Despite having very little screen time in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Darth Maul emerged as one of the most memorable characters in the Star Wars saga. The apprentice of Darth Sidious, he was dispatched to kill Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, culminating in one of the most epic duels in any Star Wars film. Revered by fans in the same way as other menacing villains like Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and Boba Fett, he made a distinct impression on audiences in 1999 with his facial tattoos, crown of horns, and unique lightsaber fighting style.
Luckily for fans of the Zabrak Sith warrior, he's appeared in plenty of other Star Wars media. Two animated series, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and even now he's rumored to have a role in the Obi-Wan Kenobi mini-series being produced for the soon-to-be released streaming service Disney+. Below are 10 hilarious Darth Maul memes that are on the dark side.
SALE AT THE MAUL
Any way you slice it, Darth Maul got the shaft in Episode I. No sooner was he introduced as one of the most intriguing and awesome characters in George Lucas's prequel trilogy — if not the entire saga — then he was abruptly killed off for narrative purposes.
Fans have argued it doesn't make sense that he was killed with such a rookie move by Obi-Wan Kenobi, who seemed to only win against an expert duelist like Maul because he had the element of surprise, not because he was the superior swordsman. In classic Obi-Wan fashion, even though he was just a Padawan, he obtained the high ground, slicing Maul in half.
TOO ANGRY TO DIE
Star Wars fans mourned the loss of Darth Maul in 1999, and never expected to see him appear again in any Star Wars incarnation. But if Anakin Skywalker could have 3/4 of his limbs sliced off, suffer third degree burns, and still become the scourge of the Galactic Empire as the Sith Lord Darth Vader, Darth Maul could have his reunion tour.
Maul would go on to appear in Star Wars: Rebels and The Clone Wars in a very creative way, satisfying fans of the Sith warrior and tying his character nicely into the behind-the-scenes narrative that took place in the years between Attack of the Clones and Rogue One.
AFTER ONE PIECE OF GUM
There have been many comparisons between the Night King from Game of Thrones and Darth Maul from Episode I. Both characters are almost silent, have angular features, and of course, have a crown of horns that circled the top of their heads.
The biggest similarity isn't even visual; it's the fact that both of these characters were brought into their respective intellectual properties to be intimidating and memorable villains, with seemingly important roles to play in the overall storyline of their sagas, only to be unceremoniously killed off in the most lame ways possible. Plus the Night King is totally what Darth Maul would look like in one of those breath-refreshing gum ads.
LIKE SPLITTING WOOD
Not only was Darth Maul's death in The Phantom Menace completely unexpected, it was also pretty lethal. Obi-Wan Kenobi had to tap into some pretty aggressive energies to be able to chop him in half. You can see it on his face when Maul looks down on him dangling helplessly over the chasm.
Master Jinn often instructed Obi-Wan to be mindful of the Living Force, and reside in the moment to tap into greater resonance with the Force. Unfortunately, this can take a Jedi perilously close to the dark side. Fortunately, Jinn's death triggered the appropriate levels of anger in Obi-Wan to do what needed to be done.
THE PHANTOM MARKER
Up until The Phantom Menace, a double-bladed lightsaber had never appeared on screen in a Star Wars movie before. Authors writing in the Expanded Universe/Legends canon at the time the film came out had mentioned various other light-weapons, but the double-bladed lightsaber was an entirely new concept unto itself.
Whereas once Star Wars fans thought a Jedi or Sith was impressive simply because they had a lightsaber at all, now they realized that there were warriors so accomplished in the galaxy that they could fight with two joined together. Of course, if they were really made out of markers as this meme suggests, they'd just fall apart.
GEORGE "EDGELORD" LUCAS
Star Wars fans have long maligned creator George Lucas for his ham-fisted approach to the franchise. He'll introduce characters and concepts in one film, only to eliminate them or completely leave them out of another, creating inconsistencies and plot holes throughout the Saga.
Much of the narrative structure of the Star Wars films comes down to, "X has to be done so that Y can happen". Within the confines of the narrative imperative, Darth Maul, the most badass character in Star Wars, had to die so that Lord Sidious needed a new apprentice.
HIDE AND SITH
Darth Maul didn't get a lot of exposure in The Phantom Menace until the end, and by that time, all of the build-up had fans thinking he would be a consistent cast member in the three prequel films. Why? Because he didn't have a lot of screen time, very few lines, and seemed like a character with a mysterious history to be revealed in future installments.
If Star Wars fans think they were upset when Snoke got casually killed off in The Last Jedi before getting to learn who he was or how he affected the sequel trilogy, imagine what fans felt watching Darth Maul get turned into cosmic trail mix before anyone could even learn what a Zabrak was.
THE HIGH GROUND
By now, most Star Wars fans have seen the endless barrage of "high ground" memes featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, making mincemeat out of Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith. Apparently all Ol' Ben needed was to get the high ground.
Obi-Wan learned this when he was in Anakin's position in The Phantom Menace. All it would have taken was for Darth Maul to Force-peel his fingers off the ledge he was holding onto, and send him hurtling down the reactor shaft, but Kenobi was able to pull himself up with a Force jump, and slice Maul in half, despite Maul being in the better position.
KILLING YOUR MASTER AND CHILL
Perhaps more surprising than Darth Maul's unexpected death in The Phantom Menace was Qui-Gon Jinn's death. He was able to keep pace with Maul's dueling style up until they were trapped between a series of energy shields, and then the Jedi Master couldn't eclipse Maul's athletic ferocity.
It was up to his Padawan to take Maul down, which he was miraculously able to do despite not having the "high ground" Obi-Wan is so famous for pointing out. It's rumored that to create the memorable face Maul made when Kenobi cuts him in half, actor Ray Park just imagined himself using the bathroom.
THE FORCE IS NOT STRONG WITH THIS ONE
Next to Darth Vader, Darth Maul is the most memorable villain in Star Wars. Like Vader, he appeared in the first episode of his own trilogy, and though he was dispatched pretty quickly, he became the face of the prequels in the same way Vader became the face of the original trilogy.
As for being the only guy in cinematic history to kill Liam Neeson, that's not exactly accurate. A few years after Episode I, he was killed by Daniel Day-Lewis's character in Gangs of New York, but Maul got first dibs, though. It was only later that Neeson would become known as an unstoppable killing machine himself in the Taken franchise.