Summary
Recent news from the Star Wars Celebration 2025 event revealed a new animated series,Maul: Shadow Lord, featuring fan-favorite Sith lord, Darth Maul, as its central character. With this revelation hitting the fandom, folks have been feverishly tapping away at phones and keyboards to talk about what the show might cover.
Maul: Shadow Lordtakes place just after the Clone Wars, and focuses on Darth Maul’s plot to rebuild his crime syndicate on a planet that remains untouched by the corrupt Galactic Empire. Maul will have an apprentice to whom he’ll be passing along his knowledge of the Dark Side as well. Popular voice actor Sam Witwer will be reprising his role as the Sith lord for the show. It’s currently slated to premiere in 2026, though no official release date has been given. One of the burning questions on the minds of fans discussing the upcoming animated series is: why was Darth Maul so loyal to Palpatine?
Darth Maul’s Confusing Loyalty
Maul’s loyalty to Palpatine is curious, after all the horrible things Palpatine did to him and the suffering he put him through. Palpatine kidnapped Maul as a child, taking him away from his mother on the planet Dathomir. He would later go on to murder her, seeing her as a threat to his control over the Empire he was forging and his Sith order.
And it didn’t stop there. Palpatine tortured Maul physically as part of his apprentice’s Sith training to drain his soul of compassion and mercy, transforming him into the perfect weapon. When Maul was discovered alive and made a returnduringThe Clone Wars, Palpatine confronted him, before going on to kill his brother, and torturing him with Force lightning. He then imprisoned him in the Spire, a facility designed to break prisoners. There’s a good chance we might get to see some of these incidents inMaul: Shadow Lord.Witwer himself, the voice who brings Maul to life in the series, stated there will be some digging into his psyche, which will involve glimpses into his past.
But after everything Palpatine did to him, why did Maul remain so loyal for so long? Here are a few theories.
Early Indoctrination and Psychological Conditioning
One potential reason for Maul’s unwavering loyalty to Palpatine is the early indoctrination and psychological conditioning he receivedfrom the Sith lord. He was ripped from his mother’s arms while he was very young, and was immediately thrown into his Dark Side training.
Through emotional and psychological manipulation, Palpatine created a situation where his apprentice became dependent on him. Maul saw Palpatine as a father figure, which ultimately led to a deep bond and resulted in the Sith-in-training devoting himself to accomplishing the will of his master. This devotion continued after his defeat at the hands of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Think of it as a case of Stockholm Syndrome, where hostages develop bonds with their captors.
Strategic Use of Maul to Further Palpatine’s Agenda
Palpatine is a master when it comes to the art of manipulation (as we later see with Anakin Skywalker). He not only made himself a father figure on whom Maul was completely dependent, but also gave the Sith a purpose in his life.
Everyone needs to have a purpose, a reason to get up in the morning, or life becomes dull drudgery that leads to deep depression and self-destruction. Palpatine took advantage of this basic need in Maul, transforming him into themost deadly Force userin the universe (at the time) to carry out his orders and enforce his will on those who would not willingly submit to his authority.
Without this purpose to justify the suffering he experienced in his training at the hands of the man he considered his father, the situation would have ultimately shattered him psychologically, making him of no use to Palpatine. Thus, the new lead character forMaul: Shadow Lordremained loyal to Sidious and carried out his bidding.
A Desire to Protect Palpatine’s Sith Identity
Since Maul was dependent on Palpatine for survival and purpose, and the development of a father-son bond, he would be deeply invested in protecting Palpatine’s Sith identity, especially from the Jedi. Not doing so would risk losing him, and thus the only life he’s ever known.
There’s reason to believe that the future Sith lord was also enamored by thepower and strength Palpatine exhibited, and that he bought the lies and propaganda he was fed by him while being raised to embrace the Dark Side. He likely believed Darth Sidious had the right ideology and ideas. Thus, he believed his master was uniquely qualified to rule the galaxy, which cemented his loyalty to the Emperor.
Hopefully, fans will get a closer look at the trauma Maul had to deal with duringMaul: Shadow Lord, through flashbacks or maybe the interactions he has with his apprentice. Maul is a character who, while popular, hasn’t gotten a chance to develop or be explored on a deep level. Disney has an opportunity to take Maul from cool fan-favorite to legend status, depending on how the new series ends sits with fans.
