 ✓
| ||
|
This Villain was proposed and approved by Villains Wiki's Pure Evil Proposals Thread. Any act of removing this villain from the category without a Removal Proposal shall be considered vandalism (or a futile "heroic" attempt of redemption) and the user will have high chances of being | ||
| “ | Time to die, Chosen One! | „ |
| ~ Skullmaster |
Skullmaster is the main antagonist of the cartoon series Mighty Max, which was based on the toyline of the same name. In spite of his unimpressive and rather simple name, he was easily one of the most terrifying villains ever in 90s cartoons. He is the titular Max's archenemy.
He was voiced by Tim Curry, who also portrayed Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the 1990 TV movie adaptation of IT, the Lord of Darkness in Legend, Wadsworth in Clue, Drake in The Pebble and the Penguin, Maestro Forte in Beauty and the Beast and the Enchanted Christmas, Hexxus in FernGully: The Last Rainforest, Ben Ravencroft in Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost, Taurus Bulba in Darkwing Duck, Mouse King in Barbie in the Nutcracker, Philippe in Barbie and the Three Musketeers, Professor Calamitous in Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Farley Claymore in The Shadow, Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Anatoly Cherdenko in Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3, Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island, King Chicken in Duckman, Simon Doonan in the 1996 TV movie Titanic, Billy Flynn in Criminal Minds, Dale "The Whale" Biederbeck in Monk, Cardinal Richelieu in the 1993 film adaptation of The Three Musketeers, Evil Manta in the TV series The Little Mermaid, Thaddeus E. Klang in TaleSpin, El Maléfico in ¡Mucha Lucha!: The Return of El Maléfico, Goblin King in Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King, Von Talon in Valiant, Belial in The Legend of Atlantis, Dr. Anton Sevarius in Gargoyles, Amok Mon Ra in the animated TV series Aladdin, Dr. Slicer in Recess, Big Brother in Johnny Bravo, Slagar the Cruel in Redwall, Nick O' Teen and Scarlet Fever in Ozzy & Drix, and Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Personality[]
| “ | There it is, Warmonger. Zero Island, the earth's geographic center. Zero degrees latitude, zero degrees longitude. Where, since the beginning of time, Hydra, last of the Titans, has maintained the balance between the positive and negative forces, in nature. Do you realize the significance of this balance, Warmonger? No, of course you don't. And by the time your feeble mind can comprehend it, it shall not exist, since, with the power of the Lemurian Arcana, I shall shatter that balance, forever! | „ |
| ~ The Skullmaster's determination to destroy balance itself. |
| “ | Lava Lord, only a mewling coward hides behind machinery. A true warrior would meet me sword to sword! | „ |
| ~ Skullmaster to Lava Lord. |
Skullmaster is an extremely power-hungry and ruthless creature, the latter of these two aspects is what has made him so recognizable among 90s animated villains, especially ones as obscure as him and that comes from cartoons aimed to advertise and sell toys. He fully embraces his evil thoughts (not that there's any good in him to begin with) and makes gruesome threats to the main character of the series, who is just a child, and consistently kills and destroys all who stand in his way (or in his quest for more power) in a variety of ways, from simply erasing them into nothing to dropping them from a high altitude and letting gravity do the job for him. His old friend and teacher Virgil considers him to be the greatest evil the world has ever known.
As a warrior with thousands of years of experience, Skullmaster also enjoys physical confrontation, and given his intelligence, he will consider an alliance with the enemy if it benefits him.
History[]
The archenemy of the "Mighty One", Skullmaster is an ancient fusion of warrior and sorcerer whose lust for power has driven him to destroy at least two civilizations - the Lemurians and the Atlanteans. He destroyed the Lemurians out of wrath when they wouldn't give him the secrets of the key, and he used the souls of Atlantis to power his Crystal of Souls.
At some point, he was imprisoned deep within the earth, where he sealed the reigning king, Lava Lord, into solid rock and took control of his minions. During the second season, Skullmaster was free to roam the earth and proceeded to cause all kinds of trouble until he was defeated once more by the new "Mighty One" - Max. Unfortunately, in the process, Max has to rewind the timeline back to the beginning of the series. But this time, with his newfound knowledge, Max then goes on to defeat Skullmaster once and for all.
Powers and Abilities[]
| “ | Warmonger: I lost this round to the Mighty-One, but now that I've gotten rid of Skullmaster, the world is still mine to conquer! Skullmaster: Really? And what makes you think, I'm gone? Warmonger: Skullmaster! I, it was all a mistake, I, I never meant to... Skullmaster: Kill me? I know. Everything that happened was according to my plan, not yours. The Lemurian sun-symbol, was the one power I feared, and so I forced the Cap-Bearer to waste it battling Hydra, so he would be unable to use it on me! Warmonger: But I saw you die! Skullmaster: The pages of the Arcana grant many powers, illusion is one of them. Once again, Warmonger, you have proved yourself an excellent servant. But we must prepare for the final triumph-for now there is nothing on earth that can stop me! |
„ |
| ~ Skullmaster reveals himself to be alive after Warmonger thought he had killed him. |
Skullmaster was a fearsome warrior and strategist, commanding legions of rock monsters, skeletal turtle creatures, giant crab-like creatures and lava beasts before Lava Lord escaped his captivity and the lava beasts returned to his rule. After escaping from the center of the Earth he also freed another of his servants, a giant dragon that served as his primary mode of transport. It may also have been the source of the "blood of the dragon," a potion Skullmaster forced his human minions to drink to turn them into "Zilards," evil reptilian creatures. Skullmaster himself was also fairly strong, as his appearance would suggest. He defeated the Monkey King off-screen and smashed his metal helmet with apparent ease.
His most powerful weapon was the Crystal of Souls, a magic gem energized by captive souls. He could use it to see events from afar, command the soulless husks of those whose souls it contained to do his bidding, and entomb an enemy alive in rock (which the victim might well have only survived thanks to being living rock already). Its powers were so great he was able to use it to sink Atlantis and resurrect many of Mighty Max's other enemies during the series finale. In the end, he intended to use it as part of a ritual (along with Max's magic hat) to gain control over the flow of time itself. For unknown reasons, he could not use it to free himself from the center of the Earth.
Probably Skullmaster's greatest asset was his cunning mind, having thousands of years worth of experience and knowledge. In one instance he anticipated the treachery of his servant Warmonger, who appeared to use a stolen magical rune to kill him but which Skullmaster had built a plan around him doing so. This plan succeeded in forcing Mighty Max to use up a powerful magic spell that might've stopped Skullmaster himself to prevent another disaster of Skullmaster's own creation.
Quotes[]
| “ | Dig. Swallow. Chew. Eat me a hole so I may bring... pain! A tunnel to unleash my torment... upon them. Up... on the surface... in the sun... Dig a path for me to be freeeeee! | „ |
| ~ Skullmaster's first line in the series. |
| “ | BRING ME HIS BEATING HEART… and I’ll eat it raw! | „ |
| ~ Possibly Skullmaster's most famous threat. |
| “ | Welcome, "Mighty One." Enter, and die... | „ |
| ~ Max, alone, enters a dark cavern containing the Crystal of Souls, and a hidden Skullmaster. |
| “ | Skullmaster: At last... the Chosen One. Turn around, so I may see you. Max: No, no, don't tell me, let me guess-Skullmaster, right? Skullmaster: You're the Chosen One? Prophesied to destroy me? *scoffs* You're a worm, heh, an insect... HA! A nothing! |
„ |
| ~ A dumbfounded Skullmaster meeting Max, a kid that is supposed to kill him. |
| “ | Max: I think I hear my mom calling me. You know I'd really love to stay and chat, but she's a real monster if I'm not home by dinner... Skull Master: More than me? |
„ |
| ~ Skullmaster revealing himself to the Chosen One. |
| “ | And now the end, Cap-Bearer. Fire, and eternal pain and torment, for all but my followers. | „ |
| ~ Skullmaster attempting to kill Max. |
| “ | You can't escape. I’ll rip your limbs from your body, and slowly suck the marrow from your bones! | „ |
| ~ Skullmaster threatening Max. |
| “ | Alas, poor Hanuman. Ah well, he'll soon have company. And the last to die will watch the first five go before him. | „ |
| ~ Skullmaster revealing that he has killed Hanuman. |
| “ | Fool. Work your lackey's magic, and let me loose again! Crack the planet that dares to chain me. Wake the dragon, so that it may set me free! | „ |
| ~ Skullmaster |
| “ | At last! The Crystal of Souls! Rejoined by the Lemurian arcana. Forged by dragon fire. Listen to it beat: like an inhuman heart. But it does not yet live… Not yet… For that, it needs souls—simple, willing souls. | „ |
| “ | The crystal! You destroyed my crystal... Enjoy the few seconds of life which remain to you! I will teach you a thousand subtle shades of pain, a hundred ways to die, until I finally lay your lifeless body at my master's table! | „ |
| “ | And I will be waiting... The shattering of my crystal released you, Lava Lord, but your freedom will lead to obliteration, not revenge! And as for the Cap-Bearer, who caused this disaster, I crave nothing more, than the chance to shatter him, in return! | „ |
| ~ Skullmaster planning to kill Lava Lord. |
| “ | People of Dragon Island, you have given your bodies and minds over to evil. But that is not enough, evil is ever hungry... Will you freely give your souls? (they roar the affirmative) Then join me, my villains, and you shall ghave unimagined power! And now, all that ever was, and ever will be, will bow before the ultimate power-Skullmaster! | „ |
| ~ Skullmaster stealing the souls of his lizard slaves. |
| “ | Virgil: Quickly Mighty One, we must flee, if Skullmaster obtains the Cap before the Winter Solstice, I can't say what will happen! Skullmaster: But I can. All of eternity will be mine. I shall control time itself! Max: Hey, you don't want much, do ya? Skullmaster: What I want is the past, the present, and the future-something you have precious little of. My spirit is everywhere, Cap-Bearer! The Crystal of souls has summoned evil from every corner of the earth! You can run, but you cannot hide... |
„ |
| ~ Skullmaster revealing his end goal. |
| “ | Max: I hope I never see old boneface again... Skullmaster: How unfortunate. And I was so looking forward to this little reunion. Max: Whoops. Sorry about the boneface crack. Virgil: But how? Skullmaster: I always did outplay you in chess, old friend. And now, check, and mate! |
„ |
| ~ Skullmaster revealing to Max and Virgil that he's alive. |
| “ | Max: I'm alive! Skullmaster: For now, Cap-Bearer, for now. And so is a certain chicken of our acquaintance. Max: That's foul, actually! Skullmaster: But I will, how shall I put this delicately, kill him, unless you come to Stonehenge, and give me what I want. |
„ |
| ~ Skullmaster blackmailing Max. |
| “ | Virgil: Mighty One, Skullmaster's power is too great, I cannot move! Skullmaster: Pity, but you can die! Or do I get the Cap? Max: You promise to let him go? Skullmaster: You have my word. Virgil: Don't do it, Mighty One! Max: I have no choice, Virg, I can't let him kill you! Take it... Skullmaster: At last! (Upon being given the Cap, Skullmaster betrays his word and destroys Virgil) Max: Virgil! You promised! Skullmaster: Yes, I did, didn't I? |
„ |
| ~ Skullmaster makes a promise... and immediately breaks it. |
| “ | Skullmaster: Hold him, Warmonger. But don't harm him... yet. I want him to understand what he's done. In just a few moments, when the sun sets through the great Trinodon, I shall stand in the centre of Stonehenge. The Crystal shall send out its rays, containing the greatest power in the universe, the power to transform time! Only He who wears the Cap, can absorb this power! And once I have it, I will not only control the present, but the past, and the future! Max: I'll believe it when I see it! Skullmaster: And you will! I will soon be the supreme power in the universe, and you and all others will bow before me, not only in the present, but in your memory, and forevermore! |
„ |
| ~ Skullmaster prepares for his ascension. |
| “ | The answer is obvious, Hydra. It is because evil is the superior force. And that is why, I shall now invoke the power of the Lemurian Arcana! That the dark, the evil side of Hydra, may vanquish utterly, the side of light! And insufferably insipid "good!" | „ |
| ~ Skullmaster to Hydra. |
| “ | Virgil: Let the boy go, Skullmaster! Skullmaster: Reveal the location of the Arcana and I will. Deny me, and I'll cut the boy a new smile! |
„ |
| ~ Skullmaster forcing Virgil to reveal the location of the Arcana or else he would kill Max. |
| “ | Skullmaster: Welcome, venerable one. I seek an ancient book of power. A book whose secrets will enable me to rejoin the shattered Crystal, of Souls. I seek- Monk: The Lemurian Arcana? But this book is hidden in the lost city of Devagon, innaccessible for thousands of years. You'll never find it, even the city's location is a secret! Skullmaster: Secrets are bad for the soul, venerable one. So much so, if you do not tell me what I need to know, I shall be forced to teach you, to fly... Monk: It is impossible! (Skullmaster drops the monk to his death) Skullmaster: Pity. |
„ |
| ~ Skullmaster killing a monk for not telling him about the Lemurian Arcana's whereabouts. |
| “ | Skullmaster: Ah, the Arcana! Of course, you didn't expect to leave this room alive, did you? Max: Well, you know, call me optimist! Uh, why kill me if I'm not really the Mighty-One? Skullmaster: Oh, but you are the Mighty-One, Maximillion is just my unwilling slave, sent to pose as the Cap-Bearer to ensure my victory this day. And now, I have the Cap, the Arcana, and my revenge! |
„ |
| ~ Skullmaster to Max. |
| “ | Behold, the most powerful book on earth, the Lemurian Arcana! With its power, I shall make the Crystal of Souls whole, and the world my kingdom! | „ |
| ~ Skullmaster finding the Lemurian Arcana. |
| “ | Virgil: Now quickly, before anyone knows we've arrived in Skull Mountain, we must... Oh dear. Skullmaster: Your strategic manoeuvres were always so painfully easy to anticipate. I knew you would come to pick over my dead bones, old friend. Max: You know, I was afraid of something like that. Skullmaster: This time, we'll be picking over chicken bones... Attack! |
„ |
| ~ Max and company secretly arrive in Skullmaster's realm but are quickly ambushed. |
| “ | Skullmaster: Don't you see, Virgil? There are only two possible results if you pursue this ridiculous prophecy to the end:either your Cap-Bearer succeeds, and we both die, or your Cap-Bearer fails, and you die, all by yourself. There is however, a third possibility. Virgil: I'm listening. Skullmaster: You know you can't count on this worm of a Cap-Bearer you call Max-whereas my strength and your mind can ensure that the wisdom of Lemuria will prevail. Virgil: And so you are suggesting? Skullmaster: A partnership. Virgil: Oh, hmmm... An intriguing proposition. Skullmaster: Of course, the key to making our dream come true is the Cap. Virgil: Of course. The Cap, it is. Skullmaster: Well? Virgil: I will agree! But only if you spare the boy. Spare Max! Skullmaster: Very well... But I must have the Cap! Virgil: Agreed. Now listen carefully Skullmaster, I am beginning-yes indeed, I am beginning to formulate a plan... |
„ |
| ~ Skullmaster and Virgil making a deal. |
| “ | Skullmaster: It's good to see you, Virgil, "old friend." But I've been thinking, even though you were my teacher in those distant days of Lemuria's golden age, there were many lessons I learned that you never taught. Virgil: Lessons of cruelty and selfishness? Skullmaster: Lessons of effectiveness and realism! In case you haven't noticed the world is a very cruel place. Take for example, the destruction of my prized possession, the Crystal of Souls, by your nasty little Cap-Bearer... On the other hand, friendship also has its place, old friend. Virgil: Do you imply that I should use my wisdom to help restore your crystal? Why should I? Skullmaster: So I can stop your Cap-Bearer from destroying me, of course... Virgil: You want me to interfere with your destiny? It's impossible. What is written, must be. Skullmaster: In case you've forgotten, old friend, it is also written that your destiny and mine, are inexplicably bound-when I die, you are doomed as well. And the treasures of the ancient wisdom will perish with us, forever. So, old friend, which will it be? Life, and sovereign power with me, or death? |
„ |
| ~ Skullmaster interrogating a captive Virgil. |
| “ | Skullmaster: Congratulations, virgil. The Cap-Bearer is doing exactly what you said he would. In fact, it looks as though I have judged you unfairly all these thousands of years. It seems, that your deviousness and trickery, more than match my own! | „ |
| ~ Skullmaster to Virgil. |
| “ | Virgil: What are you waiting for, Mighty-One? Shoot now and be done with it forever! Your final destiny as a hero has come! Skullmaster: Before you do, Cap-Bearer, consider-if you destroy me, Virgil dies as well! Norman: Mighty-One, what are you going to do? Max: I don't know... Virgil: Mighty-Max! You promised to follow my orders exactly, no matter the consequences, and my directions are, to fire your missiles, now! Skullmaster: Cap-Bearer! The other world is just over those falls! The choice is yours-either kill your friend, or take us all through the portal, to the upper-world! Virgil: Listen to me, Mighty-One, it is written that when Skullmaster dies I must die as well! As Cap-Bearer, you must destroy us both to save the world! Max: Oh get outta here, Virgil, you know I can't do that! |
„ |
| ~ Skullmaster telling Max that if he dies, Virgil will die with him. |
| “ | The sun-the sun! Ah... to feel the sun again. To feel the wind. To be, free! So much for your prophecy, old friend. And thank you, Mighty-One, for the role you played in my destiny! | „ |
| ~ Skullmaster is finally free from the underworld. |
| “ | I am back where I belong! Back to force all to bow before me, as they will forever. The final conflict, has begun! | „ |
| ~ Skullmaster |
Gallery[]
Images[]
_1-4_screenshot.png "Mighty Max - Season 2 premier - Pandora's Box (parts 1 and 2) 1-4 screenshot.png (340 KB)")
.jpg "HD Skullmaster screenshots (2).jpg (371 KB)")
.jpg "HD Skullmaster screenshots (4).jpg (348 KB)")
.jpg "HD Skullmaster screenshots (3).jpg (486 KB)")
.jpg "HD Skullmaster screenshots (1).jpg (3.89 MB)")
Videos[]
External Links[]
- Skullmaster on the Pure Evil Wiki.
- Skullmaster on the Mighty Max Wiki.
[]
 Villains
| ||
|
Animated Series The Adventures of Mighty Max | ||