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Maul: Shadow Lord - The coolest villain in the galaxy gets his own show, and it does not disappoint
Maul: Shadow Lord - The coolest villain in the galaxy gets his own show, and it does not disappoint
By AJ Siytangco
There is something deliciously impressive about villains, visually and internally. There's a kind of attraction or admiration that a good villain brings out of an audience member that’s very different from what a hero might. Maybe it's the fact that villains do what they want without many limits. Whatever the reason, villains can be cool. Well, that’s not entirely true.
Well, that’s not entirely true. There’s the granddaddy of cool villains, Darth Vader, but Maul is still way up there on the list. Dropping the Darth, our favorite son of Dathomir now goes by Lord Maul, or simply, Shadow.
The story takes place roughly a year or so after the events of Revenge of the Sith, so about a year after Order 66, the infamous command that effectively culled the Jedi Order. We saw Maul rescued and revived in the Clone Wars Television series, as well as the beginnings of his underground criminal empire. In Maul, he’s looking to consolidate his hold on the Galaxy’s underworld by setting up shop on the planet Janix.
It is a character he knows well, and it shows. The Skeleton Crew attempted a Goonies-style kids adventure in a galaxy far, far away. The Acolyte was very martial-arts heavy, and Andor was a spectacular espionage thriller.
In Maul, the Force behind these shows (pun intended) is shaping up to be the Star Wars equivalent of a police procedural, complete with a hard-boiled detective, Brander Lawson (Wagner Moura), and a trusty partner in the form of the droid Two-Boots (Richard Ayoade). Lawson is hot on Maul's trail and wants the case all wrapped up before the Empire takes an interest, mirroring the typical disdain you see in most police shows when the FBI or some higher authority steps in to take over jurisdiction.
Also in the show are Dennis Hayesbert as Master Eeko-Dio-Daki, a Jedi Master of a never-before-seen reptilian race, the Mosyk. He and his padawan, Devon Izara, voiced by Gideon Adlon, are survivors of Order 66 and are inadvertently caught up in the power struggle and the hunt for Maul on Janix.
Sam Witwer once again brings his voice to bear as Maul, alternating between rage and soothing calm. It is a character he knows well, and it shows. Far from a two-dimensional baddie, Maul is a fleshed-out character with motivations, flaws, passions, and strength.
The show explores the pre-Luke Skywalker era from a more grounded perspective. It treads some new ground without straying too far or forgetting what a story in the Star Wars universe should be. It is good versus evil, fast action, lightsabers, and droids. All of which are in the show in spades. Catch Maul: Shadow Lord now streaming on Disney+.