Solo: A Star Wars Story: What does the Darth Maul cameo mean for next Star Wars movie?

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Solo: A Star Wars Story

Solo: A Star Wars Story made the most of the wealth of characters and events that happen not only in the movies, but also in the novels, animated series, and comics.

Which is how we come to Maul’s cameo in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Fans of the movies only will remember his supposed death at the hand of Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Phantom Menace.

Being bisected and tumbling down a shaft wasn’t enough to kill Maul, however.

The animated series saw him become the head of Crimson Dawn, but the criminal gang was introduced to movie fans in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Solo audiences probably assumed Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany) was the leader of the crime syndicate, but true to Star Wars form there was someone far more sinister pulling the puppet strings.

The ‘someone far more sinister’ was Maul, reprised by Ray Park, voiced in Solo by Sam Witwer.

The reveal came about courtesy of Qi’ra’s Danerys style takeover of Crimson Dawn – she rings Maul to inform him Dryden is dead (carefully omitting her hand in it) and he summons her to join him.

What does the Darth Maul cameo mean for the next star wars movie?

Solo: A Star Wars Story is set far enough back in time (away from A New Hope) to give plenty of room for more Solo sequels before Han, as Harrison Ford, teams up with Luke and Leia.

Maul’s appearance in Solo: A Star Wars Story makes the possibility of sequels all the more likely.

Particularly as the relationship between Qi’ra and Han is still unexplored in some ways.

Her betrayal, leaving him on Savareen with Chewy and a broken heart, is obviously never mentioned in the original trilogy.

Some speculate that Maul’s resurrection on film, in particular, is proof of the Obi-Wan spinoffs long talked about but never confirmed.

More likely is Maul’s feature in Solo: A Star Wars Story means there will be more Solo films.

Further Solo movies could see Han and Qi’ra reunite, as the battle goes from one of survival to one of darkness vs. the light.

Wherever Maul winds up next, you can bet there will be some Jedi there to take him down.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is in cinemas now.