A brutal new animated series reveals Maul rebuilding power and training a deadly new apprentice
Star Wars is diving headfirst into its darkest corners once again as the first trailer for Star Wars: Maul Shadow Lord arrives, promising a pulpy, violent and morally unrestrained chapter in the saga’s sprawling timeline. Set in the uneasy aftermath of the Clone Wars, the animated series places one of the franchise’s most feared figures back at the centre of the story.
The new show marks the first fully fledged animated series from Lucasfilm Animation since The Bad Batch, and it wastes no time signalling its intent. The trailer introduces a galaxy scarred by the rise of Emperor Palpatine’s Empire, where Maul lurks in the shadows, hunted, furious and determined to reclaim relevance through power, fear and revenge.
Voiced once again by Sam Witwer, Maul is depicted as a survivor who refuses to fade into myth. Having lost his previous criminal empire, he now seeks to rebuild from the ground up, plotting in secret on a neon-soaked world called Janix. The planet, untouched by Imperial control, becomes the stage for Maul’s latest gamble: constructing a new syndicate while shaping a successor capable of continuing his war against the Sith who discarded him.
The trailer confirms that Maul is no longer merely a fugitive. He is a teacher, a manipulator and a believer in breaking chains through destruction. His attention turns to a young Force-sensitive runaway, Devon Izara, a pink-skinned Twi’lek voiced by Gideon Adlon. While not explicitly named as a Sith, the imagery and dialogue leave little doubt that she may become something far more dangerous than a conventional apprentice.
Maul’s pursuit places him directly in the path of Imperial forces, including the Inquisitor Marrok, a character first introduced in Ahsoka. This cat-and-mouse dynamic gives the series a constant sense of threat, reinforcing that Maul’s existence alone is an act of rebellion against Palpatine’s total control.
Visually, the series leans heavily into noir-inspired design. The animation builds on the established style of Star Wars: The Clone Wars while introducing textured, hand-painted elements reminiscent of classic matte art. The result is a world that feels grimier, heavier and more adult than much of Star Wars animation to date.
The voice cast expands beyond Witwer with Wagner Moura appearing as Brander Lawson and Richard Ayoade voicing a character known as Two Boots. Their inclusion adds further weight to a series clearly aiming to balance operatic villainy with character-driven tension.
According to the official synopsis, the story follows Maul as he plots to rebuild his syndicate on a world beyond Imperial reach. There, he encounters a disillusioned former Jedi Padawan who may become the instrument of his revenge. The emphasis is not on redemption, but on obsession, survival and the corrosive cost of power.
This is not a tale of heroes and hope. Instead, it frames the early Empire as a period of chaos where broken figures like Maul thrive in the cracks left behind by war. The trailer’s tone makes it clear that Shadow Lord is comfortable sitting in moral darkness, inviting audiences to follow a protagonist who is neither misunderstood nor softened.
With its blend of violence, ambition and visual grit, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord positions itself as one of the franchise’s boldest animated experiments. It does not attempt to redeem Maul. It dares viewers to watch him burn everything around him in pursuit of vengeance, and to decide whether the galaxy deserves what follows.