Every time it seems like we’ve seen the last of Maul, the Star Wars franchise finds a new way to bring him back. This latest time, however, is different, because the former apprentice to Darth Sidious is getting his own Disney+ subscription-exclusive show that premieres on the 2026 TV schedule in just a few months. The first trailer for Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord has finally premiered, and while there’s no shortage of action and thrills in the preview, what really caught my attention is how a character from Ahsoka will appear in the upcoming Star Wars TV show.
For context, Maul – Shadow Lord takes place roughly a year after The Clone Wars and around a decade before the tattooed Zabrak cameoed in Solo: A Star Wars Story. This is a time when the Empire is ruling with an iron fist and sending its Inquisitors to kill any Jedi or skilled Force users who survived Order 66. And yet, even knowing about Maul’s time period, I was surprised to see the trailer show Marrok, an Inquisitor who was first seen in Ahsoka Season 1, which takes place over half a decade after Return of the Jedi.
Marrok was shown serving Morgan Elsbeth in her quest to find Grand Admiral Thrawn, and he crossed lightsaber blades with Ahsoka Tano twice. While I did briefly wonder during Ahsoka Season 1 if Marrok might be a brainwashed Ezra Bridger, that thought proved incorrect when we saw Ahsoka cut him down and his body erupt in a cloud of green mist. Tales of the Empire later identified Marrok as the Inquisitor called First Brother, but it was never clarified what his specific deal in Ahsoka was, namely if he’d simply manage to live through the rise and fall of the Empire, or if the green mist indicated he’d been resurrected by the Nightsisters.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord may be able to clear that up, as the trailer shows Marrok, voiced by X-Men ’97’s A.J. LoCascio, fighting Maul, reprised by Sam Witwer. It’s not surprising that Palpatine wants Maul dead given his considerable Force abilities and their long-severed connection as master and apprentice. Alas, we also know it won’t be Marrok who ends Maul’s life (that honor belongs to Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars Rebels Season 3), which then begs the question: will we see the Inquisitor die in Maul – Shadow Lord, be it by the title protagonist’s hand or someone else’s?
If we do, then that would confirm that Marrok was a reanimated corpse during Ahsoka and flesh out his character a little bit. Hopefully some light will be shed on this mystery when Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord premieres its first two episodes on April 6, followed by two more episodes each week up until the finale’s release on May 4, a.k.a. Star Wars Day. The animated series’ cast also includes Gideon Adlon as Devon Izara, Wagner Moura as Brander Lawson, and Richard Ayoade as Two-Boots, among others.
