How Shadow Lord Got Maul Vs Vader Right

Having finished my watchthrough somewhat recently, I can confirm that Darth Maul: Shadow Lord is an excellent addition to the animated Star Wars canon (and the Star Wars canon at large). It was great to see Maul’s manipulative and violent tactics on display again (even while being aware of his ultimate fate at the hands of Kenobi).

Sam Witwer, as always, delivered a great performance as Maul. He has proven countless times that he is a perfect fit for the character. If a chance ever arises, it would be great to see him reprise the role in live-action format. While Maul is the main focus of the show, the rest of the ensemble cast is equally intriguing. I am especially interested to see what the fate of Devon will be, as many fans believe her to be the canonized version of Darth Talon.

Ultimately, the most anticipated section of Shadow Lord (both for me and fans alike) was the looming fight between Maul and Vader. Thankfully, this part of the show was a major highlight for multiple reasons. Today, I will be breaking down the positives and negatives of this legendary battle, and what it could mean for future Shadow Lord seasons.

THE POSITIVES

Firstly, I would like to show some appreciation for the animation team. Although many viewed the Bad Batch as the peak of Star Wars animation, the animators proved that they could improve upon their already great standards. The lighting, backgrounds, and certain VFX (such as with water or fire) all saw a significant increase in quality with Shadow Lord.

As an example of these improvements, I specifically recall a scene from Episode 8 where Maul views past memories near a puddle of water. Although not much attention was drawn to the puddle itself, I found the puddle’s appearance to be extremely impressive (mainly due to how it realistically flowed, as well as its “consistency”). These small details prove that Shadow Lord’s animators (just like the show’s writers) were passionate about delivering the best product they could.

Furthermore, the fight’s choreography is surprisingly fluid and snappy. It is comparable to the work seen in live-action projects, such as ROTS and TESB. Like Shadow Lord’s animation, the choreography is an element of these animated shows that has been continually improved on with newer entries. Every lightsaber clash feels decisive and impactful, especially when the scenes focus on Vader. During his interactions with Eeko Daki (Devon’s master), Vader’s merciless and overwhelming style of fighting quickly becomes evident.

As for the story, the duel’s build-up was excellent at establishing Vader’s presence. After his introduction, Devon and Daki are quickly pushed aside by Vader. The writers make it abundantly clear that Maul is the only member of the team to have a fighting chance in the battle.

Throughout the carnage and chaos, Vader refuses to speak once. Although his reasoning for doing so is never explained, it makes the entire situation even more terrifying (both for Maul and the viewers). Once Maul realizes he is fighting a losing battle (especially while fighting through his leg injury), he resorts to his famous manipulative tricks yet again. From a distance, Maul intentionally force pushes Daki into Vader, disorienting Daki. This ultimately leads to Daki (likely) dying at the hands of Vader. Moments like these allow the fight to have true stakes, due to the ambiguous fates of Daki and Brander Lawson.

Overall, as a Star Wars fan, I believe Filoni and his team did an excellent job at portraying this long-awaited duel in the medium of animation. However, by viewing the fight through a critical lens, it was not without its flaws. There are a few aspects of the fight that would certainly be improved with some fine-tuning.

THE NEGATIVES

Thankfully, there are not many parts of the fight that “needed” revisions. One minor nitpick stems from Maul’s impaired leg movement. Because of this injury, the duel between the two Sith was not a truly “fair matchup.

While Maul generally didn’t stand a chance regardless, the outcome of the fight could have been more decisive if the writers had chosen not to focus on Maul’s disadvantage. To be fair, due to Shadow Lord’s place in the Star Wars Timeline, neither of the two characters could really receive major injuries. However, it still would have been interesting to see Maul strike a critical blow to Vader.

Additionally, it would have been interesting to see Maul acknowledge or discover Vader’s true identity during the fight. This would have been an especially clever twist due to their shared history in the Prequel saga. Perhaps a scene like this is saved for Season 2 of the show. Regardless, it seems that fans of Maul have a lot to look forward to in the next couple of years.

Did YOU like Shadow Lord? What did you think of the duel between Vader and Maul? Let me know in the comments!