Darth Maul

            Perhaps no character in Star Wars storytelling has as compelling and surprising of a journey as Maul. At first motivated by a desire to please his master and only father figure, yet in many ways a caged animal with a feral bloodlust for Jedi, Maul is a truly frightening and heartbreaking figure.While the Phantom Menace, Clone Wars, Rebels, and even Solo present part of the picture with regard to Maul that is certainly a roller coaster of a spectacle, the stories to be found in the novels and comics are just as essential to dive deep with Darth Maul.

           No matter your interest, there’s a corner of Maul’s story for you. Unless your interest is something fluffy and bubbly–Maul doesn’t exactly do that. But here you’ll find his origins—from Dathomir, he’s taken under the tutelage of a Sith Lord while kept on a short leash, all in the name of galactic domination. From there, Maul serves as a dark foil against the idealistic Jedi as he assassinates from the shadow. He experiences life-altering injury, to say the least, sending him down a psychotic path of rejection and revenge. His rivalry with Kenobi forms a long-standing obsession spanning long stretches of galactic upheaval. That’s not to mention his stent as a crime lord in the seedy criminal underworld of Black Sun! By the time you get past the Phantom Menace, Maul may be only half a man, but he’s certainly a fully-formed character!

‍