Darth Maul gets new mini-series from Marvel Comics

The Sith warrior Darth Maul didn’t get a ton of screen time in The Phantom Menace. But between Star Wars Rebels and this new limited comic series, he’s having something of a renaissance.

Let the anger flow through you

Star Wars has a history with killing off characters that strike that magic note with fans. I mean really, first it was Boba Fett in the original trilogy, then both (Boba’s ‘dad’) Jango Fett and Darth Maul in the prequels. You’d think that it’d sink in to keep these badasses alive and give ’em some meaningful screen time.

Well fortunately for Maul, he’s gotten plenty after his ‘demise’. Fans know that Maul managed to survive being cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi, and returned as a cyborg. He featured into the Clone Wars animated series (which is canon), and even Rebels (also canon), meaning that he was still out there as the Empire tightened its grip on the galaxy.

This new mini-series from Marvel Comics will not be getting into what happens to him after that. Instead, it’ll be backtracking a ways, all the way to the beginning of the Sith’s return. Taking place before The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Darth Maul will spend its five issues tracking the Sith and showcasing his very first encounter with the Jedi.

Bringing you this new series? None other than Luke Ross, and writer Cullen Bunn.

“Darth Maul was, as you might imagine, my favorite character in The Phantom Menace,” says Cullen Bunn in an interview with Marvel.com. “I loved that we were seeing a new kind of Sith. Though he was only in the movie for a few short scenes, he left his mark. I couldn’t help but wonder what had driven his brash, impatient anger. That’s part of what we’re exploring with this book.”

Sounds pretty cool. And given that nobody knew that the Sith had returned at the top of that first prequel, I think we’re probably in for a few Jedi fatalities in this one. You’ll be able to catch it when Star Wars: Darth Maul #1 (of 5) lands on the racks this coming February.