Solo: A Star Wars Story is all about journeying back to a time when Han Solo – that loveable scoundrel – was still making a name for himself in the galaxy’s seedy criminal underworld.
And while Alden Ehrenreich’s rogue is very much the focus of Ron Howard’s Anthology pic, there’s also another major Star Wars callback hidden within the film’s finale. That’s right, we’re referring to Darth Maul, the fan favorite villain who was last seen tumbling into the abyss during The Phantom Menace.
Turns out he survived that though and returned to make a surprise appearance in Solo, acting as the sole point of contact for Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) soon after she defeats Dryden Vos, another high-ranking gangster. It was a quick but exciting cameo from the villain, and in case you missed it, Lucasfilm’s now released the scene online ahead of the movie’s upcoming home video debut on September 25th.
While the reappearance of Maul went over well with most fans, bringing a character back that everyone saw graphically die on screen still does feel just a little bit cheap. I mean, sure, he’s appeared in various Star Wars TV shows, but most moviegoers probably aren’t intimately familiar with those and instead, only know the villain from The Phantom Menace. As such, for them the revelation was probably more of a “That doesn’t make much sense” moment, which I doubt is what Lucasfilm was going for.
Still, Maul’s Solo: A Star Wars Story appearance was clearly opening the door for a return in a more substantial sense in a potential sequel, as he was seen calling Emilia Clarke’s Qi’Ra to meet with him so they can work more closely in the future. However, the disappointing box office returns for the pic likely mean that any further appearances on the big screen may be unlikely. Which is certainly a shame, especially since actor Ray Park has a number of ideas for where Maul can go from here.