Darth Vader in the official canon. While Maul was Darth Sidious' first Sith apprentice, Vader was his last. However, there is a period in the Star Wars timeline when both Sith Lords were active at the same time, and could have crossed blood crimson blades.

Releasing next year from Lucasfilm Animation, Maul: Shadow Lord will be the first Star Wars series to star a villain, exploring Maul's activities after the Clone Wars, leading the Crimson Dawn from the shadows. No longer a Sith, it's going to be fascinating to see how Maul chooses to operate within the Empire his old master has built. That said, the new Darth Maul is also a very exciting opportunity to finally pay off one of the best stories from Star Wars Legends, and a previously missed opportunity to have Maul and Darth Vader fight in the established canon.

Darth Maul and Darth Vader Once Fought in Star Wars Legends

The Non-Canonical Star Wars Tales

As seen in the non-canonical anthology series Star Wars Tales back in 2001, the series' ninth issue presented a short story entitled "Resurrection" written by Ron Marz with art by Rick Leonardi. In it, three dark side adepts believe Darth Vader to be an unworthy apprentice for Emperor Palpatine due to his past as a Jedi. As such, they lure Vader to a remote lava world before revealing that they've brought Maul back to life, believing him to be the superior apprentice for Darth Sidious.

Agreeing to a fight to the death, Vader and Maul have quite an impressive lightsaber duel in this Legends story. Maul taunts Vader the entire time, believing that his successor does not have enough hate as he's "more machine than man". However, Vader ultimately emerges the victor, cutting Maul's double-bladed saber in two before stabbing himself through the side, catching Maul by surprise and ending his life once more, revealing that his own self-hatred provided more than enough fuel in the dark side for Vader to best Maul.

Shadow Lord Can Finally Make Maul vs Vader A Canonical Reality

Set During The Dark Times

Now, the Shadow Lord series can finally make Darth Maul vs Darth Vader happen in the official Star Wars canon. Set during the Dark Times of the Empire's rule, Maul will be running Crimson Dawn in this new series, though exclusive Maul: Shadow Lord footage from Star Wars Celebration 2025 has teased that Maul will likely take on an apprentice who looks to be a young canon version of Legends' Darth Talon. However, Lord Vader and his Imperial Inquisitors are out hunting Jedi survivors and Force sensitives during this period as well.

As such, the odds feel good that Maul and Vader might run into each other, especially if Palpatine wishes to know why large portions of the galactic underworld are so organized. Likewise, a confrontation between Maul and Vader would also pay off Maul's original hopes of destroying Anakin Skywalker at the end of the Clone Wars, having foreseen that Vader was the key to his old master's plans. Additionally, Maul's voice actor Sam Witwer has teased that Shadow Lord will have Maul questioning the final result that is Palpatine's Empire. Perhaps this could include a direct duel with Sidious' new apprentice?

Maul and Darth Vader Nearly Fought In Star Wars Rebels

On The Sith World of Malachor

It's also worth noting that the finale of Star Wars Rebels season 2 was the closest Maul and Vader have been to encountering each other in the official Star Wars canon. Both were on the Sith world of Malachor, though Maul was busy dueling Kanan Jarrus while Vader found himself dueling his old apprentice Ahsoka Tano at the top of an ancient Sith superweapon. That said, Maul: Shadow Lord certainly feels like the best chance there's ever been to see Darth Maul and Darth Vader fighting each other in the established continuity (so fingers are crossed).

Maul: Shadow Lord is set to release in 2026 on Disney+