Darth Maul is one of the most fearsome and interesting villains to be introduced in George Lucas’ epic space-opera saga Star Wars. Maul was first introduced as a Sith apprentice of Darth Sidious in The Phantom Menace. However, the character has since found new life in spin-off media where his story has been fleshed out.
As a result, many fans will be surprised to learn that some of the earlier concepts and designs for the character were entirely different from the final version. Moreover, Lucas’ initial brief to his concept designer resulted in a freighting creation that the filmmaker deemed too scary to use. Here is how Darth Maul was originally designed and how his appearance changed.
George Lucas Described Darth Maul as the Worst Nightmare
George Lucas returned to the galaxy far, far away with 1999’s The Phantom Menace, which will complete its 25th anniversary in 2024. The film kick-started the prequels era of the Star Wars franchise and introduced viewers to Darth Maul, a Sith apprentice working for Darth Sidious.
Initially, the character’s design was supposed to be much different from the black and red tattooed face with horns that is now synonymous with Maul. During an interview with the official Star Wars website, concept designer Iain McCaig spoke about the brief Lucas game him for Maul’s design.
“George Lucas had described Darth Maul as a figure from your worst nightmare. So… I drew George my worst nightmare.”
McCaig made the above statement explaining his initial design for Maul, which he based on his nightmare of a lifeless face, with blood-red ribbons of hair, and metal teeth staring at him. Noticeably, the initial design depicted Maul as more of a female. However, McCaig implied that the design was too scary, even for Lucas, who quickly asked him to draw his second-worst nightmare.
How Darth Maul’s Design Changed and Evolved Into the Version We Know
After Lucas was unsatisfied with the initial designs for the character, McCaig made several attempts to nail the essence of Maul’s look. Eventually, McCaig started using his art department colleagues as the base for his designs and covered them with different masks. McCaig made a breakthrough when Lucas liked a design of a circuit board-like pattern he drew over a colleague’s face.
Later, McCaig and Lucas realized they had found a solid concept when the former drew a Rorschach pattern over the face of production designer Gavin Bocquet. As a result, McCaig looked for real-life inspirations for such a pattern. He realized that stripping off flesh from one’s face would result in a similar pattern.
Ultimately, McCaig settled for a flayed flesh face as he found it beautiful and frightening. Additionally, McCaig’s design was also inspired by the patterns seen on the faces of animals and face tattoos in several tribal cultures. Thus, McCaig undertook a lengthy trial and error method before arriving at Darth Maul’s final design, which delivered the frightening look Lucas wanted for the character.
The Phantom Menace is streaming on Disney+.
