SPECULATION Maul is Snoke?

Alright, another crazy theory! Now, usually if I'm going to say a cartoon character ends up as Snoke I'm pro-Ezra going that path, but maybe he starts the Knights of Ren or something. Either way, here's a random thought since I hadn't seen a theory for it and would like to put that out there - what if Darth Maul was Supreme Leader Snoke?

As per usual - I don't have any evidence to this theory, but I do have a few ideas as to why it might work (or at least in my head, why it works better than it being the Grand Inquisitor).

1. Maul has been around since the Prequel Trilogy.
It's been more or less stated (sorry, I can't remember where) that Snoke has been around for a while. The book adaptation made it clear he knew Palpatine and Vader's history and downfall quite intimately. This would make sense in a way if he actually knew who they were. Maul was taught by Sidious and probably knew of Anakin via Kenobi. If he was truly against Sidious (and TCW shows that he was), it would make sense to keep an eye on your opponent. Besides, he was a patient man - waiting a bit longer for your enemies to take care of themselves could easily fit within Maul's agenda.

2. Maul has intimate knowledge of the Force and experience as a leader and a teacher.
He's a trained Sith and quite skilled Dark Side user. He's fought and defeated multiple Jedi, survived galactic wars by the look of it, and fought the strongest Sith we've seen on screen yet, and lived. He took an apprenctice in Savage and for the most part did a good job teaching him (although Asajj and Dooku admittedly probably deserve more credit). Maul also united a giant crime syndicate and staged a coup on Mandalore. While this did eventually erupt into civil war, it does deserve mentioning that he did achieve great power for a time. Come back thirty years later, and Maul would have sufficiently more knowledge and experience - doing it again wouldn't be a problem.

3. Maul would technically not have to be a Sith.
I mean, you don't have to be a Sith to be a Dark Side user. Maybe he found it limiting. Maybe he found a different path. Who knows.


4. We've never seen an old Zabrak.
This is to say that old Zabraks could look widely different.

5. Maul is also incredibly tall.
Once Maul gained his new legs, he TOWERED over most of his opponents. Snoke is supposedly tall outside the hologram, but have we seen his legs? I mean, it's a minor question, but who says that Snoke's height isn't derived from the lower half of his body being metallic? The other scars on his face could have come later (also explaining the loss of his horns). It wouldn't be the first time a character over the Star Wars saga transformed into something that's barely recognizable.

6. This could help satisfy some Rey Origin theories.
Specifically the "Rey is Kenobi's granddaughter/descendant" theories. I'm partial to the "Rey is Luke's daughter" camp (which, technically doesn't exclude the Kenobi theory if they trace the line in a matrilineal fashion but that's neither here nor there), but if Rey's ultimate enemy was Snoke, the former apprentice of the man who brought the galaxy to its knees and the Sith her forefather fought but couldn't finish off, it'd be a pretty poetic. It'd give Maul a true arc and story outside of being a one-off villain, and make the Prequel Trilogy seem a little more forward thinking.

7. The voices in the trailer.
This could help explain why a certain voice in the trailer sounds like Snoke, but only Maul shows up - it's the same character, but roughly 40 years later. Voices go through a LOT of changes in that time span, so it's easily justifiable.

Anyways, these are a few ideas of why Maul could be Snoke. Of course, there are dozens of counters to this theory (mainly why he looks nothing like Maul and the detail they'd have to go into to explain who Maul is, how he survived TPM, and where he's been all this time for all the non-cartoon watchers), but like all other "Snoke is..." theories, it's doable. I'm not saying this has to be the case, but it's an interesting thought to entertain and that's all I'm trying to give you. Anyways, that's the theory! So, what do you think? Is it crazy? Am I crazy? Thanks and let me know!

 

That's part of the counter to the theory that I mentioned. But I'd assume he lost all of his horns in the accident that scarred his face.

Thanks and agreed. It's mostly a "Hey, how would that work out" kind of theory. What does it add? is it possible? How does this change the viewing experience of all the movies and/or TV shows with this information? That's what I'm going with here.

Hahaha true! Also because Vader's dead (we've seen him die) and he already has a Force Ghost.

We can use the same argument for the facial tattoos that's used in the "Snoke is the Grand Inquisitor" theory here - a massive explosion or some other major grievous injury ripped them off (along with his horns). The injuries for the horns might have scabbed over and faded with time. We don't know what old Zabraks look like canonically speaking, so maybe they look different.
Good point about the hands. TCW and Rebels wise, we could chalk it up to artistic licence and maybe the difference between TPM and TFA is simply time and age. We don't know what Star Wars tattoo removal looks like. In TCW, Obi-Wan went under total facial reconstruction with little lasting impact when he returned to how he normally looked (this point can go for pro-Maul!Snoke and anti-Maul!Snoke).
Voices can change over time and people can alter them depending on who you talk to (Senator Palpatine vs Darth Sidious). That being said, the more I listen to it, the more the voice does sound like the Grand Inquisitor a tad...

 

I totally get that and great points. The problem with a new character - especially Snoke - is the balance between the intimacy that he presently possesses with the unknown quality he represents. If he's an introduced character (I won't even say villain) then there's that built in backstory there. It's easier to show how he came to know the OT characters in the way he does. But as you mention, is it the right move? If he's a completely brand new character then they have to make a really, really good case on how the OT characters know him and come up with an epic backstory or else fans might feel slighted and that could be even worse...then again, if it's a villain most of the audience thought died, they still might feel slighted
Overall, it's a balancing act, and one I look forward to seeing how they solve. But it's a lot harder to come up with a convincing or entertaining theory if it's a completely new character

 

Maybe like third-degree burns?

 

You mention Rebels, so I'm really curious - how would you feel if Snoke was Ezra? Now the chances of this being the case are astronomically small, but does it still contain the same issues that Maul and Plagueis do?

 

Youch! Thanks for showing me. Do they look like that permanently, or does the redness fade over time?

Since I can't tell if you're serious or not... https://thecantina.starwarsnewsnet.com/index.php?threads/compilation-theory.3546/
One of my first posts (and I think my first posted theory) way before TFA was exploring that exact possibility. That's why I'm always curious to see what other people think about it.