Despite his reputation and fanfare, General Grievous was arguably an underwhelming villain in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, yet the Star Wars Legends continuity explains why this is. General Grievous’ introduction is in the original Star Wars: Clone Wars microseries, proving himself as a capable Jedi-killer. Grievous’ portrayal in the original Legends timeline left viewers and readers with the perception that he is one of the greatest threats to the Galactic Republic, an appropriate conclusion, given his many feats. Yet Grievous is far less threatening to Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker in the film.

The modern canon’s counterpart to the Clone Wars microseries, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, exacerbates this view of Grievous, portraying him as hardly being a threat to anyone more formidable than a Jedi Padawan. The original Legends-era incarnation of Grievous, however, has an extensive backstory and character arc that justifies his fearsome reputation and explains why he was so easily bested in Revenge of the Sith. This recontextualizes his behavior in the movie, rendering it far more satisfying.

General Grievous Is So Much More Dangerous In The Clone Wars Microseries

General Grievous made his Star Wars franchise debut in “Chapter 20” of Clone Wars, which saw him route the Republic at the Battle of Hypori and single-handedly defeat a group of Jedi, including notable characters like Jedi Masters Ki-Adi-Mundi and Shaak Ti. The microseries made Grievous a horrific figure who inspired dread in even the best of the Jedi, but not without explanation. As per his training under the Sith Lord Count Dooku, Grievous was a master of psychological warfare, with Dooku training him to weaponize fear, surprise, and intimidation on his enemies before engaging them.

During the production of Clone Wars’s final season, however, the showrunners learned from George Lucas that Grievous would not be portrayed as a terrifyingly efficient Jedi-killer in Revenge of the Sith, but rather an old-fashioned sort of villain who would flee from the heroes at a moment’s notice. For this reason, Dooku’s training also stressed that Grievous retreat if any elements of his psychological weapons fail to faze his opponents. The series finale of Clone Wars shows precisely what happens when Grievous fails to heed the advice of Count Dooku, tying the consequences to his Revenge of the Sith portrayal.

Grievous Faced Defeat At Mace Windu’s Hand

Grievous is shown retreating during the Battle of Hypori, as per Dooku’s tutelage. When facing off against the Muunilinst 10’s heavily armed LAAT gunship, Grievous opts to flee, letting the Jedi and clone survivors live to spread the word of his victory. During the Battle of Coruscant, however, Grievous becomes overconfident and ignores Dooku’s instructions. After defeating three Jedi Masters (leaving one alive), Grievous is confronted by a fourth: Mace Windu. Instead of fleeing with the captured Palpatine, Grievous prepares to fight Windu, who – unintimidated – uses the Force to crush Grievous’ chest, nearly killing him.

Despite the damage from Mace Windu’s attack, Grievous survived, albeit severely weakened and now with a noticeable cough. Grievous’ defeat affected both his behavior and his formidability in Revenge of the Sith, explaining the apparent discrepancy between the appearances and making his training scene with Dooku one of the most important moments in his characterization. Windu may not have killed Grievous, but it was this defeat that initiated the downfall of the general.

Mace’s Victory Left General Grievous Injured…& More Prone To Retreat

In the Legends continuity, General Grievous never fully recovered from Mace Windu’s Force crush, rendering him a far lesser opponent than before. The shocking results of his failure to follow Dooku’s advice also left Grievous far keener to retreat as soon as a situation was no longer in his favor. Case in point, rather than join his MagnaGuards in attacking Obi-Wan and Anakin aboard the Invisible Hand, Grievous hid behind the droids, allowing them to kill (or at least weaken) the two Jedi. Of course, once the Guards were destroyed, Grievous fled.

Grievous similarly fled as soon as Obi-Wan Kenobi gained the upper hand in their duel on Utapau, a fight that was already in Kenobi’s favor, thanks to Grievous’ injury from Mace Windu. Like Mace Windu, Obi-Wan was not intimidated by Grievous, besting the general for good. Of course, given that he was unfazed by Grievous, Kenobi would still prevail if he had faced Grievous at his full strength in Revenge of the Sith.