Shadow Queen

"You are foolish to oppose me. Yes.... and that foolishness... will have to be punished..."

- Shadow Queen.

The Shadow Queen is an ancient demon who serves as the main antagonist and final boss of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.

Prior to the start of the game, she destroyed an ancient civilization and began a conquest on the entire world with the aid of numerous monsters that she created and the Crystal Stars. In the end her plans were ruined and she was sealed away by four heroes within the Thousand Year Door. Even though she was sealed away, her followers vowed to bring her back into the world and did so around the time when the seal on the door was weakened enough. Her followers tricked others into opening The Thousand Year Door, allowing the queen to be free from her prison, which brought darkness to the whole world.

Personality
The Shadow Queen is shown to be a cold-hearted villain who cares for nothing but herself and her desire for power and control. She is a highly power hungry and ruthless demon whose actions have led to the destruction of entire lands and the murders of millions. She is shown to be one of the (if not the) most disturbing and immoral villains within the series as she has been known to be pure evil, having no comedic and redeemable qualities like other previous villains, and not having kindness and care for anything or anyone, even if those ever did favors for her, as she almost killed Sir Grodus knowing that he resurrected her. Many of the monsters Mario fought were part of her army, and her most loyal followers were the ones manipulating the course of events to revive her, in which they succeeded.

In addition to being a demon from the dark depths, the Shadow Queen is highly sadistic as all her strongholds and fortresses are overflowing with thousands of mutilated corpses. This all contributed to her sadistic personality and thirst for violence. Her power seemed to possess no limits as she created demonic armies, three immortal dragons, and even the Crystal Stars themselves. The Crystal Stars seem to have unlimited power and taking into account that they represent only portions of the queen's power, her power seems nearly godlike. After years of her reign of terror, her reputation became so horrible and well known, that people shuddered at the mere mention of her or any of her followers and monsters, almost like Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter series.

Unsurprisingly, the queen was able to instill massive fear in not just the world itself, but her followers as well. She seems to be so evil, that her very presence brings a horrible aura as well as darkness in the skies. Her palace and even the Thousand-Year Door itself all have a horrible feeling and even the thugs of Rogueport stay away from the door due to the feeling it evokes. Even after her first defeat, her minions, The Shadow Sirens, attempted to revive her by using other villains. Other than the stories told within the game, not much more in known about the demon and it seems that she has done nothing else within her existence other than creating destruction, chaos, and mass murder.

1000 Years Ago
Legend has it that the Shadow Queen simply appeared out of nowhere one day and waged war against the city where Rogueport now stands. She destroyed the city, murdered all who stood in her path, the war itself would be described as a "great cataclysm where the earth shook and skies roared". After the attack the city crumbled and sank into the earth. One third of the city was reconstructed to be the Palace of Shadow where the entrance would be the 1,000-Year Door itself, the death trap of evil.

The demonic Queen next set her sights on the rest of the world, hoping to plunge it into an endless time of darkness under her control. She created numerous demonic beasts and spirits to make the core of her army. Among them were the three Shadow Sirens who would be the most trusted followers of the queen. With her new army, the Shadow Queen set them on the surrounding areas of the world. The demons wiped out all resistance as they took the lands by force, killing millions of people in the process. Towns were destroyed and their treasures were stolen to be stored within the palace, soon to become rich with valuables. The Shadow Queen was far from finished though and created three dragons, Hooktail, Gloomtail, and Bonetail. These dragons became the loyal pets of the queen and quickly spread fear and suffering throughout the world, feasting on numerous people, destroying towns and leaving them to burn, and killing anyone.

The queen and her army quickly became feared above all else and the mere mention of their name sent people into a fearful state of panic. As more areas fell to the Shadow Queen, she next created the Crystal Stars. These stars were placed in separate areas around the world to exert the queen's influence. Realizing that her opposition were still recruiting others, the queen created a dungeon called the Pit of 100 Trials. The place was a torture chamber where people were devoured by demonic beasts and Bonetail. This very pit is found right next to The Thousand Year Door, where there are literally 100 floors.

The Four Warriors
Just when all hope seemed lost, four brave warriors stepped forward to end the reign of the demon once and for all or so they thought. The four were a Toad from Petalburg, a wise Goomba from Boggly Woods, a scarred and feared Koopa, and a Boo. The Toad from Petalburg came to be seen as a hero when he defended his town from the Queen's evil forces. The wise Goomba was a resident of the Boggly Woods and used his vast set of knowledge to aid the Punis in defending themselves against the monsters. The scarred Koopa went around the world battling evil. He became feared among the dark army, but eventually a trap was set for him and he soon fell into it. The Boo warrior of the army then left her demonic allegiance and helped the Koopa. The Boo then used her powers to predict that they would need the aid of the Toad, and the wise Goomba in order to have a fighting chance against the Shadow Queen. The Four banded together and obtained the Crystal Stars and ventured into the Palace of Shadow. There they faced the demon in an epic battle. After an intense fight, the heroes defeated the queen after achieving to destroy her physical body. Even then though, the queen's demonic spirit lived on and attempted to kill the warriors. The heroes made one last effort and sealed the queen in her own palace, thus ridding the world of one of the most evilest of evils.

Last Stand
Before the seal was complete though, the queen sent a portion of her magic into the heroes. The effects would not be felt while they held the stars, but afterward the heroes would become trapped within black chests. The queen vowed to return one day and will conquer the world when that day dawns. The heroes then realized that the demon's threats may not just be a bluff. They sealed the Palace entrance with the stars and the seal would remain for 1,000 years, the entrance to the palace would then go on to be known as The Thousand-Year Door. Realizing that others may need the stars in case the queen returns, they made a map of the stars in case other heroes would need them. To insure that the map only fell into pure hands, they placed it in a chest that could only be opened by one pure of heart.

While the war finally seemed to be over, there were other plans in effect to insure that the demon would return to the world. The Shadow Sirens began to spread rumors of a great treasure hidden in the earth beneath the location of the old city. People then constructed a town over the city, which soon became filled with thugs and robbers, hoping to claim the treasure for themselves. None of them knew that the treasure was actually a demon and that the rumor of the treasure was nothing more than a ruse in part of an insidious plot to send the world into complete darkness again.

1,000 Years Later
1,000 years passed- the warriors, the Shadow Queen and their great battle faded into being nothing more than a legend. The seal on the palace door began to fade and the Shadow Queens servants, the Shadow Sirens knew the time to release their queen would soon come. The Shadow Sirens joined the cult of the X-Nauts. The X-Nauts were a criminal organization of unknown origin and existed to conquer the world. With this information Beldam, the head of the Shadow Sirens, managed to convince the X-Nauts master Sir Grodus to seek out the Crystal Stars and use them to release the Shadow Queen. Grodus who hoped to rule the world thought by releasing the Shadow Queen would be able to control her and use her to fulfill his dream. This was all lie a by Beldam though just to get Grodus to help so as to free her because evil like Beldam could not touch the seal that was on the queen.

With the X-Nauts playing into her hands, Beldam came into possession of the chest that contained the Magic Map. She gave it to Grodus and told him that it could be the ideal way of finding a pure maiden. Beldam knew that if the queen were to return to full power, a vessel would be needed. The vessel needed to be one of pure origin though and seeing how the chest could be opened by someone as such, it was the perfect way to find the maiden. Grodus liked the plan and had Beldam disguise herself as a merchant selling various items they looted while looking for people to open the chest. Eventually Beldam found the right person to open it who turned out to be Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom. Beldam found the maiden, but was unable to abduct her then because of too many witnesses. Peach in the meantime mailed the map to Mario to aid in searching for the treasure. As a result, Grodus sent his army to abduct the princess and search for the map.

With the seal on the Thousand-Year Door weakening and Grodus' intelligence at Beldam's side, the queen's resurrection seemed assured. Attempting to collect the stars the X-Nauts were foiled at every turn by the hero Mario and his friends. Eventually Mario after defeating Grodus' second-in-command Lord Crump and completely obliterating the X-Naut base, managed to claim the last Crystal Star. In the meantime, Beldam abducted Professor Frankly, a goomba that had a lot of knowledge and helped Mario find the locations of Crystal Stars, and had him locked in a secluded area and Grodus had Doopliss, a ghost that can transform into many shapes, disguise himself as the aged professor. In this guise, he was able to convince Mario to open the 1000 door and allow entry for Grodus.

Mario did and went after Grodus who along with a kidnapped Princess Peach had entered the Palace of Shadow shortly after Mario cracked the seal on it with the Crystal Stars. Eventually after making his way through the palace traps Mario encountered and battled Grodus. When Grodus was defeated he chose not to accept it and used the Princess as a hostage, it was only with the intervention of Bowser was Peach saved from harm. Unfortunately Bowser engaged Mario and his friends in battle along with his assistant Kammy Koopa, this distracted Mario and company long enough for Grodus to escape with Peach to the Queen's chamber. After Mario defeated Bowser and Kammy he went after Grodus and cornered him in the chamber, there it was revealed why Grodus needed the Princess. It seemed the Shadow Queen needed a body to be revived fully and Grodus planned to use Peach as the Queen's host body.

Return of the Queen
Summoning the Queen, Grodus presented her with Peach whom she then possessed, who then became "Shadow Peach", her summoning engulfing the world in darkness. Grodus, thinking the Queen was under his control because he revived her, ordered her to destroy Mario. The Queen, insulted by Grodus thinking her to be a slave, blew apart his robotic body. The Shadow Sirens then appeared, and Beldam explained to the Shadow Queen they created the myth of an ancient treasure and tricked Grodus into reviving her, and the Shadow Queen thanked them for work. The Shadow Queen then sees Mario, and offers him a choice of being her servant, which he of course refuses (the player can choose yes, but it will result in an instant Game over). She then attacked Mario, and while the fight was not too hard at first, the Shadow Queen eventually became invincible. None of Mario's party attacks were able to do any damage and all Mario could do to survive was to wait until the crystal stars came out in response to the evil in the area.

Defeat
Once that happened, the friends who Mario had made along the way encouraged him with their pleasant thoughts, which were communicated through the Crystal Stars. This distracted the Shadow Queen long enough for Peach to gain momentary control and give Mario all her power. Receiving full power, Mario could now harm the Shadow Queen and the true battle began. After a lengthy and intense showdown, the demon was defeated and she expressed disbelief at how she could be beaten by such beings that were as weak as she believed. She then vanishes, in a shadowy explosion that ripples across the room. It is not known what happened to her but it is believed that she is now in a very weak form, or else entirely destroyed.

Alternate Ending
This alternate ending just happens during the scene where The Shadow Queen tries to convince Mario to be her servant after she saw how Mario could be useful for her. Afterwards, the player has two options of choose "Refuse this witch!" and "Become her servant", if the player then choose the latter the Shadow Queen will be pleased by Mario's loyalty towards her, calling him a pet and claiming that now he belongs to her forever. Then the screen turns black and a last message explains the Shadow Queen took over the whole world and engulfed it into an age of darkness for everyone including Peach, Mario and all his friends. After that the final scene consists in a Game Over.

Super Paper Mario
The Shadow Queen makes a cameo in Super Paper Mario as one of Francis' dolls along with other characters as dolls and posters from Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door.

Super Mario-Kun
The Shadow Queen also appears in the Super Mario-Kun manga adaptation of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door 's plot. As with most characters in the manga, she displays more of a comic side.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
The Shadow Queen appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a Primary Attack-type Spirit. Her appearance is based on her first form when possessing Peach. Her Spirit can only be obtained through summoning using cores from Vivian and Gengar.

Powers and Abilities

 * Possession: The Shadow Queen needs a female vessel of some sort to have a physical form.
 * Immortality: Having been trapped inside the Shadow of Palace for a thousand years, she cannot die by any natural means of death.
 * Life Drain: The Shadow Queen can pull the life out of her victims merely by raising her hand over them.
 * Lightning: She can summon a bolt of lightning by blinking.
 * Dead-Hands: The Shadow Queen can summon a group of hands out of the ground that can drag victims into a dark world, or suck all the life out of them.
 * Strength Raise: The Shadow Queen can increase her attack and defensive capabilities by sucking in power.
 * Breath: The Shadow Queen can breathe a cloud around her victims that causes damage and can confuse or poison victims.
 * Shadow Purge: This is also called Dark Wave, the Shadow Queen launches a powerful blast of shadow that causes heavy damage.

Trivia

 * It's unknown how she looked before the four heroes destroyed her physical body and became a shadow/demon being. However, it's well known that she was a lot more powerful than she demonstrated during her battle with Mario and his party. The Shadow Queen was even able to use her last magic in the moment to curse the four warriors and trap them on black chests for many years.
 * It's also hinted that if she actually had her powers fully recovered while possessing Peach, she really could have killed Sir Grodus rather than just destroying his body.
 * Like the Shadow Sirens, her eyes are never seen in the game. However, she reveals her eyes in Super Mario-Kun manga. Also, she blinks when she uses lightning while fighting her.
 * She is one of the few Mario bosses to don't have an official artwork, the other being the Elder Princess Shroob.
 * Like Cackletta and Dimentio, the Shadow Queen possesses a major character during the final battle. (The former possesses Bowser and the latter possesses Luigi)
 * The Shadow Queen's fighting style (with her two hands) and her final words are also quite similar to those of Cackletta, except that Cackletta can't heal her main body (only her head and hands).
 * Her strongest attack can give Mario 17 damage and is similar to a Tabuu-style off-wave.
 * Dead hands are one of her attacks, this is believed to be taken off of The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, as one of the mini-bosses is named Dead Hand.
 * Dead hands are believed to be the hands of people she has killed, which would say that many people have died because of her due to limit-less dead hands.
 * The Shadow Queen has similarities with Dimentio from Super Paper Mario:
 * Both are the darkest villains in their respective Mario games, in addition both come from the Paper Mario Saga.
 * Both brainwashed one of the main protagonists in the game (The Shadow Queen possessed Princess Peach and Dimentio brainwashed Luigi).
 * Both have a dark and sadistic personality, though The Shadow Queen took her plans more seriously and had no humor qualities like him.
 * Both are the most powerful villains in Mario games so far.
 * Both offer you to join them in their plans, which ends with The Shadow Queen using Mario to invade and conquer the world and engulf it into an eternal darkness for everyone. While Dimentio ended having Count Bleck killed and destroyed the dimensions to create the "perfect" new ones. As well as both alternate endings consists in a Game Over.