Darth Malthael

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Darth Malthael (达斯马萨伊尔) 200
Alias(es)	Tang Xiao; Archangel of Death; King of the Undead; Angel of Death; Sith Emperor 476 1216 2883
Species/Race	Human 2038
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Sith; Kingdom of Dawn / Fourth Civilization 392 2883
Occupation/Role	Sith Lord; wielder of the Death Force; ruler of the Kingdom of Dawn 1466 2883
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 200: N-1 Starfighter

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Sith apprentice of Darth Plagueis	328	Survives Plagueis's trial, using Force precognition and piloting to contend with the cloaked Scimitar.
Death Force wielder	352	Absorbs fragments of a shadowy entity with the Death Force; calls upon Darth Vinamis's vengeful spirit from his lightsaber.
Bearer of Kresh's Gauntlet	583	Claims the ancient Sith artifact, which greatly amplifies his Dark Side power and provides a potent Force barrier.
Recipient of Kanes Muur's knowledge	1137	Absorbs Kanes Muur's lingering spirit and forbidden knowledge, but suffers severe erosion from its Dark Side energy.
Dark Side purification through the Dark Reaper	1137–1138	Uses the Dark Reaper's core on Dagobah to draw out destabilizing Dark Side Force, surviving seven days of purification.
Ritual of the King of the Undead	1216–1217	Merges Dark Side Force and Death Force at the Sith Academy on Korriban, gaining the ability to strip life and raise undead armies.
Incomplete Angel of Death	1220–1221	Drains ten years of life from Darth Sidious, but Sidious and the Sith spirits interrupt the ritual; an Essence Transfer preserves part of his Death Force in a new body.
Near-complete King of the Undead	1290	Can potentially transform an entire city into undead, though his power remains unstable and not fully under his control.
Wielder of the Soul Reaver	1468–1470	Forges a black lightsaber with nine black gems through Sith Alchemy; the weapon can directly harm and imprison Sith spirits.
Avatar of Death	1471	Defeats and absorbs Marka Ragnos into the Soul Reaver, greatly increasing his Death Force.
Sith Emperor / inheritor of the Dark Side	2882–2883	Reshapes his body through the spirits of Korriban and receives recognition from Marka Ragnos as Sith Emperor.

Background / History

Tang Xiao initially reacts with disbelief when Darth Plagueis gives him the Sith title “Darth Malthael.” He associates the name with the Archangel of Death from Diablo 3 and recognizes its similarity to his own affinity for death, later questioning whether the title and his power are connected to something beyond coincidence 200.

As Plagueis's apprentice, Malthael undergoes a lethal trial on Hypori. Plagueis pursues him in the cloaked Sith Infiltrator Scimitar, forcing Malthael to exhaust himself through repeated Force-based prediction and counter-prediction before he can complete the trial 328 334.

He later develops his own Sith path around the Death Force rather than following Sith tradition uncritically. His stated goal is to become “Malthael” in truth: the King of the Undead and Angel of Death, capable of making death fully his own power 1216.

Appearance

Darth Malthael is a Human male who usually appears in a black cloak with his face obscured beneath its hood. His appearance repeatedly deteriorates after extreme uses of the Death Force, though he can restore or replace his body through forbidden techniques 1138 1221 1381.

• Often surrounded by black mist and wailing vengeful spirits 392 901.
• His body becomes gaunt, pale, and corpse-like when Dark Side corruption or Death Force instability worsens 1138 1290.
• After forging the Soul Reaver, he is described as recovered physically but clad in torn garments, giving him a more unhinged appearance 1470.
• Later reforms his body through the power of Korriban's spirits 2882 2883.

Personality

Malthael is calculating, ambitious, and profoundly unwilling to accept fate. He regards power as the means to overcome predestination, repeatedly framing weakness as submission to fate and seeking a path that includes both Dark and Light rather than serving either conventionally 774 888.

He is ruthlessly pragmatic toward enemies and followers alike. He employs torture, mass killing, resurrection, and soul manipulation without hesitation when they advance his plans, yet he also values knowledge, preparation, and difficult opponents as opportunities to improve himself 733 776 1218.

Despite his cruelty, Malthael is capable of introspection. He recognizes Plagueis's lingering influence, questions his own identity as Tang Xiao and Darth Malthael, and fears losing control of his own power 726 729 2041.

Abilities & Skills

Death Force

Malthael's defining power is the Death Force, a Dark Side-derived ability centered on life force, souls, death, and the undead.

• Drains life force directly; ordinary Force barriers cannot block it 1285.
• Draws power and stamina from nearby corpses during battle 901 902.
• Commands vengeful spirits that disrupt opponents at a spiritual level 563 901.
• Creates domains of death that erode souls and weaken undead entities such as Kanes Muur 1047.
• Raises and directs undead soldiers, including dead enemy crews and troops 1217 1649.
• Can unintentionally transform nearby people into undead when his power is unstable 1290.

Resurrection, Soul Manipulation, and Essence Transfer

Malthael studies forbidden methods of preserving or restoring life through the Force.

• Revived Eldra Kaitis after repeated failed attempts, leaving her in a coma before binding her through Sith Alchemy 343 345.
• Can resurrect Force-sensitives, though most suffer decay, weakening powers, mental deterioration, and eventual degeneration into undead 903 1919.
• Uses pain and forced resurrection to pressure victims toward the Dark Side 776.
• Performs Essence Transfer to move consciousness and soul into another body; he retains part of his Death Force after transferring himself 712 1221.
• Reclaimed his original body through a soul-transfer process using a Force-sensitive medium 1381.

Force Combat

Malthael combines powerful telekinesis, lightning, precognition, and aggressive lightsaber combat.

• Uses Force precognition to anticipate starfighter maneuvers and engage in extreme-speed dogfights 328 2671.
• Employs telekinesis to weaponize debris, crush armored vehicles, and hurl starship wreckage through enemy formations 604 1035.
• Uses Ataru, Juyo, and combinations of multiple lightsaber forms; he later develops his swordsmanship through repeated duels against superior opponents 343 476 901 1218.
• Wields devastating blood-red lightning inherited from Darth Tenebrous's teachings 1835 1912.
• Can heal wounds by expelling residual hostile Dark Side energy with the Death Force 1683.

Void Power

After merging with the Dark Archon, Malthael gains access to Void-based abilities that remain only partially integrated with his Death Force.

• Can hide within and travel through the Void to evade attacks 2574.
• Uses Void travel to bypass Darth Sidious's Force Storm and attack through gaps in its area of effect 2574.
• His Void Power and Death Force remain separate systems rather than a fully unified ability 2578.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Soul Reaver — A black, twisted lightsaber forged through Sith Alchemy and embedded with black gems containing ancient Sith spirits. It can harm incorporeal Sith spirits and amplify Force abilities released through the blade 1470 1471 1682.
• Kresh's Gauntlet — Ancient Sith artifact worn on his left wrist; generates a powerful Force barrier capable of blocking concentrated attacks and protecting him when he cannot react normally 583 604 2039.
• Red Comet — His personal starship. An earlier craft is inferior to Plagueis's Scimitar; a later blood-red version is based on a Golden Magnate-class frigate and fitted for his personal use 328 1137.
• Dark Reaper core — Used to draw excess Dark Side Force from his body and restrain Kanes Muur's corruptive influence 1137 1138.
• Sith Swords — A pair of weapons infused with Death Force, used against Darth Sidious before the Soul Reaver's completion 1218.

Relationships

• Darth Plagueis — Former master. Plagueis trained him, gave him the title Darth Malthael, and left a lingering contingency within him that later torments Malthael 328 713 726.
• Darth Tenebrous — Plagueis's master and Malthael's grandmaster. Malthael bargains with him for knowledge of the Force and maxi-chlorians, but their alliance becomes a prolonged struggle of deception and control 353 1363 1836.
• Darth Sidious — Sith rival and recurring enemy. Malthael repeatedly seeks to undermine, ambush, and eventually surpass him 353 1220 1683.
• Eldra Kaitis / Darth Lilim — Resurrected Jedi whom Malthael binds as his thrall and later accepts as his apprentice after she abandons her remaining resistance 345 1499.
• Lucien Draay — Jedi Covenant spirit residing in Kresh's Gauntlet. Serves as a reluctant adviser, critic, and source of historical knowledge while frequently opposing Malthael's choices 569 1031 1137.
• Celeste Morne / Judgment — Bearer of the Muur Talisman and host of Kanes Muur. Malthael seeks to exploit her Light Heart and later subjects her to dark experiments 1046 1065.
• Darth Vinamis — Tenebrous's other apprentice, whose vengeful spirit Malthael initially uses and later binds to Tenebrous's body through Sith Alchemy 352 1381 1441.
• Adi Gallia / Reaper — Jedi Master killed and resurrected by Malthael. Her exceptional will allows her to become the death-force entity he names “Reaper” 775 1919 1920.
• Thull Wulain — Echani Sun Guard spared by Malthael and assigned to train the Fourth Legion 391 392.
• Helmut Zemo — Chief aide who manages Malthael's preparations, intelligence, and political reports 1220 1221.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Sith Trial and the Fall of Eldra Kaitis

Malthael survives Darth Plagueis's trial, then intervenes in Darth Maul's battle with Eldra Kaitis. After reviving Eldra, he binds her life and soul to himself through a Kyber Crystal implant, establishing the foundation of his Dark Followers 328 343 345.

Search for Sith Artifacts

He pursues Kresh's Gauntlet, claims it despite Lucien Draay's warnings, and uses its barrier as a central tool in later conflicts. He subsequently seeks the Muur Talisman on Taris, confronts Kanes Muur and Celeste Morne, and absorbs Kanes Muur's spirit and knowledge at considerable cost 583 1031 1045 1137.

King of the Undead Ritual

At Korriban's Sith Academy, Malthael combines Dark Side Force and Death Force through a ritual intended to make him the King of the Undead. Darth Sidious disrupts his attempt to complete the transformation, forcing Malthael into an Essence Transfer and leaving his power incomplete 1216 1221.

Conquest of the Valley of the Dark Lords

Malthael returns to Korriban to challenge the ancient Sith spirits. He enters the Force world, learns to isolate the spirits from reality, forges the Soul Reaver, and absorbs Marka Ragnos and other Sith spirits into its black gems 1466 1471.

Wars Against Darth Sidious and the Empire

Malthael repeatedly clashes with Sidious through direct duels, proxy battles, and fleet engagements. He uses stealth starfighters, Death Force-controlled warships, and undead forces to wage war against the Republic and later the Galactic Empire 1649 1650 1683 2649 2670.

Sith Emperor

After pushing himself near collapse through repeated use of the Death Force and Dark Side, Malthael returns to Korriban. He reshapes his body through the power of the Son's corpse and Korriban's spirits, receiving recognition as Sith Emperor and inheritor of the Dark Side 2881 2883.

Notable Quotes

“I! Darth Malthael, Sith Lord! Master of the Death Force! Lord of the Undead! I have come here... to claim Death!”
— Darth Malthael, confronting the Sith spirits in the Valley of the Dark Lords 1466

“No one can escape death! And I! Am the embodiment of death!”
— Darth Malthael 1466

Trivia

• The name “Malthael” is explicitly linked to the Archangel of Death from Diablo 3, a connection that Tang Xiao finds deeply unsettling 200.
• Malthael considers the Rakghouls of Taris fundamentally different from undead: they are living creatures without souls, preserved and controlled by the Muur Talisman 1035.
• His Soul Reaver eventually contains eighteen black gems, each representing an imprisoned ancient Sith spirit 1682.