It’s official: Darth Maul is getting his own TV show — and fans are already buzzing about one epic possibility.
Could we finally see Darth Maul face off against Darth Vader?
👑 Maul: Shadow Lord lands in 2026
Set after The Clone Wars, Maul: Shadow Lord will follow the former Sith as he commands the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate in secret, operating under the nose of the very Empire his old master, Palpatine, controls.
The series will be the first Star Wars show to star a full-blown villain, and it’s being made by Lucasfilm Animation — the studio behind The Clone Wars and Rebels.
That alone has fans excited, but what’s got the internet on edge is the tantalising potential for Maul to clash with Darth Vader — in canon.
🧨 A duel that’s long overdue
Maul and Vader have fought before… but only in Star Wars Legends. In the 2001 comic Star Wars Tales #9, Maul was resurrected by dark side cultists who believed Vader was unworthy to serve Sidious. What followed was a brutal lightsaber duel where Vader won by impaling himself to land a killing blow on Maul.
That moment, though non-canon, showed the twisted depths of Vader’s power — fuelled not by rage toward others, but sheer self-hatred.
Now, Shadow Lord has the chance to bring that idea into the official timeline.
🕵️♂️ Vader and the Inquisitors are on the hunt
The events of Shadow Lord take place during the “Dark Times” of the Empire — the very period when Vader and the Inquisitors are wiping out surviving Jedi and any Force-sensitive threats.
Meanwhile, Maul is lurking in the shadows, running a growing underworld empire and potentially training a new apprentice — rumoured to be a canonised version of Legends’ Darth Talon.
If Palpatine gets wind of Maul’s influence, you can bet he’ll send his new apprentice to investigate — and eliminate.
⚠️ Rebels almost gave us the fight
We nearly saw a Maul/Vader duel in the Star Wars Rebels Season 2 finale. Both were on Malachor, but Maul fought Kanan while Vader took on Ahsoka. The two never crossed paths.
This time, though, fans are hoping Lucasfilm makes it happen — officially.
With Sam Witwer returning as Maul and teasing that Shadow Lord will explore his doubts about the Empire, the stage is set for a showdown that could rival Kenobi vs Vader for pure Star Wars drama.
