It’s a good time to be a Darth Maul fan. Star Wars — Maul Shadow Lord thrusts the ex-Sith lord into the spotlight, following him a year after the events of Revenge of the Sith. Most know Maul from being cut in half during The Phantom Menace, as well as his subsequent return in the animated series The Clone Wars. But throughout all of these shows, there’s something that remains fascinating about Maul: his deep, gravelly voice.
Voiced by Sam Witwer (also known for his portrayal of another Star Wars character, Starkiller), Witwer has previously spoken about how his take on Maul’s voice came not only from Ray Park, the original actor who played Maul in The Phantom Menace, but also from Peter Serafinowicz, who dubbed Maul in the film. Witwer used Serafinowicz’s performance as a “building block” to add his own spin to Maul. The result is an iconic voice that fans know and love.
But how much has that voice changed over time?
“It always changes a little bit. I think of the different eras as different versions of the character,” Witwer tells Polygon. “There’s the early Clone Wars, there’s Spider-Maul, there’s late Clone Wars, there’s Rebels.”
As Witwer points out, Maul’s been through many distinct eras in his lifetime — first as an apprentice to Darth Sidious, then as a traumatized, spider-legged, hate-filled entity, and eventually a grief-ridden, regret-filled older man. In the throes of madness, Witwer practically spits and snarls Maul’s lines, whereas in Rebels, he is far calmer and more collected.
In Maul: Shadow Lord, Maul is a crime lord seeking to rebuild his criminal empire on Janix. As we’ve seen in the first two episodes, Maul is as vengeful as ever, but there is also a clear-headed wisdom to him that was absent after the death of his brother, Savage Opress. This change in voice was intended to show that Maul is an evolving character.
“He has a really interesting arc,” Witwer says. “Hopefully you’ll be able to hear a few different aspects of his character through the vocal performance.”
The first four episodes of Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord are available now on Disney Plus. New episodes will be released weekly on Mondays through May 4.