Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is simply one of the best Star Wars shows ever. It takes all the best elements of past Star Wars animated series and combines them with many of the ingredients that make the iconic franchise so beloved.
With standout visuals, jaw-dropping lightsaber battles and voice talents like Sam Witwer, Vanessa Marshall, Wagner Moura, Charlie Bushnell and Stephen Stanton, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord takes Star Wars animation to another level. Even in an era when fandom, can’t seem to agree on anything, this series has something for every Star Wars fan.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord releases April 6, 2026 on Disney+. This review covers episodes 1-8 of the 10 episode first season.
Official Synopsis of Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord:
An all-new animated series from Lucasfilm Animation, “Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord,” will premiere on Disney+ April 6, 2026. Two episodes will premiere each week, with the final two airing on the ultimate Star Wars holiday, May the 4th. Set after the events of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” this pulpy adventure finds Maul plotting to rebuild his criminal syndicate on a planet untouched by the Empire. There, he crosses paths with a disillusioned young Jedi Padawan who could be the apprentice he is seeking to aid him in his relentless pursuit for revenge.
“Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord” is created by Dave Filoni, based on Star Wars and characters created by George Lucas. The series is developed by Dave Filoni and Matt Michnovetz. Brad Rau is supervising director.
The executive producers are Dave Filoni, Athena Yvette Portillo, Matt Michnovetz, Brad Rau, Carrie Beck, and Josh Rimes. Alex Spotswood is the co-executive producer. The voice cast includes Sam Witwer as Maul, Gideon Adlon as Devon Izara, Oscar® nominee Wagner Moura as Brander Lawson, Richard Ayoade as Two-Boots, Dennis Haysbert as Master Eeko-Dio-Daki, Chris Diamantopoulos as Looti Vario, Charlie Bushnell as Rylee Lawson, Vanessa Marshall as Rook Kast, David W. Collins as Spybot, A.J. LoCascio as Marrok, and Steve Blum as Icarus.
Review – Maul – Shadow Lord Delivers for Every Star Wars Fan
When Star Wars: A New Hope (just called Star Wars back then) first released in theaters in 1977, a true global fandom was birthed. The franchise has endured for decades due to its epic storytelling, innovative technology and timeless themes of good vs. evil. However, as the series has evolved, fandom has as well, and nearly 50 years after the original film’s release, there are many Star Wars fans that primarily identify with specific elements of the franchise. There are fans of the Original Trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy, the Sequel Trilogy, the animated shows, the streaming series, the books and comics, and much, much much. And while there are certainly those who love all things Star Wars, it’s inevitable that any new project has a difficult time appealing to all segments of its expansive fandom. However, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord may very well end up pulling off the impossible and being the most broadly enjoyed Star Wars project of the Disney era.
Before delving into Shadow Lord, it’s worth a short trip down memory lane; back before the Mouse bought Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion in 2012. Before then, animation was carrying Star Wars. The Creator himself, George Lucas, rediscovered the itch to tell more stories in the Galaxy Far, Far Away following the completion of the Prequel Trilogy with Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith in 2005. It started with the almost-forgotten Clone Wars micro-series by Genndy Tartakovsky, which aired on The Cartoon Network in 2003. That concept turned into a full-fledged animated series, The Clone Wars, led by Dave Filoni, which premiered in 2008. What many have forgotten is that the animated series was supposed to be complemented by a live-action series, loosely called “Underworld.”
How Shadow Lord Connects to Star Wars History
According to various reports, Lucas commissioned around 50-60 scripts from some of Hollywood’s best writers, and brought on Battlestar Galactica showrunner Ronald Moore to help develop the series. The concept was to create feature quality TV episodes (sound familiar?) focusing on the criminal element on the capital word of Coruscant. There were even promotional materials created for the show, and fans loved the concept. Sadly, that series was ultimately canceled because Lucas couldn’t figure out how to make the show on a realistic budget (also a familiar challenge today). However, that project has helped seed the Star Wars universe for the last several years, inspiring projects like Rogue One, Andor, Book of Boba Fett, Kenobi and more. Nothing in Star Wars is ever wasted, and with Maul – Shadow Lord, Filoni (now President and Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm) and co-creator Matt Michnovetz have created what feels like the true heir to the “Underworld” series we never got.
Shadow Lord takes place in between The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels, and takes place on a planet called Janix, where the local police force must answer to the Empire but isn’t necessarily high on their radar. This obscure planet is where Maul has ended up, following the events of his takeover of Mandalore in The Clone Wars and presumably his forming of the criminal collective, Crimson Dawn, in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Fans of just the films might be confused as to how Maul is alive after he was chopped in two in The Phantom Menace. And for those fans, I strongly recommend going back to at least the Mandalore arc of The Clone Wars, which is just gloriously fun.
Unsurprisingly, Maul, a former Sith apprentice, is still focused on one thing – revenge. After being betrayed by his collective of gangsters, he’s out to settle scores and try to regain his power over the criminal element. He still has a handful of Mandalorian mercenaries on his team, including Rook Kast (voiced by Star Wars: Rebels alum Vanessa Marshall).
Strong New Characters Expand the Story
As Maul begins to consolidate his criminal power once again, the local police force is called into action. While the police is largely made up of droids, the primary officer on the case is Brander Lawson (voiced by Wagner Moura) and his droid sidekick Two-Boots (voiced by Richard Ayoade). Every good Star Wars story has a good humanoid/droid tag-team, and in this series there are two such duos. In addition to Lawson and Two-Boots, Maul has a droid buddy of his own in a sneaky and sly Spybot (voiced by David W. Collins). Spybot feels like both a callback and evolution of Maul’s use of the probe droids in The Phantom Menace, except this one is more sentient and full of rather enjoyable mischief.
Caught in between Maul’s hunt for vengeance and power and Lawson’s efforts to bring him down before the Empire notices are Jedi Master in hiding Daki (voiced by the regal tones of Dennis Haysbert) and his padawan in hiding Devon (voiced by Gideon Adlon). The duo, having survived Order 66, is struggling as beggars on the streets of Janix while obviously trying to avoid the attention of the Imperials. The depiction of the two Jedi here is fascinating, as we get to see just how hard things are for these refugees in the “dark times.” Two beings of supernatural power must hide in the shadows, stifle their talents and rely on the kindness of strangers.
Eventually, the Imperials take notice of the loose end that is Maul and their arrival on Janix, led by the Dark Side enforcers, the Inquisitors, is not welcomed by any of the main parties involved.
A Story About Survival Under the Empire
Ultimately, Shadow Lord is a story about these three primary groups – the Jedi in hiding, the local people of Janix, Maul and his minions – and how they deal with life under a ruthless, fascist regime. What’s particularly impressive is that from the beginning, you actually care about these newly introduced characters. The combination of the impressive voice cast and excellent writing make for a dramatic and suspenseful drama that gives Shadow Lord depth beyond its impressive visuals and epic lightsaber fights. People will come for Maul and badass Dark Side action, but they’ll stay for a genuinely compelling story with fascinating new characters.
For a decades-long franchise like Star Wars, which has struggled with the balance between leaning too heavily on nostalgia and introducing new characters and stories that push the franchise forward, Maul is refreshing and necessary. Yes, the series is about a character introduced in a film over 25 years ago. However, it’s more about who he has become in the years since and the variety of new characters and stories around him.
Humor Isn’t Always Funny
One quintessential Star Wars element that is a weak point in Shadow Lord is the humor. Star Wars rarely takes itself too seriously. Whether it’s C-3PO, the Ewoks or Jar Jar Binks, there has always been a light-hearted, comedic part of the GFFA. There are characters are intended to bring levity to the story, most notably Two-Boots and the gangster Looti Vario. Both characters are clearly designed to provide the comic relief that sets Star Wars apart from other, more serious sci-fi/fantasy stories. However, both ultimately are more annoying or obnoxious than funny. I hope both will continue to evolve as the series progresses into its already announced second season, but thus far I found them to be more of a distraction than an addition.
Beyond the story and characters, which to me are the most important elements, Shadow Lord is the best a Star Wars animated series has ever looked. The set pieces look like live-action, the character designs are gorgeous and the animation is flawless. Whether it’s dark alleys of Janix or lightsaber duels between Maul and the Inquisitors, Shadow Lord is a visual masterpiece.
The only thing holding this review back is the fact that Lucasfilm, famous now for its “mystery box” approach of closely guarded secrets, has only released 8 of 10 episodes for screening. At this point, I’ve been burned too many times with a series that started great but flamed out by the end (don’t look up my Marvel Secret Invasion review). Given that, and Star Wars‘ penchant for relying too heavily on nostalgia, some reservations are warranted. I can only hope that the final 2 episodes are as good as the preceding 8.
Rating – 4.5/5 Pocky
Ron is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of POC Culture. He is a big believer in the power and impact of pop culture and the importance of representation in media.
