How do you solve a problem like a bisected Sith apprentice? Lightsabered in twain by a backflipping Obi-Wan in The Phantom Menace, he falls to his doom down a reactor chasm… or does he? According to the expanded Star Wars universe, no he doesn’t – but there isn’t a definitive explanation as to how he makes it out alive.

The Clone Wars TV series has him ending up on a junk planet called Lotho Minor where he’s turned into a cyborg with, um, spider-like legs. Brought back to his adopted home planet of Dathomir, Nightsister Witch leader Mother Talzin – don’t ask – rids him off his memory loss and general madness, installs a couple of regular robot legs and encourages the double-ended lightsaber swinger to revenge Obi-Wan up a notch.

Star Wars Tales 9 solves Maul’s resurrection riddle with a cult that essentially magics him back to life, whereas Star Wars Tales #17 has a post Return Of The Jedi Luke fight a "solid state hologram" Maul after a crazy scientist uses the tattooed martial artisan’s brain for nefarious purposes. Dark Horse Comics’ Star Wars: Visionaries, meanwhile, shows Maul rebuilding himself using cybernetics before getting blastered by Owen Lars on Tattooine whilst fighting a post-Revenge Of The Sith Obi-Wan.

If Darth Maul is given his own feature film, the death-explanation will be the biggest stumbling block. The other option is an origins movie, where those tattoos could either be Sith-based or something to do with the aforementioned (and distinctly evil) Nightsisters. Whatever happens, Peter Serafinowicz has to voice him, ideally with a new Brian Butterfield lilt to amp up the terror.