In Maul – Shadow Lord episode 3, the titular ex-Sith Lord makes a reference to his family, which, if you haven't seen The Clone Wars, might have taken you by surprise.
Below, we've explained everything you need to know about Maul's brother, Savage Opress (you can read more about his mother, Talzin, in our Nightsisters of Dathomir explainer). Savage has a hefty Clone Wars backstory that's very important to understanding how Maul became leader of the Shadow Collective, so it's well worth getting up to speed.
The following is full of spoilers for the Clone Wars, but is spoiler-free for Maul – Shadow Lord. So, for everything you need to know about Savage Opress, head down to our guide below. For more, check out our guide on how to watch the Clone Wars in order.
Who is Savage Opress? His Clone Wars history explained
If you've only seen the Star Wars movies, you might not know that Maul has a brother (in fact, he has two, but more on that in a moment). In Shadow Lord episode 3, Maul tells Devon Izara that the Empire murdered his brother and his mother. Maul's mother is none other than Mother Talzin, leader of the Nighsisters, who was killed in the comic Son of Dathomir by General Grievous, Darth Sidious, and Count Dooku combined.
Talzin plays a major part in the Clone Wars series, as does Maul's brother, named Savage Opress. Savage was enhanced with dark Nightsister magic, which drove him to murder his own younger brother, Feral (RIP). Savage then became Dooku's apprentice as part of a scheme by Asajj Ventress, Dooku's former apprentice, to kill the Sith apprentice. Naturally, this didn't work, and Savage returned to Dathomir – and was soon tasked by Talzin with finding Maul.
Savage eventually found his brother in a junkyard, where he'd ended up after his fateful duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Naboo, as seen in The Phantom Menace. Talzin helped to heal Maul's mental and physical wounds, and Savage then became Maul's apprentice (though, not without some friction).
Savage is Maul's right-hand man in The Clone Wars, helping his brother to conquer the criminal underworld and bring the various crime syndicates together into the Shadow Collective, as well as helping to take over the Mandalorian home planet of Mandalore.
Ultimately, Savage is killed by Sidious on Mandalore. As Savage died, the Nightsister magic left his body (somewhat similarly to what happened to Marrok when he was killed in Ahsoka).
So, Maul is correct when he says the Empire killed his mother and brother – and, if Savage had survived, there's no doubt he would have been at Maul's side in Shadow Lord, which is what makes this reference to him all the more tragic.
You can keep up with Shadow Lord with our Maul – Shadow Lord release schedule, or see our Maul – Shadow Lord review for our verdict on the show.
For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows.
