★★★☆☆

The Star Wars franchise had been on hiatus throughout 2026 so far, but it finally returned with the animated series Maul – Shadow Lord. The series succeeded in prioritizing character development but was lacking in terms of originality and novelty, especially when considering other Star Wars series.

Shadow Lord sees the return of Darth Maul (Sam Witwer) after the final episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, where Maul and Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) narrowly escaped the fallout of Order 66. Now, Maul is seeking revenge on all of the people who had betrayed him, focusing on the crime syndicates who broke their vows to Maul. 

On one hand, this plot setup allows for Maul to be the hero in a story of villains, despite his thirst for revenge and lack of morals. His character development is pushed to its limits as Maul does some good in the name of evil.

Still, audiences have gotten their fill of crime thriller stories over the years, whether it was in animation like The Clone Wars or in live action like The Book of Boba Fett. Putting Maul at the center of a plot surrounding organized crime doesn’t feel unique to Maul, but rather a recurring trope throughout the franchise. 

Throwing audiences into a conflict between two unknown syndicates, only to have Maul enter the fray to overpower both sides, is a weak choice. It leaves people without a reason to care about the war or its main players. 

The most intriguing aspect of Shadow Lord is Darth Maul himself, rather than the lackluster plot. Up until now, Maul has always been more of a follower or an agent of chaos. Shadow Lord is the first time we see Maul as a leader in multiple respects. 

Maul is leading an entire team of bounty hunters and mercenaries, but he’s not acting from the sidelines. He frequently joins his team on missions, giving them direction as he’s a part of the fray himself. Maul is also gearing up to take on the role of master as he finds a force-sensitive Jedi named Devon Izara (Gideon Adlon).

Devon already has a skilled Jedi master, so it’ll be interesting to see if Maul is convincing enough to lure a Jedi to the dark side, if Maul’s team can even still be considered the dark side. Maul’s character has become disillusioned with good versus evil as he sinks into his more vengeful and hateful character. 

The animation will impress audiences, though. The show does a fantastic job of balancing the lighting gradient of the Star Wars underworld. Dim shots cast contrasting shadows that dance across the screen, and Maul’s lightsaber scenes are vibrant and full of life.

Unlike some of the other Star Wars animated projects, Shadow Lord feels distinctly more mature, which inherently comes from Maul being a sith lord. The show really leans into the violence and complexity that comes with the character, being sure not to shy away from his actions or the implications that they have for characters in the series.

With such top-notch animation, there’s a lot left to be desired in the voice acting department. The only standout performance comes from Witwer as Maul. Witwer is a pro at this point, having voiced Maul in a variety of Star Wars media. But the rest of the cast is unimpressive in their roles, to the point that the dialogue feels disconnected from the animation at times. 

Maul – Shadow Lord is shaping up to be a great character study of fan-favorite Darth Maul. What the series lacks in plot complexity and acting, it makes up for in character development and animation, which makes it worth watching for Star Wars fans.