| “ | Welcome to your doom. | „ |
| ~ The Lava Monster upon meeting Jack. |
The Lava Monster is the main antagonist of the Samurai Jack episode "Jack and the Lava Monster". He is an ancient being who speaks in an archaic manner.
He was voiced by Richard McGonagle.
Appearance[]
The Lava Monster is a behemoth composed of the stone and magma that encased him. He was easily three times Jack's height, with crystal spikes protruding from his shoulders. He was blonde, tall, and had a strong frame when he was human.
Personality[]
The Lava Monster is similar in personality to Jack. He is a strong, powerful, persuasive, and forceful warrior who fights for the ones he loves but takes more pride in his actions. After centuries of torment, he became extremely destructive, suicidal, cruel, and violent. Nonetheless, he still possesses a great sense of honor, refusing to strike an unarmed Jack down when he refused to fight back.
Biography[]
Backstory[]
Centuries ago, possibly even around Jack's time, the Lava Monster was a human warrior and leader of a Norwegian tribe. He lived a peaceful life with his loved ones until one day, a solar eclipse happened, causing Aku to appear. Tried as they might, the warrior and his forces were crushed almost instantly by Aku. To punish the warrior, Aku sealed him within the Earth and made him immortal, making him unable to pass on and join his people in Valhalla, the hall of slain heroes. After countless years of being stuck in the Earth, the warrior learned how to mold the earth around him to create a shell he could use to move and escape his tomb. He then created a perilous cavern and drew heroes to him, hoping that one would be mighty enough to pass through the cavern safely and defeat him.
Present[]
While traveling through a field one day, Samurai Jack began to hear a voice calling out to him. The voice soon led him into a treacherous cavern full of booby traps and the corpses of many before him. After successfully reaching the end, the Lava Monster revealed himself and battled Jack. However, seeing the monster's eagerness to fight, Jack refused and sheathed his sword. The monster begged Jack to continue fighting, then told Jack of his past and his desire to pass on to Valhalla, the only way to reach it is to die in true combat with another warrior. Jack decided to resume fighting the Monster to try and free it. After a fierce battle, Jack defeated him and freed the Warrior of his shell, but the Warrior began to rapidly age. The Warrior thanked Jack, and when he died, a pair of Valkyries descended in a beam of light to carry the Warrior to Valhalla. Before he left the cavern, Jack drew on the Warrior's obelisk a picture of the Warrior and the word FREE in stylized runic. When Jack resumed his journey, the Warrior could be seen looking down on him from the heavens in the company of the gods of Asgard, Odin among them.
In "Episode CI", Jack manages to go back to the past and kill Aku, thus preventing Aku from laying siege to Earth. Because of this, it can be assumed the Viking never became the Lava Monster and therefore continues his happy life with his family and village.
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time[]
In this video game, the Lava Monster reappears as a boss. Samurai Jack remembers him, the two battle again and Jack emerges victorious. This time, however, the Lava Monster had a Pendant of Aku, which Jack destroyed.
Powers and abilites[]
The Lava Monster was a skilled swordsman, albeit not in the same league as Jack. His abilities were such that he could outlast Jack for an extended amount of time. While the sword was clearly his preferred weapon, the Lava Monster revealed the capacity to wield other weapons by forming a mace from his arm. He was also depicted using weapons such as a spear and a bow throughout his recitation of his past. This might indicate that he has a solid awareness of different weapons and strategies. Because of his confinement in the mountain core, the Lava Monster acquired access to his prison, allowing him to govern and shape it to his satisfaction. He utilized this power to make a body rock and the grotto where he dwelt while waiting for a hero to arrive and defeat him. He could also shape his arms into weapons and make a stone crystal blade. If the Lava Monster becomes agitated enough, he can unleash tremendous magma explosions.
Quotes[]
| “ | I have engraved a recording of my past, so that I would never forget the life that I had, the man I was. So, thy people would not be lost to the dust of time. Let me take thee on a journey into the past... This land was not always parched and burnt. Once a beautiful city thrived in the lush countryside. 'Twas truly a sight to behold. A jewel of all the northern lands. My happiness was a beautiful family of a wife, two sons, and a faithful canine. Times were good, game was plentiful, and my people prospered. 'Twas on return from a successful hunting trip when an omen appeared. A black moon blocked out the sun. It grew and grew until it ate the sky and land. The darkness now loomed over my kingdom. A horrible monster born from within the darkness attacked. My army retaliated. But our efforts were to no avail. 'Twere I alone who was left to destroy the monster. My weapons were worthless. My attempts to avenge amused the monster and he struck me down. I lay before him, ready to battle for the last time. But the villain did not destroy me. Nay, the fate dealt to me was much more cruel. He imprisoned me within an unbreakable crystal, denying me a warrior's end. Helpless was I as the beast destroyed what was left of my beloved kingdom. Then he came for me again. 'Twas his enjoyment that day to punish me for eternity. Thrust me, he did to the core of the mountain. 'Twas his plan for me to spend all of eternity in the mountain. Never to join my fallen comrades in Valhalla, the resting place of all great warriors. Through countless eons, I laid still, but my will was strong. I found a way to manipulate the material around me. Out of the rock, I formed the body thou seest before thee. Then I created a passage so full of peril and danger that only the greatest of warriors can pass. For, you see, the only entry into Valhalla is to fall in combat to another warrior. And thou are the only one to survive. As written, the truth has been told. My fate is at your mercy. | „ |
| ~ The lava monster revealing his origins to Jack, revealing that he was once a powerful Viking warrior fallen victim to Aku's dark powers. |
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- The Viking Chieftain's brutal transformation in the seventeenth episode Primal is most likely a callback to the Lava Monster.
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 Villains
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Black Mass Aku Affiliated Other | ||