role isn’t just about voicing an iconic villain; it’s about exploring the spaces between his triumphs and failures.

Sam Witwer on Maul’s journey: not a redemption arc

Sam Witwer has made it clear: Shadow Lord isn’t here to soften Maul’s edges or turn him into a misunderstood hero. In his own words:

"This isn’t going to be a show where you find out Maul is a real teddy bear, man … We’re not doing that. But is he as bad as Sidious or Vader? Actually no. From the Sith perspective, this guy has flaws ... [there's] humanity that seeps in at various points because of things that have happened to him."

These comments reveal a central tension in Maul’s character. He is both villain and victim. While he has committed countless brutal acts, his motivations are shaped by betrayal, pain, and a thirst for meaning beyond being a weapon for Sidious.

Sam Witwer’s portrayal has long emphasized the anti-villain’s layered nature, literally and metaphorically giving voice to his simmering anger and moments of vulnerability. In Shadow Lord, we can expect to see that complexity deepen as Maul wrestles not just with external enemies but with his own fractured identity.

Bad guys vs worse guys: the darker landscape

One of the most intriguing hints Witwer has dropped about Shadow Lord is how the series frames its moral world. According to him, it’s a story of “bad guys vs worse guys,” a setup that immediately positions Maul not as a redeemed hero but as a figure caught between dark forces.

Maul has always been a character defined by ambition and resentment, but compared to Sidious or Vader, his evil carries a different flavor. He’s not the calculating mastermind pulling galactic strings or the enforcer of a mechanized empire. He’s the rebel, the survivor, the one who refuses to be erased.

This setting allows Shadow Lord to explore a grim but fascinating space: Maul facing off against even darker powers, forced to confront whether his plans have a place in an increasingly oppressive universe.

It’s not about rooting for the good guy but watching one villain fight to stay relevant in a world determined to crush everything that doesn’t fit its design.

Maul’s doubts about the Empire

Sam Witwer has also hinted at the character’s growing discomfort with the Galactic Empire’s rise. In his words:

"[He’s] like, ‘Is that what [Sidious] had in mind? This is a little scary. Maul comes from a time of swords, sorcery, magic and knights, and now all of that color of the universe is being sucked out of this mechanized Empire. And Maul’s like, ‘Is this right? Is this the universe we were trying to build?’”

This reflection from Sam Witwer is crucial because it shows the Sith Lord questioning the system he once served. While Sidious focuses on absolute control and Vader becomes the symbol of mechanized tyranny, he represents something older, tied to mysticism, raw power, and personal vendettas.

The series promises to explore this tension: how does a figure shaped by the chaotic energy of the past fit into a future increasingly defined by cold order and uniformity? Maul’s doubts suggest cracks in the system and hint that even villains can recognize when the world they helped create turns into something unrecognizable.

A new apprentice and the rise of a syndicate

In Shadow Lord, he won’t be working alone. According to early details, the series will show him rebuilding his criminal empire, seeking to reclaim influence under the shadow of the Galactic Empire. Central to this effort is his decision to take on a new apprentice, a move that reflects both his ambition and his desperation.

The character's history with apprentices has always been complicated. From Savage Opress in The Clone Wars to his attempts to sway Ezra Bridger in Rebels, his mentorship is rarely about genuine connection. Instead, it often reveals his need to control, to mold others in his image, and to prove that he is more than just a discarded pawn of Sidious.

The rise of a new syndicate under Maul’s command promises political maneuvering, betrayal, and violent clashes with rival factions. For fans, it’s an opportunity to see him not just as a fighter but as a strategist, carving out his space in a galaxy that increasingly leaves little room for independent power.

A lasting shadow

Few characters in Star Wars have experienced the kind of transformation Maul has. What began as a silent assassin in The Phantom Menace has grown into a complex figure of pain, vengeance, and survival, thanks in large part to Witwer’s performance across multiple series.

He endures because he embodies a specific kind of tragedy. His aesthetic, the sharp red and black, the horns, the snarling ferocity, is unforgettable. But beneath the surface, he is defined by rejection and obsession, a character who was discarded by his master yet refuses to fade away, whose story became one of repeated comebacks and inevitable falls, as seen in The Clone Wars and Rebels.

With Shadow Lord, the stage is set to explore yet another chapter in this long, painful arc. What keeps him compelling is not just his rage or his skills but the raw, emotional weight he carries as a reminder of the consequences of unchecked ambition and betrayal.

Fans don’t root for Maul because they want him to win. They watch because his fall says as much about the galaxy as it does about him.

A dark mirror for the galaxy

At its heart, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord isn’t just a story about one villain’s rise or fall. It’s a reflection of the galaxy’s own shifting nature, where even those who once shaped its chaos now question their place in it.

Sam Witwer’s return to the role promises to show a facet of the Sith Lord that is more layered than ever; still violent, still driven, but also aware that the world around him is changing in ways that even he finds unsettling.

His doubts about the Empire, his efforts to rebuild power, and his relentless pursuit of relevance make him a fascinating focal point for a story that blurs the line between antihero and antagonist.

In the end, Maul remains a living symbol of Star Wars’ most enduring themes: the thirst for power, the wounds of betrayal, and the haunting reality that even those who seem unstoppable are shaped, and sometimes undone, by the very forces they seek to command.

With Shadow Lord, fans are poised to witness a tale not of redemption, but of legacy, and the shadows it casts across the galaxy.