Maul – Shadow Lord has revealed Darth Maul’s greatest weakness, and it’s all Obi-Wan Kenobi’s fault. To be fair, that’s not really a surprise; Obi-Wan has a reputation for being Sith Kryptonite. He (apparently) killed Maul while still just a Padawan, and became a skilled enough warrior to survive several clashes with Count Dooku. Most impressively, Obi-Wan survived Order 66 and went on to defeat Darth Vader, both on Mustafar and in a rematch in the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ TV show.
Obi-Wan had good reason to be confident about his ability to take down Sith. But, ironically, that first victory turned out to be rather less triumphal than he’d believed; somehow, Darth Maul survived. The Sith Apprentice’s hatred and anger was too great to be easily killed, and he returned as a cyborg to challenge both Jedi and Sith as a third party during the Clone Wars. Maul – Shadow Lord continues his tale, telling how Maul survived during the Dark Times of the Empire’s reign, and it’s already served to show just how much Obi-Wan weakened his nemesis.
Maul Was Never Quite the Same After His Phantom Menace Defeat
Maul – Shadow Lord episode 4 sees the former Sith Apprentice go blade-to-blade against Master Eeko-Dio Daki and Padawan Devon Izara. It’s a fearsome duel, with Maul using his double-bladed lightsaber effectively against them; this is the kind of battle he trained for, one where he takes on a Master and Apprentice in a fight to the death. Surprisingly, though, he doesn’t fare all that well. It’s far from a defeat, but Master Daki in particular gets in some pretty effective blows.
Devon recognized Maul at a glance, suggesting the Jedi had warned all members of their order about his return. They also seem to have given a comprehensive briefing, because Master Daki is aware of Maul’s weakness; his cybernetic legs. The Jedi Master focuses in on those during the battle, recognizing that he can damage them and thus weaken his opponent. It’s a masterful strategy, not least because Maul doesn’t seem to have seen the attacks coming. Maul had never trained for this weakness, because all Darth Sidious’ mentoring happened before his injuries at Obi-Wan’s hands.
Sith Lords tend to focus on their strengths, rather than their weaknesses; it’s one key difference between Sith and Jedi, because there’s a sense in which Jedi cultivate lightsaber forms to compensate for their weaknesses. Master Yoda’s Ataru is a way of working around his short size, while Mace Windu’s Vaapad channels his vulnerability to the dark side. Maul’s entire lightsaber form predates his defeat on Naboo and the lasting injuries he has sustained, meaning he has no ability to compensate for the weakness. It’s one that other opponents will no doubt continue to use against him.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!