This may be hard to believe, but 2024 marks the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The movie may not have been a hit with longtime Star Wars fans when it was released in 1999, but for many kids at the time, it was their first experience visiting this Galaxy Far, Far Away.
With that in mind, it's no great surprise a lot of Star Wars fans have a fondness for Episode I and, in particular, Darth Maul.
Chancellor Palpatine's secret Sith apprentice struck a chord with just about everyone and while he'd die at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels gave the villain a voice and made him one of the biggest threats to the Galaxy in the process.
StarWars.com (via SFFGazette.com) has confirmed that Maul will take centre stage in Marvel Comics' next Black, White, & Red series.
Hitting stands in April, Star Wars: Darth Maul - Black, White & Red will stand apart from its predecessors by delivering a single, standalone blockbuster across a four-part series.
Boasting a new superstar creative team each issue, starting with writer Benjamin Percy, known for crafting high-stakes thrills in titles like Wolverine and Ghost Rider, and Stefano Raffaele, who previously delivered blood-soaked horror in the series Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood and Darth Vader: Black, White & Red.
Talking to the site, Percy shed new light on what fans can expect from Final Occultation, a mysterious group Maul encounters while investigating an offline prison ship. "Palpatine believes in order, control - whereas the Final Occultation believes in chaos," he explains. "They both channel the dark side, but with different intents. When you meet this cult, you'll know that most could not withstand their violence and dark intents...but Maul might have a chance."
As for why he believes Maul remains one of Star Wars' most popular baddies, the writer added, "His iconic look is part of it. He's one of the coolest-looking characters of all time. From the spiked head to the red skin to the double-bladed saber - he's seared into our minds as the definition of badass."
"His single-minded drive and vicious capability is another; he's an unstoppable force that Palpatine depends on as a walking weapon of mass destruction."
Editor Mark Paniccia says, "Darth Vader: Black, White & Red was a huge success for us and fans went wild for it. We immediately started getting requests to feature Darth Maul for our next journey into the unique Black, White & Blood comic format. Ben and Stefano serve a story filled with horrors you haven’t seen before in a Star Wars tale."
Check out the cover and solicitation text for Star Wars: Darth Maul - Black, White & Red below.
When he first appeared 25 years ago in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Darth Maul gripped fans’ imaginations with his quiet but captivating presence, his unique lightsaber and dueling skills, and of course, his iconic look. The new series will offer sagas set throughout the character’s mysterious history, diving into his never-before-seen missions and further exploring his twisted bond with his dark master, Palpatine. The series’ first story will see Maul initiate a one-man war against a newly discovered adversary for the Sith.
A prison ship – transporting a mysterious group known as the Final Occultation– goes offline, and Darth Maul is sent by Palpatine to investigate. What he finds on board is the stuff of nightmares!!! Now it's up to him to stop this profoundly dark and unstable threat that wishes to bring chaos to the galaxy.
STAR WARS: DARTH MAUL - BLACK, WHITE & RED #1 (OF 4)
Written by BENJAMIN PERCY
Art by STEFANO RAFFAELE
Cover by ALEX MALEEV
On Sale 4/25