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This Villain was Headlined on January 2009. |
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This Article Contains Spoilers -
WARNING: This article contains major spoilers. If you do not wish to know vital information on plot / character elements in a story, you may not wish to read beyond this warning: We hold no responsibility for any negative effects these facts may have on your enjoyment of said media should you continue. That is all. |
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“ | You are foolish to oppose me. Yes.... and that foolishness... will have to be punished... | „ |
~ Shadow Queen |
The Shadow Queen is the overarching antagonist of the 2004 role-playing video game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and its 2024 remake of the same name.
She is a mysterious, powerful and cruel ancient demon queen who destroyed an ancient civilization in the past, having been nigh-inexorable in her conquest on the entire world with the aid of numerous monsters that she created as well as the Crystal Stars. In the end, her plans were foiled, 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 ruthless, vain, hardened, dark, and cruel tyrantess who cares for nothing but herself or 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 and doesn't demonstrate any kindness or care for anything or anyone, even those who did favors for her, as she 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 to be 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.
Unsurprisingly, the queen was able to install 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 is known about the witch, and it seems that she has done nothing else within her existence other than creating destruction, chaos and mass murder.
Biography[]
1,000 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, and 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 up 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 succeeding at destroying 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 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 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 the future heroes would need them. To ensure 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 ensure 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 Queen's 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, he would be able to control her and use her to fulfill his dream. This was all a lie made up by Beldam though just to get Grodus to help in order 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. In the meantime, Peach 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. However, the X-Nauts' attempts to collect the stars were foiled at every turn by the hero Mario and his friends. Eventually, Mario defeated Grodus' second-in-command Lord Crump, completely obliterated the X-Naut base and 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, 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 Thousand-Year Door and allow Grodus to enter.
Mario 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 that Peach was 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. Becoming "Shadow Peach", her summoning engulfed 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 their 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, before she screams as she vanishes in a shadowy explosion that ripples across the room, leaving behind an unharmed Princess Peach, who returns to her normal self.
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 chooses 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 in an age of darkness for everyone including Peach, Mario and all his friends. After that, the final scene consists of a Game Over.
It should be noted that in the Japanese version, when the player accepts the Shadow Queen's offer, the screen suddenly flashes, and Mario assumes the same posture he had when Doopliss impersonated him. However, in the other versions, Mario remains the same with no visible effects of brainwashing.
In the remake, this was changed to be like the Japanese version.
Other Appearances[]
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/Brainwashing: The Shadow Queen needs a female vessel of some sort to have a physical form. In the Japanese version, she is able to brainwash Mario if he accepts her offer of joining her.
- 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. Using Vivian's Veil or a Boo's Sheet is one of the few ways to avoid being hit by the wave.
Quotes[]
“ | Who...has called me back? | „ |
~ Shadow Queen asking who resurrected her. |
“ | Yessss... A fine vessel... | „ |
~ Shadow Queen about to possess Princess Peach. |
“ | My soul has not yet fully accustomed to this vessel...But I will learn to control this body soon enough... | „ |
~ Shadow Queen in Peach's body. |
“ | You would do well to learn your proper place, slave. No one commands me! | „ |
~ Shadow Queen after almost murdering Sir Grodus. |
“ | Yesss... They do not appear to possess power...But they may be of use. If you will become my faithful servants, I will not harm you. | „ |
~ Shadow Queen's offer. |
“ | I see... So you defy me... Then, you wretched fools...you will learn the error of your ways! | „ |
~ Shadow Queen about to fight Mario and his friends. |
“ | Yesss... You are obedient... Good, my pet...Now you are mine...you will serve me for eternity! | „ |
~ Shadow Queen in the alternate ending. |
“ | In this form, your attacks are like those of a child to me... | „ |
~ Shadow Queen mocking at Mario and the Party Members. |
“ | Yesss... I have recovered from any slight damage you many have caused earlier... And now... I will punish you for your resistance... | „ |
~ Shadow Queen after recovering from Mario's attacks. |
“ | You wretched little girl! You disobey me?!? You brat! Obey me, girl! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Very cunning, Princess! But you will not undo me!!! Know me as your queen! | „ |
~ The Shadow Queen to Princess Peach. |
“ | Impossible...Unthinkable...How could I... I cannot be beaten by lesser beings such as these...And I had just been reborn into this world...I cannot...I must not... | „ |
~ Shadow Queen's moments and last words before her defeat. |
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 in black chests for many years.
- It's also hinted that she actually had her powers fully recovered while possessing Peach.
- She was affably evil in the original Japanese version, where she was more down-to-earth and was willing to forgive Mario and co.'s attempts to oppose her if they agreed to serve her eternally. She was the opposite in the English translation where she acts condescendingly and treats everyone as possible pawns for her to use.
- Like the Three Shadows, 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 attacks
- She is one of two Mario bosses to not have an official artwork, the other being the Elder Princess Shroob.
- Like Cackletta, Dimentio, the MegaBug and Cursa, the Shadow Queen possesses a major character during the final battle. In her case, she possessed Princess Peach (Cackletta and the MegaBug possess Bowser (with the former possessing Bowser to become Bowletta and the latter possessing him to become MegaDragonBowser), Dimentio possesses Luigi to become Super Dimentio and Cursa possesses Rosalina).
- In the original game, if one looks closely at the crypt after it opens, the Shadow Queen's fingers can be seen grabbing the edges of it before she fully climbs out, though it is difficult to notice due to a whirlwind of dark power concealing them. This is made much more noticeable in the remake as her hands grip on the edges, shortly before the dark whirlwind appears as she comes out of the crypt.
- In the Nintendo Switch remake, when the torches turn dark before she emerges, the red carpet turns blue.
- The Shadow Queen's defeat is handled differently; in the original game she explodes but, in the remake, she disintegrates into a mist of dark power. Also in the remake, she can be heard screaming in her final moments.
- 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 cannot heal her main body (only her head and hands).
- Her strongest attack can inflict 17 points of damage on Mario and is similar to a Tabuu-style off-wave.
- Summoning Dead Hands is one of her attacks. This is possibly inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, as one of the mini bosses is named Dead Hand.
External Links[]
- The Shadow Queen's American and European Version on the Pure Evil Wiki
- Shadow Queen on the Mario Wiki
- Shadow Queen on the Super Mario Wiki
- Shadow Queen on the Paper Mario Wiki
- Shadow Queen on the Nintendo Wiki