Why did Marrok turn to smoke in ‘Ahsoka’ episode 4?

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Ahsoka episode 4.

While Ahsoka has more than enough enigma to keep fans theorizing for months to come, one of the biggest subjects of speculation over the last two weeks has been Marrok, the inquisitor who followed Baylan Skoll and his apprentice Shin Hati around and never took off his mask.

To give you a quick recap of everything that happened in episode 4, “Fallen Jedi,” Ahsoka and Sabine made their way to the site of the artifact to stop Baylan and Morgan from rescuing Admiral Thrawn. The two protagonists were intercepted, however, by Shin and Marrok. Ahsoka engages the inquisitor, while Sabine goes for a rematch with Shin.

Ahsoka makes quick work of Marrok, slicing across his chest and making the man stumble to a halt. Something then happens that no one quite expected. Instead of just dropping down, the man lets out a scream and turns to dust. Now, I don’t know about you, but we can’t really recall the last time someone reacted to a lightsaber cut like that.

So, what was the deal with Marrok, and who was he, underneath that mask?

Who is Marrok?

Star Wars stans have come up with a lot of ridiculous theories as to who the inquisitor under the mask is. We’ve seen many from their ranks over the years, but none were so keen on hiding their identity. Well, maybe that was because they had no reason to, and Marrok does.

Putting two and two together, fans have now come to the realization that Marrok wasn’t a person at all, but a resurrected husk serving at Morgan’s whim. We know the villain was a Nightsister of Dathomir, and a power like necromancy would be among the least of her dark side inclinations. Marrok never talked or interacted with anyone. Adding that to the fact that he turned to ash almost immediately after receiving a cut from Ahsoka’s blade, it seems clear that he was only animated through witchcraft.

Now, the question is whether Marrok used to be an Inquisitor, or Morgan brought back a random person and gave them a lightsaber. Given his skills, though, we’re leaning towards the former.