Darth Maul vs. Venom is a Death Battle. It features Darth Maul from Star Wars and Venom from Marvel Comics.
Description[]
Evil versions of famous characters are a trope that just wont die. The Jedi have their Sith, and Spider-Man has the symbiotes. We're taking two of these group's best (and craziest) and making them fight to the death. What could possibly go wrong?
Interlude[]
Wiz: Hey Boomstick, what's red, black, and evil all over?
Boomstick: Uhh... hold on, I got this one... ooh, today's combatants!?
Wiz: Yes! For a long time, if you wanted to make a villain for your story, one of the many routes you could take was the "shadow archetype." These characters usually have powers similar to the heroes, and a similar appearance too.
Boomstick: Like Darth Maul, the saberstaff-wielding Sith Lord.
Wiz: And Venom, the scary space alien symbiote.
Boomstick: He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.
Wiz: It's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win a Death Battle!
Darth Maul[]
(Music: [1])
Background[]
Wiz: It was the final decades of the Old Republic. Sheev Palpatine, better known as-
Boomstick: Wait, say that again.
Wiz: Uh, Sheev Palpatine, better known as-
Boomstick: His first name is fucking Sheev?
Wiz: Yeah?
Boomstick: Just... just continue.
Wiz: Sheev Palpatine, better known as Darth Sidious, was on the prowl for an apprentice. You see, Palpatine was a Sith lord poised to take over the Republic and gain power.
Boomstick: What kind of power, Wiz?
Wiz: Let's just let Palpatine answer that.
Boomstick: Fuck, that guy's loud! Was that the dark side of the Force or constipation?
Wiz: During a trip to a planet called Dathomir, Palpatine met and traded ancient secrets with a woman named Mother Talzin, leader of a coven of Force-using witches called the Nightsisters.
Boomstick: The best deal ol' Sheev got from this weird looking chick was her child. Except she wasn't really in on the trade.
Wiz: Yes, on that day he abducted Talzin's young son, after promising her the position of his right-hand-man.
Boomstick: Wow, Palpy's beginning to sound like my ex-wife.
Wiz: Wow, uh... do you need to talk about anything, Boomstick?
Boomstick: It's okay, I didn't want custody that much.
Wiz: After years of brutal training, Maul would grow to become a powerful Sith Lord, second only to Sidious himself. Vicious and cruel, Maul believed that it was his destiny to bring end to the Jedi.
Boomstick: Which is ironic, considering it would be the Jedi who would bring end to him.
Boomstick: Yikes! Catch ya later, legs!
Wiz: Maul, after somehow surviving that, would later get a new set of kicks; a souped up pair of cybernetic legs. With his brutal fighting style and absolute refusal to die, Maul would go on to become one of the most feared people in the entire galaxy. He's fought countless lightsaber duels, bested his own master on occasion, and got his revenge on Obi-Wan by killing his girlfriend, Satine Kryze.
Boomstick: Wait wait wait, Maul survived that? But why wasn't he in any of the other movies?
Wiz: Well, technically for a while he did canonically die there, but when they made the Clone Wars cartoon, they decided to bring him back.
Boomstick: Okay, so on the Toriyama scale, how bullshit was his revival?
Wiz: Honestly? It's about a 6.
Weaponry and Skill[]
Wiz: While Maul has trained in the styles of using a single lighsaber and two lightsabers at once, his most consistently seen and iconic weapon is his saberstaff.
Boomstick: Three feet long red glowing blades of death come from either side of it's hilt. Maul can either activate only one side to use it like a regular saber, or both and wield it that way.
Wiz: Maul is exceptionally talented in the use of a saberstaff, being able to spin it around so fast that it just looks like a circle of red light. With this blade, he was able to take down Qui-Gon Jinn, one of the most talented Jedi duelists.
Boomstick: Just like Maul, this weapon ended up getting cut in half. But he was able to salvage half of it, proving that it's capable of being used even after being bisected.
Wiz: Which brings us to Maul's cyborg legs. Already able to leap 30 feet into the air with the use of the Force, these bionic extremities enhance his kicks and jumps. Maul combines these with his Force talents and acrobatic fighting style to become a nearly untouchable warrior.
Boomstick: He's taken on Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Palpatine, Mace Windu, General Greivous... basically, if they have a lightsaber, Maul has fought them, and probably came out on top too.
Wiz: While no one truly knows how hot lightsabers are, in the right hands they're capable of both decapitating and disarming someone in a single swing.
Boomstick: No! Not one of the Chewbacca guys! I like those guys!
Force Abilities[]
Wiz: Jedi and Sith both draw power from the Force, an energy that all living things generate, and Maul is no exception.
Boomstick: Maul can do the usual Force-y stuff you've come to expect from every Jedi and Sith. You know, push stuff, pull stuff, that kind of thing. Oh, and the mind trick! One time, he mind tricked a guy into blowing himself up.
Boomstick: I wish I could do that. Ahh, it'd never get old.
Wiz: Maul is exceptionally talented in the use of the Force. He can use it to enhance his physical speed and strength, and even predict his opponent's attacks in battle.
Boomstick: Hey Wiz, if he can predict what his opponent's gonna do, then why didn't he see that Obi-Wan was gonna, you know, cut him in half? And like, maybe move out of the way or something?
Wiz: Prequels, Boomstick. Prequels.
Boomstick: You know Wiz, I've always wanted to know something. Is Darth Maul human? Like, a human with face paint and horns glued to his head? What exactly is he?
Wiz: Good question, Boomstick. Maul is a Zabrak, a humanoid race with horns, two hearts, and distinct facial markings, though Maul's were tattooed on as a child.
Boomstick: Hold on, the guy has two hearts? If you shot one of them, would he live?
Wiz: Well, I suppose so.
Feats[]
Boomstick: While he might have two of them, Darth Maul is undeniably a heartless badass. He's got an impressive win loss record and has fought alongside the Sith, a Mandalorian splinter group called Death Watch, and a criminal alliance called the Shadow Collective.
Wiz: Darth Maul has managed to move a massive shuttle with the Force, which weighs at least multiple tons.
Wiz: While this is one of his greatest feats of strength with the Force, Maul himself is no slouch physically. He's ripped into a wampa and crushed it's heart, broke and crushed durasteel, shattered a Rodian's spine, and choked a seven foot tall monster so hard blood began to spurt from it's mouth and eyes... all with his bare hands.
Boomstick: Impressive! Most impressive! Alright, I can check that necessary Star Wars reference off the list now.
Wiz: He's also one of the few people able to take Force lightning and remain basically unaffected. Though it should be noted that it was a Nightsister's Force lightning, which probably means it isn't up to snuff with Palpatine's and Dooku's.
Boomstick: Maul is so pain tolerant that pain basically means nothing to the guy. But while those are impressive and all, Maul's greatest strength lies in his speed.
Wiz: In a book called Shadow Hunter, Maul's top speed, Force enhancement included, is described to be five times faster than a human could run. Using the fastest human running speed (Usain Bolt's 28 miles per hour) this means that Maul's top running speed is easily over 140 miles per hour.
Boomstick: For comparison, cheetahs can only run 75 miles an hour. So that means Maul is as fast as two cheetahs put together. Oh shit, I think I just came up with the best pet in the world.
Wiz: Maul has been described as moving faster than the human eye can track for short distances, and once dodged around a dozen blaster shots at a time.
Weaknesses[]
Boomstick: Jesus Christ Wiz, this guy seems unstoppable. But let me guess, he has some crippling flaws?
Wiz: Well, none in particular really, besides the fact that he's lost a few matches, and isn't really all there mentally. Bent on revenge, sometimes he gets flung into such a rage he can't think clearly, causing him to slip in battle.
Boomstick: There's also the fact that, compared to the damage his lightsaber puts out, Maul's kinda squishy. Without a weapon, he's still capable, sure, but nowhere near his best.
Wiz: Either way, Maul's a literal tour de Force.
Boomstick: ... Hey, I'm the ending pun guy!
Venom[]
(Music: [2])
Background[]
Wiz: Spider-Man's costume has been a staple of the character since the beginning. I'd say it's on par with Superman's and Batman's suits in terms of recognizability.
Boomstick: Spidey hasn't always worn the ol' red and blue though. Just like every major star in the 80's, he went through a period of questionable fashion.
Wiz: Except we're not talking about sequined tuxes, shoulder pads, or ridiculous hair. We're talking about the alien symbiote known as Venom.
Boomstick: You see, after the whole Secret Wars debacle, Spidey's suit was wrecked. So, he decided to try out an alien device that could make any clothes he wanted. For him, it dispensed a black ball of goo that formed a Spider-Man costume.
Wiz: Everything seemed fine, and the suit was even better than his last one, so he decided to wear it back home. But if you've ever been into space, you know that before you take anything surfacewise, you need to first check that it's not alive.
Boomstick: You sound like you're speaking from experience, Wiz.
Wiz: Well, maybe I am. Anyways, eventually Spidey and Mr. Fantastic found out the suit was alive and decided to contain it, but it escaped. Ever since, it's terrorized the Marvel universe, switching from host to host and causing havoc wherever it goes.
Boomstick: It's kind of like a psycho ex-girlfriend: you dump her, then she tries to kill you by turning people against you!
Wiz: While it's had many hosts, the most noteworthy one is Eddie Brock, who has a serious bone to pick with Spidey. You see, he was a reporter, and he had published many popular articles interviewing a serial killer called "the Sin-Eater." But after Spidey thwarted the case, it turns out that Eddie had been interviewing a compulsive confessor who had committed no crimes.
Boomstick: After this news came to light, the conga line of trauma never seemed to stop for Eddie. He got kicked off his job, his wife divorced him, his father stopped talking to him, he got ill, he was forced to work for cheap tabloids to survive, it never ended!
Wiz: Not until he met the symbiote. Sensing his hatred of Spider-Man, the symbiote bonded with Eddie, forming the newly christened Venom.
You may call me Venom -- for that's what I'm payed to spew out these days! I'm your victim, Spider-Man -- I'm the innocent you ruined!
Wiz: Venom and Eddie share an odd relationship, each working to serve the other. They refer to themselves as "we" and both share a hatred for Spider-Man. Though they've separated now, one will eventually always crave the other.
Boomstick: "Odd relationship?" "Separated?" 'Crave the other?" It... kinda sounds like they were dating. I guess Eddie did give Venom a Valentine's Day gift that one time.
Wiz: Well, uh... I can explain that! You see, the symbiote needs to consume a certain chemical in the human brain to stay alive, which also happens to be found in chocolate.
Boomstick: Shh, shh. It's true love, Wiz.
Physical Feats[]
Wiz: Due to the symbiote bonding with Spider-Man, Venom is similar in strength to him, but usually considered much stronger in some categories. For example, his super strength is said to outclass Spidey's.
Boomstick: Once, he lifted a bulldozer over his head with ease. From the looks of it, that's comparable to a Caterpillar D5.
Wiz: That means that Venom can lift almost 13 tons, but that's far from his highest showing. Alright Boomstick, deep breath!
Boomstick: He's bitchslapped Spidey an incredible distance...
Wiz: Shattered concrete and metal with Spidey's head...
Boomstick: Stuns the Juggernaut with his punches...
Wiz: Hit the Wolverine so hard he got impaled on a tree branch...
Boomstick: Demolished a burning building Samson style...
Wiz: And lifted a massive car overhead, with little to no strain.
Boomstick: Fuck... I'm out of breath... need... booze... and oxygen... but mostly booze...
Wiz: It's still not over. Venom is incredibly durable. While the symbiote might seem like a liquid, it's deceivingly tough. For this, there's only one scan we really need to show:
Boomstick: Holy shit! An uppercut from the Hulk? Did he die from that?
Wiz: Actually, he was up and attacking just moments after. Aside from a punch from the Hulk, Venom's also taken hits from the Juggernaut, getting pitched across a city by Carnage, and even tanked a direct hit from an anti-tank rocket.
Wiz: There's also the time he took the intense heat of a laser built for mining. Oh, and the time he was inside a power plant that blew up. Admittedly, the latter left him knocked unconscious, but he was up not too long after the incident.
Boomstick: Hey! You said no more scans!
Wiz: Sorry Boomstick, but we haven't even covered his speed yet. He's dodged laser weapons and can weave through gunfire with absolute ease, even while only half transformed.
Wiz: One time, Venom even jumped out of the way of a sonic weapon. To do that, Venom had to have moved at over Mach 1, faster than 767 miles per hour. Though, it was only a short distance, and it's unlikely Venom could keep this speed at a run.
Boomstick: Damn, that's fast.
Powers[]
Wiz: Another thing the symbiote gained from Spider-Man was the ability to duplicate some of his powers, usually with a twist. His webbing is much thicker, comes out a lot harder, and can be produced from anywhere on his body. It can also retract like a grappling hook.
Boomstick: This webbing is so sticky it even hurts the Hulk when he rips it off! And Hulk's no pushover, believe me.
Boomstick: And like every superhero nowadays, he's got a healing factor! He's regenerated from cuts, slashes, and hits from laser weapons almost instantly.
Wiz: He can perfectly camouflage himself with his surroundings with his shapeshifting, which also lets him produce tendrils from his body to attack with. These tendrils can crush a man's head and are fast enough to catch bullets out of the air.
Boomstick: Sticky webbing, invisibility powers and tendrils?! I've seen enough hentai to know where this is going.
Wiz: Venom's shapeshifting isn't limited to just blending in with his surroundings. With it, he can spread his symbiote out an impressive distance to snatch foes, lengthen his teeth and tongue or just straight up grow extra mouths from his skin. He can also create defensive barriers, in case his natural durability just isn't enough.
Boomstick: Lengthen his tongue? You're not helping, Wiz.
Wiz: Venom's shapeshifting is easily one of his strongest and most versatile abilities. He's created wings with it to glide through the air, and razor sharp claws to cut up his opponents at close range.
Boomstick: It's precise enough to form a working key and the symbiote can become thin enough to travel through hairline cracks in glass. One time, Venom even "washed out" a guy's lungs with his shapeshifting ability. Man, that's a French kiss I would not want to be on the receiving end of.
Separated[]
Boomstick: Just like me and my ex-wife, both Brock and the symbiote are capable of working fine without each other!
Wiz: Boomstick, are those tears in your eyes?
Boomstick: It's sweat, Wiz. Just sweat.
Wiz: Well... while the symbiote is the stronger of the pair, Eddie's no slouch. He was once able to casually lift a couch after getting the shit beaten out of him.
Boomstick: ACK! The mullet is strong with this one! Wait, how did he get that strong if he's just a normal human?
Wiz: He lifts.
Wiz: A lot.
Boomstick: Whoa! Well, he's tough, but he doesn't compare to the symbiote. On it's own, the symbiote can still shapeshift. The gooey little guy can even catch bullets and toss them back with the same amount of force.
Wiz: Even if Brock is incapacitated, the symbiote will go on fighting. One time, the symbiote took down Spider-Man all on it's own.
Weaknesses[]
Wiz: Traditionally, symbiotes are known to have two major weaknesses: fire, and sonics.
Boomstick: Nowadays, while they still pack a punch against symbiotes, Venom has grown much more resistant than he once was.
Wiz: Case in point: the mining laser feat and the burning building feat shown above. He's also done battle with the likes of Shriek (a user of sonic weapons) and the Human Torch, and actually defeated the latter while the Human Torch's flames didn't seem to harm Venom while he was in close proximity of them.
Boomstick: Aside from this, Venom's shapeshifting is also limited. He needs to shape it around Brock, forcing him to keep a mostly human appearance instead of just being able to shapeshift into any form.
Wiz: Venom's supply of webbing also isn't unlimited, though he can produce massive amounts of it. It also weakens the further it gets from Venom's body.
Boomstick: And if the massive, fanged smile and elongated tongue didn't tip you off, Venom isn't exactly mentally stable.
Wiz: Yes, Venom's insanity can sometimes cause him to slip up and make obvious mistakes in battle. Without anything like Spidey's Spider Sense to help him, this can cause him to get hit. A lot.
Boomstick: Still, a body-builder covered in alien black goo isn't gonna go down without first kicking some serious arach-nads.
Interlude[]
Wiz: Alright, the combatants are set. Let's end this debate once and for all!
Boomstick: It's time for a Death Battle!
Death Battle[]
It was stormy at the Jedi Temple. The skies were gray and the ground had turned to mud. A smaller temple, only a few Padawans and Knights roamed around, either training or studying. Despite the rain, it was peaceful.
Suddenly, the dark clouds seemed to be torn asunder by a ship slowly descending from orbit. A few of the Jedi recognized it as a Republic shuttle, and walked over to welcome its passengers. The door slowly slid open, steam and smoke pouring out of the ship. The Jedi stared into the dark interior of the ship, only to run in horror as a red glow burst into being.
Darth Maul was quick and ruthless; he spun around like a red tornado, bisecting and decapitating and impaling the Jedi with his dual bladed lightsaber. He was on the front steps of the temple, just having struck down three Knights, when he heard a sound. Maul looked up to the sky; something was coming. From whatever craft that was entering, Maul could sense a presence; one nearly as dark as his. But not just one… two?
Not a moment later, a small pod hit the ground, leaving a small impact crater. From his position on the steps Maul watched as the metal of the craft began to dent, as if something inside was trying to get out. Eventually, the entire pod burst apart, metal flying everywhere. Out stepped a black monster, covered in dark sinewy hide that seemed to drip.
The beast looked around, before speaking. “Richards really needs to learn to stop sending everything that bothers him into space.” It’s pure white eyes targeted Maul. “And you are?”
“I am Maul.” The Sith flipped and spun his saberstff around, aiming it at the monster. “Speak your name, for the last time.”
“We are Venom.” growled the symbiote. “We didn’t want to fight, but we’re feeling kind of hungry…”
Maul leapt into the air, boosted by both his cybernetic legs and the force. He aimed himself to land on Venom; striking his shoulders with a flying kick, the symbiote rolled back in time to see Maul charging at him.
FIGHT!
Venom ducked and dodged out of the way of Maul’s strikes. “Too slow!” he taunted, before backing up for a wild swing. It connected to Maul’s abdomen, who felt himself flying back, his lightsaber knocked out of his hand. But after hitting a certain point, something seemed to… bungee him back to Venom? Maul looked down to see a goopy line of… something coming out of Venom’s wrist, leading all the way to Maul’s abdomen. The Sith was quickly flying back towards Venom, who punched him back away.
Maul was just barely able to withstand this game of paddleball. With the Force, he pulled his lightsaber towards him, slicing through the webbing and flying into his hand. Freed from the tether, Maul dashed towards Venom, spinning around his saberstaff. While Venom dodged most of his slashes, Maul got a few in on his chest, and telekinetically launched him away.
As Venom got up, Maul could see that the wounds on his chest were quickly patching up. Venom glared at the Sith with a menacing grin.
“What are you?” shouted Maul.
From the ground beneath him, tendrils burst up, catching Maul by the legs. Venom had extended his symbiote through the ground. The villain leapt at Maul and savagely swiped at his chest with razor sharp claws, before booting him away with a kick.
The top of the Sith’s robes were in tatters. He couldn’t risk taking more hits from his foe. The Sith threw his lightsaber into the air, boomeranging it back to him with the Force.
It was on path to cleanly slice off Venom’s head, but before it could tendrils extended from the monster’s back, catching it by the handle. More tendrils deactivated the weapon and tossed it into the air. On it’s way down, one last tendril slashed it in half, and both pieces dropped to the mud.
Maul roared in anger, and rushed towards Venom only to get clotheslined by a tendril. The monster grabbed the Sith by the back of the head and slammed his face into the mud repeatedly, laughing.
“I’ll drink your brains from your skull, scum!” he shouted. Maul pulled the bisected saber towards him and ignited both ends, quickly twisting them to sever Venom’s hand. As the monster roared in pain, Maul dashed away, running towards his shuttle. He turned around and leapt towards Venom, slamming him into the ground as he dug his cybernetic feet into his legs.
Venom’s symbiote tried to cover and heal the stub where Brock’s hand once was. But the process was too slow, and the symbiote decided to shapeshift a new hand while the wound was being healed. Meanwhile, Maul was on top of Venom, who was belly up in the mud. Savagely slashing at his chest with both lightsabers, Maul was preparing to deal the finishing blow.
Thick webbing began to erupt from Venom’s chest, covering Maul’s legs. Maul flipped back, quickly freeing himself before the webbing had a chance to wrap fully around his legs. Venom saw his chance and shot up, dashing towards Maul with unprecedented speed. On his way there two tendrils quickly flew from his body towards the body of two dead Jedi Knights, snatching up their lightsabers and activating them. Swiftly they flew towards Maul, who held back the two blue blades with his own red ones.
“One lifeform, wearing another as armor.” sneered Maul, struggling against the strength of the tendrils, which hung over Venom’s shoulders and extended down towards the Sith Lord’s arms. “Interesting.” He watched as the slashes he had dealt to Venom seemed to clear up, black goo traveling to patch up the cuts from other parts of his chest.
“Look at the big brain on you.” replied Venom. “It’s gonna be delicious.” Without warning, Venom’s jaw seemed to unhinge, and his tongue shot out, wrapping around Maul’s neck. Shocked by this, Maul dropped both lightsabers to the ground, opening him up for a massive backhand from Venom. Flying back, he slammed into the metal of his shuttle.
Winded, he looked up, just to find that he couldn’t see Venom. He tried to sense him, and found that he was just a few feet away. But when he looked, there was nothing there. Acting quickly, one of the ends of his former saberstaff flew to his hand and ignited, just in time to slice at the cloaked Venom. The slash only glanced off Venom’s arm, and the cut quickly faded while Venom came fully into view.
Another savage punch launched Maul back up against the shuttle, and Venom proceeded to unleash more of them onto the weakened Sith Lord, denting the shuttle more and more with each punch. Eventually, he grabbed Maul by the throat and lifted him up. Maul felt something stick latch onto his back and heard the sound of whatever it was hit the shuttle. More webbing spewed onto the ends of Maul’s legs, and Venom bounded away with the webbing in his hand.
Maul screamed as he felt himself getting torn apart. His legs were getting pulled away a bit more with each step Venom took away from him, and being anchored to the shuttle was not helping. Eventually, he heard a massive snapping noise, and he saw his metal legs flying towards Venom’s hands. When they reached the monster, he whipped them around and threw them back at the Sith, the metal appendages smacking Maul on the forehead.
The Sith Lord was in great fear. But his fear lead to anger. Rage was the fuel for the dark side, and he snatched up one of his jagged, broken replacement legs, slashing himself free of the webbing that attached him to the shuttle. He swung his hand forward, and several lightsabers, including the two ends of his saberstaff and the two blue ones Venom had used against him, suddenly ignited and flew towards Venom. Several hit him and pierced through the symbiote, digging into Brock’s flesh beneath. With all of his anger, all of his hate, all of his suffering, he raised his arms and the shuttle behind him slowly began to rise into the air.
“DIE!” he screamed, flinging the shuttle towards a shocked Venom.
The shuttle hit Venom square on… but he was unharmed. He was holding back the shuttle with all of his strength as the sheer weight of it dragged him back. Digging his feet into the mud, Venom managed to swing the craft back at Maul.
“NoooOOOOO!!!!!” cried Maul as the shuttle flew through the air. The craft slammed into him, and skidded back until it eventually slowed down, leaving a red smear of Sith Lord in it’s wake.
Venom staggered forward, ripping the lightsabers from his body and tossing them to the ground, stomping on the handles to turn them off. One by one he went as he approached the craft, but he glanced towards the ground and saw something that shocked him.
It was Maul, who was somehow alive, but reduced to little more than a torso; dragging himself on two arms and cursing Venom with every breath. Organs trailed out from the end of his torso, painting a red trail on the ground. Maul was using every last drop of Force energy he could call to himself to sustain his body for just a little bit longer. He needed the time to kill this beast. Only then would he allow himself to die.
One of Maul’s arms swung up, and with it, Venom. Venom’s arms moved to his neck, as he began to sputter and cough up thick red blood. Quickly, some of his black symbiote dropped from his body and shot towards the nearly dead Maul. Maul was helpless as the symbiote forced itself down his throat, entering his lungs and flooding him. More symbiote came from Brock as Maul’s telekinetic grasp on him weakened. It poured into Maul’s open maw, clogging up his windpipe and causing his lungs to burst from the inside.
When Venom was sure Maul was dead, he recalled the symbiote and began the process of healing himself. He shakily turned over the shuttle and sat down in the pilot’s seat.
“Now,” he said, breathing heavily. “How the hell do we fly this thing?”
K.O.!
Results[]
Boomstick: That was… that was beautiful.
Wiz: Are you sweating from your eyes again, Boomstick?
Boomstick: No, these are manly tears of awe.
Wiz: Now, let’s preface this by saying that this matchup is incredibly close. Maul and Venom are equal in several aspects, but Venom came out on top for several reasons.
Boomstick: Number one is that Venom’s fought and taken down more varied opponents than Maul, and more opponents overall. While everyone’s Maul’s taken on has either been a soldier with some gadgets, a big lumbering monster, or a Force user with a lightsaber, Venom has done battle with a wide variety of foes, all with different unique abilities.
Wiz: While Venom’s able to adapt to new opponents easily due to the variety of powers he’s seen, Maul has only really had to battle with the same kind of opponents. Thus, Maul wouldn’t be able to deal with someone with as unorthodox powers as Venom's.
Boomstick: Number two is that Venom’s strength, durability, and speed surpass Maul’s greatly.
Wiz: Maul’s greatest strength feat was breaking durasteel, which is impressive, yes, but Venom has traded and taken hits with the likes of the Hulk and the Juggernaut, two of the Marvel universe’s most powerful fighters. So, breaking super hard metal isn’t really comparable to his strength or durability.
Boomstick: However, Maul’s greatest strength feat with the Force was dragging a shuttle off of a cliff… which is something Venom could easily do with his bare hands. And even then, Maul’s feat isn’t nearly as impressive as it appears: it's very clear that he isn’t picking up and moving the whole shuttle, he’s just knocking it over and letting gravity work it’s magic.
Wiz: Venom can also shrug off shots from laser guns, which have been shown to damage Maul. And looking at speed, Maul’s certainly done some impressive stuff, with a top running speed of 140 miles and hour and the ability to dodge massive volleys of lasers.
Boomstick: But that 140 miles per hour number is his running speed, which is much different than his speed in combat. Think about it like this: who’s faster, Usain Bolt or Conor McGregor? But who throws punches faster? McGregor, obviously.
Wiz: Many times it has been shown that blaster bolts aren’t as fast as bullets. In fact, calculations put them at moving around 78 miles per hour.
Boomstick: Which is in the ballpark of a baseball pitch. Ha! Ballpark, get it?
Wiz: So, dodging and knocking them back with ease isn’t really as impressive as it sounds. Compare that to Venom, who has dodged volleys of bullets around as large as the volleys of blaster shots Maul has weaved his way through.
Boomstick: Bullets move at around 1,700 miles per hour, soooo… Venom’s got Maul beat in speed too. We haven’t even mentioned that whole dodging a sonic weapon thing yet.
Wiz: So, with Venom trumping Maul in speed, strength, and durability, what’s left?
Boomstick: Maul’s lightsaber and Force powers!
Wiz: Ah, yes. Well to begin, Maul’s lightsaber is a powerful weapon, yes, but Venom has shown the ability to take heat beams before.
Boomstick: Yeah, remember the whole mining laser feat you saw above? Maul's lightsaber is probably hotter, but it proves that Maul would have a harder time getting through Venom’s hide than you’d expect.
Boomstick: Also, Maul generally doesn’t use the Force much while fighting, or at least limits himself to just Force pushes and pulls. He wouldn't go out of his way to choke Venom out early into the battle.
Wiz: So Venom’s got the experience advantage, the physical advantage, and Maul would either have a hard time using or wouldn’t use the two things he had over Venom. While it’s close, and Venom could’ve been able to kill Eddie if he pierced the symbiote, he’d still have to deal with the symbiote itself, which could easily flood his lungs and evade his attacks. Maul’s best case scenario would to be taken over by the Venom symbiote, which I guess we’d call a tie. But with Venom’s overwhelming speed and durability, there’s no question that he’d get the upper hand before the Sith.
Boomstick: Looks like this Darth got mauled.
Wiz: The winner is Venom.