Mandalorian super commandos, who were also known as Mandalorian traditionalists or Maul loyalists, were Mandalorian warriors in the service of the renegade Sith Lord Maul and his criminal organization, the Shadow Collective, during the time of the Clone Wars. After the collapse of the pacifist government of Duchess Satine Kryze, Mand'alor Pre Vizsla was killed in one-on-one combat by Maul, his former ally, who then took Vizsla's position as the ruler of the planet Mandalore and its people. This event caused a schism within Vizsla's group, Death Watch, dividing it between supporters of Bo-Katan Kryze and those Mandalorians who chose to side with Maul. As the Mandalorian home planet descended into a state of civil war, Maul's super commandos altered their battle armor to demonstrate their loyalty to the Dathomirian.
The ranks of the Mandalorian super commandos were made up of Death Watch soldiers who remained loyal to the rogue Sith Lord Maul, who led the Shadow Collective and had murdered Pre Vizsla, thus seizing power over the planet of Mandalore during the Clone Wars. They had previously worn the blue markings of Death Watch, but they changed the color of their armor to black and red to signal their loyalty to their new leader, painting their helmets and adding handprints to their armor. Some fighters, such as Commander Gar Saxon, even attached horns to their helmets, which were a symbol of the Dathomirian. However, Maul's claim to Vizsla's leadership was challenged by Bo-Katan Kryze and the majority of the Nite Owls, which sparked a civil war in Sundari, the Mandalorian capital city, between Maul's commandos and Kryze's Mandalore resistance, which was made up of warriors who were unwilling to accept Maul's authority. During the Battle of Mandalore, several commandos were killed by Darth Sidious, Maul's Sith Master, who then overpowered and imprisoned his former Sith apprentice.
Maul was imprisoned in a Separatist jail located on Stygeon Prime. Following the battles that took place in Sundari, the commandos Rook Kast and Gar Saxon freed Maul as ordered by Prime Minister Almec, the Mandalorian politician who was the symbolic head of Maul's regime. Together, they made their way to a former Death Watch camp on the planet Zanbar. When General Grievous' forces arrived, the commandos engaged them in battle. Despite suffering significant losses, the commandos were able to use their Gauntlet fighters, including the Nightbrother, to destroy Grievous' army.
The commandos joined up with the rest of the Shadow Collective's forces and traveled to Ord Mantell, where they met with their allies in Ord Mantell City, including Black Sun, the Pyke Syndicate, and the Nightbrothers of Dathomir. Shortly after, the Shadow Collective and its allies fought another Separatist army, this time commanded by both General Grievous and Count Dooku. The commandos successfully held off the battle droids long enough for Maul and Kast to disable the command signal from Grievous' ship. They then assisted the Nightbrothers in capturing the two Separatist leaders.
The commandos were assigned to guard Dooku and Grievous until they reached Vizsla Keep 09, an asteroid base. However, when the Galactic Republic launched an assault, Grievous managed to escape, killing several commandos in the process. The commandos engaged the Republic forces led by Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi, Tiplee, Mace Windu, Aayla Secura, and Commander Cody. After Tiplee was killed, the commandos were able to launch their rockets at the Jedi to facilitate their escape to the Gauntlet fighters. Meanwhile, the Republic captured a number of commandos.
Maul and the commandos traveled to Dathomir, his home planet. However, Black Sun and the Pykes abandoned the Collective and retreated when the Separatist fleet arrived on Dathomir, as well as to protect their own bases of operation. The group suffered another major loss when Mother Talzin was killed. Knowing that Dathomir was lost, the commandos pulled Maul away from his mother before she died, allowing them to escape. Following her death, Darth Sidious believed that Maul's future had been destroyed. Despite this, Black Sun and the Pykes would eventually rejoin the Collective.
By the time of the Outer Rim Sieges, the super commandos had gathered again in Sundari. There, they got ready to defend the capital against Bo-Katan Kryze's resistance movement, who now had the support of Commanders Ahsoka Tano and Rex's 332nd Company. During this battle, the Siege of Mandalore, the super commandos engaged their enemies, but their defenses were met with a stronger opposition than they had anticipated. Almec instructed Saxon to move to the [Undercity](/article/undercity], where Maul was hiding. Kryze and her forces defeated Almec and the commandos in the Sundari Royal Palace, but Tano, Clone Captain CT-0292 "Vaughn," and a group of clone troopers were lured into a trap in the Undercity. These clones were killed before she was surrounded by a force of commandos and Maul.
As the siege continued, Maul sent Saxon and his commandos into a final battle while he dueled Tano in the Royal Palace. As the commandos began to be overrun, Saxon requested reinforcements, but Maul refused and told the commando to "die well," abandoning his forces. The surviving super commandos were captured by the victorious Republic and Mandalorian forces, and the siege ended in a defeat for Maul and his commandos after the rogue Sith Lord was defeated and captured by Tano.
During the Imperial Era, Maul had an extensive collection of memorabilia from the [Clone Wars](/article/clone_wars] era in the Nightsister lair, which included multiple Mandalorian super commando helmets.
The super commandos continued to use Mandalorian armor while serving under Maul. However, they changed its appearance to show their loyalty to the Sith Lord. Some commandos painted their armor red and black, and others tried to look more like their Nightbrother leader by adding horns to their helmets.