Cursa

"I NEED the energy of those creatures! Bring them to ME!"

- Cursa

Cursa is the main antagonist in the game Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. She is an entity that wants to consume Sparks and spread matter known as Darkmess across the galaxy, which it uses to drain the Sparks of their power. Cursa is large, imposing, and covered in a purple cloak with a spiral shape on its face, and possesses floating human-like hands. Underneath its cloak, it has a red, menacing eye which changes to blue whenever Rosalina takes control.

Cursa was created by a fragment of the Megabug, the main antagonist of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. After the fragment mutated with stellar debris, it gained sentience. It fed on the life energies of the galaxy, eventually transforming into Cursa. Later on, Cursa was drawn to the Comet Observatory, where it would attack Rosalina and some Rabbids and Lumas that were there. While Rosalina was fending off Cursa, the Rabbids and Lumas merged together to create a powerful new species, Sparks. The battle resulted in Rosalina merging with Cursa; although Cursa was in control, Rosalina tried to rebel against her. Cursa then created an army of corrupted Rabbids and controlled minions of Bowser, along with the Spark Hunters to lead them.

While Cursa is mainly referred to using gender-neutral pronouns in the game, one official Twitter post refers to it using feminine pronouns. She is also referred to as female prior to the third and final battle against her ("Once more, we have rattled Cursa. I sense her hatred towards us - the most savage and intense yet..." - Jeanie)

Battle
The final battle against Cursa has three phases. In all three, the heroes are divided in three battlefields with three heroes each; Mario, Princess Peach, and Rabbid Rosalina on the first, Luigi, Rabbid Mario, and Rabbid Luigi on the second, and Bowser, Edge, and Rabbid Peach on the third. The battlefield and team of heroes changes every turn, and each battlefield also has various other enemies present.

Phase one
For the first phase, Cursa attacks with its Astral Arms which must be destroyed. During each turn, one of the Astral Arms floats directly above one of the heroes and stays above them when they move around. If that hero or a nearby one does a Team Jump or jumps of a jump pad, the Astral Arm grabs them and throws them back on the ground, dealing heavy damage. A hero which does not have the Astral Arm over them must jump of a jump pad to cause a giant spike to emerge in its place, which the hero with the Astral Arm over them must position themselves on during the enemies' turn. This cancels the Astral Arm's attack and deals damage to it.

Phase two
The heroes must attack Cursa directly for this phase. Cursa attacks by firing a beam at a hero which deals massive damage and inflicts them with the Exhaust Super effect.

Phase three
Following Cursa's defeat in the previous phase, Rosalina breaks free from its control. However, Cursa evolves into another form, and Rosalina places three giant wands and the end of each battlefield. The heroes must fire at the wands to fill Rosalina's power gauge, allowing her to attack Cursa. Stronger attacks can fill up more of the gauge at once. The gauge must be filled three times, the first and second to burn Cursa's wings, and the third to finish it off. Like the previous phase, Cursa attacks the heroes with a beam that causes the Exhaust Super effect, although while its wings are still active it follows up by using them to damage the heroes on the second and third battlefields.

Once Cursa is defeated, Rosalina uses her magic for the last time, then launches it. Then, Sparks create an arrow that can impale it. Once it is nearly injured, Mario and the gang use their weapons to shoot it one last time, following Rosalina using her magic to form an arrow, thus disintegrating the boss.

Memory bio
CURSA ''There is no question that Cursa is more powerful, cunning, and relentless than any single one of us, yet together - with aid from Rosalina - it was vanquished. Still, its corrupting influence reached every corner of the galaxy, where much of it lingers still. We have stopped the Darkmess at its source, but we have much work to do if we are to remove the rest before it can cause any more harm.''