Maul – Shadow Lord has come to an end, and what an explosive, action-packed ending it was.
The ex-Sith Lord made his glorious comeback on Disney Plus in his own show, and season 1 charted his attempts to rise back to the top of his crime empire after the events of The Clone Wars. Plus, Maul was intent on recruiting Jedi Padawan Devon Izara to his side to strike back against the Empire.
Below, we've rounded up everything there is to know about Shadow Lord, from a plot summary to the cast and the lowdown on the trailers. With Maul – Shadow Lord season 2 already confirmed, now is the best time to get up to speed. For even more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord release date
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord began on April 6, 2026 and wrapped up on May 4, 2026, AKA Star Wars Day.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord trailers
The first trailer for Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord showcased a gritty vibe for the show, which seems to be heavily focusing on the crime lord aspect of Maul's character. We got plenty of glimpses of neon-hued cities, too, as well as the Twi'lek Jedi Maul wants as his apprentice. Check it out above.
A slightly different trailer was first shown behind closed doors at Star Wars Celebration 2025.
The second trailer, meanwhile, saw lightsaber action and Maul's attempts to recruit Devon Izara to his cause. See it below.
The striking animation shown in the trailers blends both traditional and modern techniques, part of Star Wars boss Dave Filoni's direction to "put the hand of the artist in every frame."
"Dave Filoni wanted us to put the hand of the artist in every frame," supervising director Brad Rau tells SFX Magazine. "So you see more brush strokes in the skin tones, in the buildings and in the [background] matte paintings. Joel Aron, our director of lighting, photography and effects, had this really cool idea, where his team would paint on glass with actual brushes, and then scan those brush strokes into the computer. In the pilot there's this great hero shot of Maul as his lightsaber turns on, and if you look at the smoke next to him, there's actual brush strokes in the smoke."
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord cast
The Maul – Shadow Lord cast featured some seriously impressive names. Sam Witwer returned as Maul, while Gideon Adlon voiced Devon Izara.
Oscar nominee Wagner Moura, meanwhile, was a police officer named Brander Lawson, while Richard Ayoade was his delightfully named droid partner, Two-Boots (2B0T).
Intriguingly, the cast also featured Marrok, the mysterious Inquisitor from Ahsoka who sparked a frenzy of fan theories, this time voiced by A.J. LoCascio.
The full cast can be found below:
- Sam Witwer – Maul
- Gideon Adlon – Devon Izara
- Wagner Moura – Brander Lawson
- Richard Ayoade – Two-Boots/2B0T
- Dennis Haysbert – Master Eeko-Dio Daki
- Chris Diamantopoulos – Looti Vario
- Charlie Bushnell – Rylee Lawson
- Vanessa Marshall – Rook Kast
- David W. Collins – Spybot
- A.J. LoCascio – Marrok
- Scott Whyte – Dryden Vos
- Steve Blum – Icarus
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord reviews
Maul – Shadow Lord ended up one of Star Wars's highest rated projects ever, debuting to a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score (which has since slipped to 98%).
Our own 4-star Maul – Shadow Lord review reads: "Maul – Shadow Lord is a visually stunning entry in the Lucasfilm Animation canon that explores the wrath and surprising vulnerability of one of Star Wars's most intriguing characters, with a brilliant vocal performance from Sam Witwer and a lively cast of supporting characters."
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord plot
The show took place around a year after the rise of the Empire and the end of The Clone Wars on the Star Wars timeline. After Maul amassed the Shadow Collective during the Clone Wars, he was soon cast low again by Ahsoka Tano capturing him, meaning he lost his throne during the Siege of Mandalore.
But rebuilding his criminal empire wasn't the only thing Maul was focused on, as he also wanted to recruit Devon Izara as his apprentice (something of an obsession for Maul: in The Clone Wars he had his brother Savage Opress as his apprentice, and later in Star Wars Rebels he will try to take on Ezra Bridger). Interestingly, this had something in common with a scrapped idea from George Lucas's original plan for the sequel trilogy.
Devon, meanwhile, still had her Master Eeko-Dio Daki, so she wasn't as amenable to being corrupted. Meanwhile, Maul was being pursued by police officer Brander Lawson and his droid companion Two-Boots.
Maul's activities soon drew the attention of the Empire, however, with stormtroopers and Inquisitors Marrok and the Eleventh Brother arriving on Janix (Marrok also called a mysterious figure for aid, which we'll come back to in a minute). Both Inquisitors were more fearsome than ever, too.
Things eventually came to a head with none other than Darth Vader arriving on Janix to battle Maul, Daki, and Devon (revealing this is the shadowy figure Marrok contacted). The trio proved no match for this Dark Lord of the Sith, however, and Maul betrayed Daki by Force pushing him closer to Vader and getting him killed. Lawson also sacrificed himself, to his son Rylee's devastation.
But, with help from Crimson Dawn's Dryden Vos, Maul, Devon, Rylee, Two-Boots, and the crime boss Vario were able to escape Janix and Vader. Devon then agreed to be trained by Maul. For a more detailed breakdown, read our Maul – Shadow Lord ending explained.
That's a wrap on Maul – Shadow Lord. For more, catch up on his story with our guide on how to watch The Clone Wars in order.
