Meta Ridley

Meta Ridley is a transformed version of the dragon-like alien creature, Ridley from the Metroid series. He first appeared in Metroid Prime where he was upgraded from Ridley by the Space Pirates. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Meta Ridley is fought as a boss a few levels after Ridley is defeated.

Role in the Subspace Emissary
In the Subspace Emissary, Meta Ridley appears in one of the later levels, after Ridley has been defeated, and he attacks Captain Falcon, Captain Olimar, R.O.B., Diddy Kong and Donkey Kong as they try to escape the floating island before it is engulfed in subspace.

As this battle is fought while trying to escape an island, there is a set amount of time that the player has to defeat Meta Ridley, who is more difficult to beat than Ridley was. Additionally there is the added difficulty that the battle is taking place on top of Captain Falcon's ship, the Falcon Flyer, so it is possible for the player to fall off the edge and lose. Meta Ridley boasts some of the same attacks as Ridley did, such as scraping his tail across the top of the Flyer and firing fireballs, however he has many new attacks that involve grabbing the Falcon Flyer and lowering it down with his weight, sometimes even lowering it off of the screen.

If the player manages to defeat Meta Ridley, a cutscene is shown and the Falcon Flyer escapes while the island is engulfed into subspace.

Meta Ridley appears again in The Great Maze where he is battled again in one of the rooms. The time limit is still there and he uses the same attacks as before.