Since Ahsoka kicked off a few weeks ago, we've seen speculation go into overdrive when it comes to Marrok's true identity. From Starkiller to a brainwashed Ezra Miller and even a young Supreme Leader Snoke, fan theories have ranged from oddly believable to utterly ridiculous.
In official material, the villain has been described as a former Sith Inquisitor turned mercenary, and he appeared loyal to Morgan Elsbeth, Baylan Skoll, and Shin Hati. However, when Ahsoka Tano cut him down, green smoke forcefully erupted from the villain's body as he fell to the floor dead.
The insinuation is clearly that he was a reanimated corpse, brought back to the land of the living by Morgan's Nightsister magic to serve her while she attempts to retrieve Grand Admiral Thrawn from the far reaches of another Galaxy.
As we first explained on SFFGazette.com, it's become apparent that Marrok was always Star Wars Rebels' Eighth Brother.
From the start, that seemed like the most likely possibility due to their similar appearances. Yes, there are some key differences in their armour, but comparing the two characters side-by-side (and thinking back to how The Grand Inquisitor changed when he made the leap to live-action in Obi-Wan Kenobi), it now seems obvious.
In fact, the only reason the Eighth Brother theory was so quickly pushed to one side is because he died in Rebels. That came when he attempted to flee from the animated series' heroes by taking flight with his lightsaber, only to fall from the sky to his demise.
With it all but confirmed Marrok was a reanimated corpse, Elsbeth finding his body and returning him to the land of the living adds up. As for how the "Marrok" name came into play, it was probably what he was known as before being dubbed "Eight Brother."
Alas, with the WGA strike ongoing, it's unlikely we'll hear from Ahsoka showrunner Dave Filoni with confirmation one way or the other. A future episode might go some way in clearing things up, of course, though the story has quite quickly moved on.
Set after the fall of the Empire, Ahsoka follows the former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.
In addition to Rosario Dawson in the title role, the series stars Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, the late Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll, Ivanna Sakhno as Shin Hati, Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan Elsbeth, David Tennant as Huyang, Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn, and Eman Esfandi appearing as Ezra Bridger.
Ahsoka was written by Dave Filoni, who executive produces alongside Jon Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy, Colin Wilson, and Carrie Beck. Directors include Filoni, Steph Green, Peter Ramsey, Jennifer Getzinger, Geeta Vasant Patel, and Rick Famuyiwa.
The first four episodes of Ahsoka are now streaming on Disney+.