“Mol: Lord of Shadows”: first impressions of the series
Apr 14, 2026The first two episodes of the animated series “Maul: Lord of Shadows” in the Star Wars universe were released on the Disney+ service. It is made mainly by the same people who are responsible for “The Clone Wars”, “Rebels” and “The Bad Batch” - producer and mastermind Dave Filoni, screenwriter Matt Michnovets, directors Brad Rau, Saul Ruiz and Stewart Lee.
The series, both in plot and in the picture, seems to be just another spiritual continuation of “The Clone Wars.” Moreover, judging by the first two episodes, at least the first season (and “Lord of Shadows” was extended for a second season even before the premiere) tells one sequential story, divided into eight episodes.
The series begins in George Lucas's favorite style In medias res - in the midst of events, without wasting time on build-up and without explaining anything. For everyone who is just planning to watch it, we recommend that you read our preview, from which you will at least understand where the events take place and who all these new faces are in the frame.
In short, the action takes place some time after the end of the Clone Wars and the proclamation of the Empire. The Shadow Collective, the massive crime syndicate Maul had assembled during the war, had already collapsed, and Maul himself was in disarray following the end of the Siege of Mandalore and the execution of Order 66. Only a handful of devoted comrades remained with him. But the Zabrak's goals remain unchanged - to take revenge on Sidious, and to do this, climb back to the top of the criminal world.
Maul plans to begin his new ascent on Janix, a relatively peaceful planet far from the center of the Empire, divided into spheres of influence by several criminal groups. And, of course, the first thing Maul tries to do is pit the local bigwigs against each other. At the same time, Devon Izara, a fugitive Padawan of the Jedi Order, falls into his tenacious hands.The girl is already tired of hiding, starving and begging, and the Zabrak is just thinking about getting an apprentice.
All the main characters in Lord of Shadows, besides Maul himself, are newcomers, and each has an interesting feature. So, police officer Branden Lawson, apparently, is a single father raising his son after divorcing his wife. Lawson almost never lets go of a mug of invigorating drink from the café where he literally lives. This is generally understandable given his irregular schedule, but I would like to believe that Branden does not forget to regularly check with a cardiologist. His droid Two-Boots is an even greater original. Not only is he constantly wearing two boots, but he also regularly jokes quite successfully. No wonder they called British comedian Richard Ayoade to voice him.
If you look at the names of the actors, it becomes clear that “Lord of Shadows” has assembled a very impressive cast. Emmy Award winner and California star Pamela Adlon, Silicon Valley star Chris Diamantopoulos, recent Oscar winner Wagner Moura (Lawson), after all, not every Disney film in the universe can boast such a cast.
But the most intriguing (in the sense of undisclosed) character so far is the fugitive Jedi Devon Izara. Judging by Lucas' unused drafts for the sequel trilogy and the canceled Darth Maul game, Devon will turn to the dark side and become a Zabrak apprentice. She is loosely based on Darth Talon herself, the charismatic and original villainess from the Legacy comic book series. And since we remembered about the voice acting, Devon speaks in the voice of Gideon Adlon, Pamela Adlon’s daughter. Based on the first two episodes, it is impossible to form a solid opinion about Devon - she is still going with the flow and too rarely tries to take fate into her own hands.Perhaps Devon will open up more in the next episodes.
I also want to believe that the authors will pay more attention to revealing Maul himself. Thanks to Sam Witwer's charisma, he has long turned into one of the brightest and most memorable characters in The Clone Wars, but so far, Lord of Shadows does not add anything new to his image. “You probably think of me as the villain in this story, but in reality the world is much more complex than the banal division of good and evil,” says Maul Devon in one of the scenes. The creators' motives are clear: they want to transform Maul from the silent killer from The Phantom Menace into a controversial and colorful anti-hero. But “The Clone Wars” and “Rebels” have already done a great job with this. Shadowlord needs to dig even deeper, but now the series is repeating what we already know.
So far, the only thing in which “Lord of Shadows” is clearly superior to “The Clone Wars” and “Rebels” and “The Bad Batch” is the picture. Visually everything looks simply excellent. And in the first episode, with its extended running time of almost half an hour, there is also enough dynamics with action - exciting scenes follow virtually non-stop.
The second episode, despite the fact that it is almost one and a half times shorter, turned out to be calmer. This is understandable; the characters needed to breathe out a little after an eventful debut. But the episode cannot be called completely devoid of action - there are chases, ambushes, and spectacular showdowns with the participation of everyone's favorite Zabrak.
The first two episodes are intriguing, inspire hope and make you want to watch the sequel as soon as possible. And at the same time, they again prove that in the last two decades, what Star Wars has done best is animation.
