We’ve only had one live-action movie in the form ofStar Wars: The Force Awakensfrom Disney since the company purchased all of Lucasfilm in 2012. They have been plenty busy putting out lots of otherStar Warscontent though, namely a ton of great comic books. Up next? Fan favorite character and prequel trilogy bright spot Darth Maul will be getting his own series.
The news comes courtesy ofUSA Todaywho reveal that the five-issue prequel mini-series, titledStar Wars: Darth Maul, will debut in February. The series is being written byCullen Bunn, whose previous credits in the comic book world includeUncanny X-MenandThe Sixth Gun.Luke Rossis set to do the art for the book, which will be released by Marvel Comics in the new year. Here is how the series is described in the report.
“The comic finds Maul anuntested warriorunder the training of Darth Sidious, who would later become the Galactic Emperor. Told to stand down from engaging with Jedi yet, Maul hunts down the worst of the worst in the cosmic underworld to vent his frustration. After learning a young Jedi Padawan named Eldra Kaitis has fallen into the hands of a crime lord, Maul seizes an opportunity to test his skills against a real Jedi but also maybe turn someone else to the dark side.”
Darth Maul first appeared inStar Wars: The Phantom Menace. That movie is easily the most hated among the seven entries in theStar Warssaga to date. But even though he had very little screen time, Darth Maul has become one of the most beloved parts of the prequels. One might argue outside of Darth Vader, he is maybe the most popular villain in theStar Warsuniverse, save for maybe Boba Fett, if you count him as a villain. Sadly, the character was “killed” byObi-Wanat the end of the movie, so he wasn’t able to make any further appearances in the prequel movies.
The character has been revived in several comic books when Dark Horse had the rights to theStar Warsfranchise, but those books aren’t part of the newStar Warscanon. So, Marvel bringingDarth Maulback into the comic book canon and exploring his early days as a Sith Lord in training is a good way to gain favor with fans. The character has also appeared in both theStar Wars: The Clone WarsandStar Wars Rebelsanimated series, which explained how the character actually lived on after the events of Phantom Menace. It’s entirely possible that he could be revived in a live-action movie as well.
Cullen Bunntold USA Today that inStar Wars: Darth Maulhe will be “seeding where that impatience and anger comes from,” and that “a big part of the story is Darth Maul’s descent to thedark sideand almost being tempted away from it.” There is hope from fans that we may someday get to see Darth Maul back on the big screen, which is possible now that Disney is in control. Maybe a rematch between him and Obi-Wan on Tatooine? For now, this new comic book series looks like it could be the next best thing. Be sure to look out forStar Wars: Darth Maulthis February.
