The Armorer was one of the most interesting characters to come out of The Mandalorian season 1 and a compelling fan theory suggests that she served Darth Maul during the Clone Wars. The character, played by Emily Swallow, was a fellow Mandalorian who lived in the enclave and served the Tribe, a group of Mandalorians who came together after the fall of the Galactic Empire. Here's an explanation of the theory and how it could affect the future of the Disney+ series.
The Armorer made her Star Wars debut in the first episode of The Mandalorian when Din Djarin brought her Beskar steel to forge into a pauldron. He revisited her once more after acquiring more Beskar steel for a large bounty. After an altercation with Paz Vizsla, a fellow Mandolorian, the Armorer reminded the Tribe about the "way of the Mandalore" and proceeded to make Din's new armor. In the season 1 finale, Din, the Child, and their allies traveled through the sewers to escape Moff Gideon's forces. The Armorer was the lone survivor in the underground hideout and encouraged Din to protect the foundling. She then held off the stormtroopers while the group escaped.
Though she was a fierce fighter like the rest of the Tribe, the Armorer was more of a peacekeeper within the enclave on Nevarro. She understood the importance of working together and keeping the ideologies of the surviving Mandalorian people going strong despite their demise in the Great Purge. The fan theory (via Reddit), however, points out that the Armorer may have had a key role when the Mandalorians had two opposing mindsets during the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The belief is that the blacksmith aligned with Darth Maul during the tumultuous times and there's plenty of evidence stemming from her own armor and interaction with Paz.
The theorist pointed out the Armorer's own armor as a key reason to why she served alongside Maul during the Clone Wars. Her horned-helmet was extremely telling as members of the Death Watch who pledged allegiance to Maul were known to add horns to their helmets in his honor. It was also brought to attention that the female Mandalorian had a painted red breastplate, which was used by Maul supporters.
The Armorer's attitude with Paz Vizsla was also an indicator of her past. She instantly sided with Din when he argued with Paz Vizsla, and this could be because the bounty hunter was a direct descendant of Pre Vizsla or a member of the Vizsla clan. Pre was the leader of the Death Watch before teaming up with Darth Maul. The two ended up fighting to the death, and when Maul became victorious, the Death Watch split in two. One side supported the Vizsla clan and believed that only a Mandalorian should control the Mandalore while the other side remained loyal to Maul and his takeover. Paz wore blue armor, which was the look of the original Death Watch, further indicating that the Armorer already had disdain for him.
Opposers of the theory argued that the Armorer's armor was worn due to passing it down from generation to generation, meaning it wasn't forged and adjusted after the Clone Wars. The role of an armorer in Mandalorian culture is highly respected, and it would be difficult to understand why she would support a non-Mandalorian like Maul. It's likely that The Mandalorian season 2 will dive into the Armorer's backstory as more is unearthed about Din and his connection to Mandalore, including why he might be the rightful heir of the Darksaber.