Is this how it ends? Maul, formerly Darth Maul, is set to face Obi-Wan Kenobi in the next installment of Star Wars Rebels, “Twin Suns.” Maul recently realized his old nemesis was alive and kicking on Tatooine and has been making his way there since finding out. It’s fitting, considering Maul’s introduction happened on the desert planet; he’s been holding a grudge since that era. Can’t imagine why: All Kenobi did was cut Maul in half and take away the future he’d been working towards… oh wait, I can imagine why.
When Maul came back into the picture in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, he was focused on revenge. He went after Obi-Wan more than once. Let’s look back at all their battles so far:
The Phantom Menace
Naboo. Home to Gungans and Darth Maul’s legs. Obi-Wan battled Maul solo after Maul killed Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace. Obi-Wan was focused on taking out the threatening Sith, and I believe his actions were driven by a sense of vengeance for his master. He was also fighting for his life because Maul had skills, yo. We know how this battle ended.
The Clone Wars: “Revenge”
Fast forward to over 10 years later. Maul was recovered from exile by his long lost brother Savage Opress and after he got a pair of snazzy cybernetic legs, he turned his attention to going after Obi-Wan. The brothers challenged Obi-Wan by luring him into a trap; they had no problem with taking him down.
Maul had dreams of torturing Obi-Wan to death because he needed to make the Jedi suffer, so he imprisoned him rather than spearing him with a lightsaber. It was a foolish move on Maul’s part because Asajj Ventress came to the rescue. Ventress and Obi-Wan fought Maul and Opress together, but even with their skills, the pair barely escaped. You’d think Maul would have been unhappy, but he was okay with the outcome because he knew Obi-Wan would come after him again and he could take his time coming up with his perfected brand of retribution.
He’s like the chef that can never stop adding salt and pepper. Like, you have enough seasoning, dude. Fry Obi-Wan and cook him.
The Clone Wars: “Revival”
To get Obi-Wan’s attention, Maul and Opress went on a murdering and pillaging spree in the Outer Rim. It’s basically their version of sibling bonding. They accumulated a reputation and credits, but Maul still had a laser focus on destroying Obi-Wan. When Obi-Wan found out the brothers were on Florrum, he and Jedi Master Adi Gallia went after them.
Once again, a close battle ensued. Maul combat’s skills weren’t diminished much by the change to his body structure, plus he had the brute force of Opress at his side. They were challenging opponents. Opress bested Adi Gallia and killed her before Obi-Wan severed one of his arms. That injury coupled with Maul losing one of his cybernetic legs (this guy cannot catch a break, can he?) meant they had to retreat before harming Obi-Wan.
At this point, it was apparent the obsession wasn’t a one way street. Just as Maul became centered on getting rid of Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan became fixated on dealing with Maul. He viewed Maul and all his actions as his responsibility.
The Clone Wars: “The Lawless”
After the events on Florrum, the brothers drifted in space in an escape pod. The Death Watch found them close to death but decided to help them after they spotted Maul’s lightsaber. This domino falling led to Maul gathering power and working with Pre Vizsla to form the Shadow Collective. But that’s a tangent. What’s important here is Maul stumbling into the Death Watch meant he learned the Mandalorian leader Duchess Satine Kryze was important to Obi-Wan. That led to what he believed to be the ultimate trap for Obi-Wan.
Remember, he wanted to cause the Jedi pain. By carefully arranging for Satine to call upon Obi-Wan for help and betting on the fact Obi-Wan would come running even though the Jedi Order told him not to, Maul set the scene. He used the darksaber to kill Satine in front of Obi-Wan, and she died in his arms.
So then he tried to kill Obi-Wan, right? Nah. He locked him away so Obi-Wan could wallow in misery instead. By taking this action rather than taking care of business, he lost his chance to deal a death blow to Obi-Wan… until now. The Jedi escaped and Palpatine showed up to knock the crap out of his former apprentice. It ‘s been roughly 17 years after Obi-Wan and Maul’s last encounter.
It makes you wonder if Maul doesn’t know who he would be or what he would do without Obi-Wan. He had at least two opportunities to take out the Jedi but put it off. He said it was to inflict further harm, but was he actually afraid? Is his heart truly in this presumably final battle?
What are your hopes for the upcoming Obi-Wan and Maul duel on Star Wars Rebels, airing on Disney XD on March 18? Lay out all your thoughts in the comments.
Images: Lucasfilm
