Darth Maul's Brother's Secret Role In New Star Wars Show Revealed

Darth Maul's brother Savage Opress died during The Clone Wars, but he still has a secret role in Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord.

After being cut in half in The Phantom Menace, Maul was revealed to have survived in The Clone Wars, and teamed up with his brother, Savage Opress, as they unleashed their fury across the galaxy. Savage's time was cut short after Darth Sidious killed him in front of his brother. In the Star Wars timeline, Maul - Shadow Lord is set a year after the Clone Wars, as the eponymous character attempts to rebuild a criminal empire in a galaxy now ruled by the Empire.

During an interview for the penultimate issue of Star Wars Insider (via Star Wars Holocron), Maul voice actor Sam Witwer reveals that Savage weighs heavily on the character, with Maul even realizing that he failed his brother and did not appreciate his loyalty. Check out Witwer's comments below:

He’s exploring who he is and also thinking about his brother, Savage Opress, his first apprentice and family. Did he treat him as well as he should’ve, considering how loyal Savage was? No. But now he’s finally assessing that and realizing, "I failed him."

Even though Maul - Shadow Lord is not resurrecting Savage, Witwer's comments confirm that the Dathomirian Nightbrother still has an important role to play in the series. Looking back on Savage and the mistakes made with him are poised to be influential in the decisions that Maul makes now. This likely includes taking on Devon Izara as his apprentice, with Maul wanting to do with the former Jedi what he wishes he would have done with Savage.

There is always potential for Savage to reappear via a flashback or Force vision, once again voiced by Clancy Brown, although Witwer's remarks indicate that the character's role will be more about how the memory of him affects Maul. Compared to the 20-22 episodes in The Clone Wars seasons where Savage appeared, Maul - Shadow Lord season 1 only has 10 episodes, which also means there is not as much time to incorporate flashbacks and visions into the present-day story that is being established.

Prior to the new interview with Witwer, the Maul - Shadow Lord trailer reveals that he is working to restart his criminal empire on the planet Janix while being hunted by Imperial Inquisitors and Janix's police detective Brander Lawson. In addition to Witer as Maul, the cast includes Gideon Adlon as Devon Izara, Wagner Moura as Brander Lawson, Richard Ayoade as Maul's partner Two Boots, Dennis Haysbert as Jedi Master Eeko-Dio Daki, Vanessa Marshall as Rook Kast, David W. Collins as Spybot, A.J. LoCascio as Marrok, Steve Blum as Icarus, Chris Diamantopoulos as Looti Vario, and Charlie Bushnell as Rylee Lawson.

Maul - Shadow Lord begins with a two-episode premiere on April 6 on Disney+.

Release Date April 6, 2026

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