Darth Maul — Star Wars The Black Series #TPM 05
The Black Series Darth Maul — Phase 4 TPM Collection #05, 2024. Double-bladed saberstaff with 22 joints. Photo Real Ray Park portrait. The 2024 update to the Red Line Darth Maul. Collector guide.
Overview
Phase 4 TPM Collection #05 is Darth Maul — Maul, Darth Sidious’s apprentice and the Sith enforcer whose appearance in The Phantom Menace redefined the franchise’s visual language for dark side characters. The 2024 Phase 4 update covers the same character and configuration as the earlier Red Line releases, at Photo Real Ray Park portrait production standards that weren’t available in the pre-2019 production era.
Double-bladed saberstaff. 22 joints — significantly more than earlier Maul configurations. $24.99. 2024.
The 2024 vs Earlier Maul Releases
The Red Line covered Darth Maul at multiple points — the original 2015 release and subsequent configurations. The Phase 4 2024 TPM Collection version provides the current Photo Real portrait standard alongside the highest joint count of any Black Series Maul to date. For collectors who want the best available Maul production quality, this 2024 release is the current benchmark.
The 22 joints include articulation that enables the double-bladed combat stances — the wide-stance Djem So/Juyo hybrid that Maul uses in TPM, the spinning saber movements of the Theed generator core duel. The saberstaff’s dual-blade configuration means display poses have the specific visual complexity of a weapon designed to cover 360° defensive and offensive positions simultaneously.
Darth Maul’s Impact on the Franchise
Darth Maul’s specific contribution to the franchise is visual. His design — the Zabrak horns, the Sith tattoos covering his entire face and head, the double-bladed weapon — communicated that the prequel era’s Sith operated differently from the original trilogy’s. The design’s simplicity is what makes it effective: no mask, no armour, just the specific horror of the face and the weapon.
His screen time in TPM is brief relative to his design’s impact. The Duel of the Fates — Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan against Maul in the Theed generator core — remains the prequel trilogy’s most consistently praised action sequence: the music, the laser gate pauses, the specific geometry of the duel’s geography.
Secondary Market
Above-retail secondary market prices. No production variants documented.
Verdict
The definitive 2024 Photo Real Darth Maul. Buy for the TPM Collection Theed duel display or the highest-quality Maul configuration currently available.
The Duel of the Fates
The Theed generator core duel is the prequel trilogy’s most discussed single combat sequence and John Williams’ most celebrated prequel composition. The specific geometry of the fight — the laser gates forcing pauses, the separated combatants (Obi-Wan behind a gate, Qui-Gon alone against Maul), the specific moment of Qui-Gon’s death — creates the structural elements that make the sequence work as drama rather than pure action.
Maul’s victory over Qui-Gon is the prequel trilogy’s first significant sacrifice: a named Jedi Master dies, the sequence communicates consequence, and the specific image of Qui-Gon dying while Obi-Wan watches from behind a laser gate becomes one of the franchise’s most discussed single moments.
22 Joints and the Saberstaff
The 22-joint scheme is the highest Maul has received in the Black Series — barbell neck, plus the specific shoulder and arm articulation that enables the saberstaff’s combat range. The double-bladed weapon is both a display challenge and a display opportunity: positioned correctly, the extended blade positions communicate the 360° combat philosophy of the weapon design in a static pose.
Verify both lightsaber blades are present on secondary market purchases — the saberstaff’s two-blade configuration requires both ends to read as the double-bladed weapon rather than a standard single-blade saber.
The 2024 Photo Real Upgrade
The Photo Real Ray Park portrait at 2024 production standards represents the highest available quality for the Darth Maul TPM configuration. The specific Zabrak facial tattoo pattern — the complex red and black geometry that covers the entire face and head — is the figure’s most technically demanding paint element, and the 2024 production delivers it at detail appropriate to the current era’s standards.
Darth Maul at #TPM 05 is the 2024 Photo Real benchmark for the character — the highest-quality Maul configuration available, with the highest joint count and current portrait production standards. Verify both saberstaff blades on secondary market purchases. No production variants documented.
Darth Maul alongside the TPM Qui-Gon Jinn figure (available in Phase 4 releases) creates the Duel of the Fates principal display: the teacher, the student who watches him die, and the Sith who kills him. The 2024 Maul is the correct pairing for any Phase 4 Photo Real Qui-Gon.
Darth Maul remains one of the franchise’s most produced Black Series characters across all phases — the design’s visual clarity and the duel’s emotional impact sustain collector demand across every production era. The 2024 version is the current peak; collectors who already own earlier Maul figures should consider whether the Photo Real portrait upgrade and the higher joint count justify replacement.
The 22-joint Maul at $24.99 is the TPM Collection’s strongest value-to-articulation figure. The double-bladed saberstaff, the Photo Real tattoo detail, the Duel of the Fates display potential — standard pricing for the collection’s most combat-focused configuration.
No production variants documented. One release. Both blades of the saberstaff must be present on secondary market purchases. The 2024 version supersedes earlier Maul configurations for portrait and articulation quality.
The Duel of the Fates display — Maul and a TPM Qui-Gon facing each other in the generator core geometry — is the specific TPM display that the 2024 Maul makes possible at Photo Real standard. Two highly-articulated figures, one of the franchise’s most discussed duels, the specific music already playing in the collector’s head when the display is assembled.
The 2024 Maul at 22 joints with Photo Real portrait is the version to own. Previous releases served their era; this one serves the current one.
The specific collector decision: if you own an earlier Maul, the 2024 version’s Photo Real portrait and 22 joints are worth comparing directly. If you don’t own a Maul, this is the one to buy.
Part of Star Wars The Black Series | Phase 4 TPM Collection. Related: Destroyer Droid P4-TPM-04 | Sebulba P4-TPM-06 | The Phantom Menace.