As we’ve learned from the trailers, the seventh and final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars will feature the return of Darth Maul, but what can we expect from his character arc?
While Episode I – The Phantom Menace killed off Maul, Dave Filoni imagined a more fitting resolution for the character and brought him back to play a role in the war between the Confederacy and the Republic. Maul, unlike many characters in the world of a galaxy far, far away, doesn’t serve a higher purpose or creed and only works to achieve his own goals. That’s part of the thing that makes him so likable, even in spite of the fact that he’s always been at odds with the good guys.
It would seem that the last season of The Clone Wars intends to bring the character back one last time as well in the Siege of Mandalore, and one instance in the trailer even teased a confrontation between him and Anakin’s old Jedi Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. But for fans who would like to understand his storyline better, the Darth Maul – Son of Dathomir comic series will be a good read.
This 4-issue canon miniseries ran from May 21st to August 20th, 2014 as part of The Clone Wars Legacy project which featured narratives that Dave Filoni wanted to explore before the cancellation of the animated show, so what fans read on the pages of this comic are actually unused scripts.
In Son of Dathomir, Palpatine uses Darth Maul as bait to uncover the location of Mother Talzin, the leader of the Nightsisters, believing that she’s a threat to the rise of the Galactic Empire. As it comes to pass, Maul gets hold of the Darksaber and assembles the Shadow Collective to fight off the Droid Army, and manages to win the battle and capture Count Dooku and General Grievous.
In the final confrontation, Mother Talzin possesses Dooku and together with Maul, they fight Palpatine, who’s assisted by Grievous. Ultimately, the Chancellor gains the upper hand and makes Talzin emerge in her true form, but she gives Maul the chance to break off and leave. Grievous kills Talzin, and Darth Sidious, now satisfied with the results and not seeing Maul as a threat, allows his old apprentice to escape.
Considering that the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, consisting of 12 episodes, will premiere on Disney+ in three days, the Son of Dathomir storyline can serve as a good warm-up to prepare you for what’s to come, especially if you want to know where Darth Maul stands in the story. Be sure to check it out!