Darth Maul was, of course, the most memorable-looking character in “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace” with his red and black facial markings, horns, and double-sided lightsaber. He fought Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first of the prequel films and was bisected by Kenobi. We all thought he died … until he returned in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” As it turns out, Maul went a little mad and used the Force to create a sort of spidery bionic bottom half. He was later saved by his brother Savage Opress, and went on to create a crime syndicate, showing up in hologram form in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” How much would things have changed if he hid his organic half inside General Grievous?
In the /Film interview, Gilroy says:
“George was considering that Grievous was Maul behind the armor plate. It made sense. He’s cut in half, and he’s in this robot body or whatever. I’m glad that Grievous is his own thing anyway, but I thought it was interesting that the concept guys almost talked George into that.”
It would undoubtedly have been a big surprise, but honestly, the reveal that Maul was alive was a big one and probably better. It could have worked visually, but the idea of Maul living for that long on a trash planet by himself, having created his own bottom half, was powerful and horrifying. It’s a fascinating idea, but it’s one that is better left as a curiosity about what could have been.
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