Why Looti Vario From Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord Sounds So Familiar

"Maul — Shadow Lord," the new "Star Wars" television show streaming on Disney+, takes place in the seedy underworld of a galaxy far, far away. Naturally, it's populated with all manner of crime bosses and shadowy underworld figures. Among them is the Aleena crime boss Looti Vario, who might sound familiar to folks with a good ear, and that's because he's voiced by Mickey Mouse.

Well, not actually Mickey Mouse, but the voice of Mickey Mouse. Chris Diamantopoulos lent his voice to the iconic Disney character from 2013 to 2023 on the "Mickey Mouse" television show. But that's not the only character the actor has voiced: You can hear him as Isotope on "Invincible," Aquaman on HBO's "Harley Quinn" show, and he even played Russ Hanneman in live-action on 25 episodes of the critically acclaimed HBO comedy series "Silicon Valley." /Film once conducted a career-spanning interview with Diamantopoulos, which I encourage you to check out.

Looti Vario is one of the crime lords of the planet Janix featured in "Maul — Shadow Lord." He's an alien known as an Aleena and an important character for the world. Aleenas were first seen in "The Phantom Menace" in the form of the diminutive podracer Ratts Tyrell, killed tragically while his family watched the race. Vario bolsters his height and strength with the use of a giant mechanical suit, playing to great comedic effect. He has a Joe Pesci-like accent, reminiscent of Pesci's career-defining work in Martin Scorsese's mob classic "Goodfellas," and brings a lot of that wise guy flair to the seedier parts of this particular planet of the "Star Wars" universe.

Though Chris Diamantopoulos made his debut voicing Vario on the show, the first time we were able to see Vario in "Star Wars" canon was in the comic book tie-in "Shadow of Maul" that began in March from Marvel Comics and continues through this month. That story takes place prior to the events of the show.

Though Vario is a new character created for "Maul — Shadow Lord," it's implied that he was part of Maul's alliance in the Shadow Collective and betrayed Maul in his hour of need. Since the show is documenting Maul's return to power after his capture on Mandalore (which was depicted in the final arc of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars"), he seems intent to get revenge on those who had abandoned him. The only reason Looti Vario has another chance is because he has information that Maul needs in order to get vengeance against an even larger ally from the Shadow Collective: Marg Krim from the Pyke Syndicate. (This would also be a good time to refresh yourself on Maul's entire timeline.)

Chris Diamantopoulos brings an entertaining comedy to the character (who is inherently entertaining, being such a small individual in a robot body), but the actor can also bring the fear and gravitas required when dealing with someone as frightening as Maul.

Looti Vario has made it this far, and it'll be exciting to see where he goes and how long he survives in the series.

The first two episodes of "Maul — Shadow Lord" are out now on Disney+. Episodes come out two at a time weekly until the May 4th finale episodes.