Shadow Queen

"Then, you wretched fools... you will learn the error of your ways!"

- Shadow Queen

The Shadow Queen is a major villain and final boss of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. An ancient demon from the dark beyond, the Shadow Queen came to the Mushroom World with designs on enslaving it and becoming its tyrannical ruler. Prior to the start of the game, she destroyed an ancient civilization and began a conquest on the entire world with the aid of numerous monsters and the Crystal Stars. In the end her plans were ruined and she was sealed away by four heroes within the Thousand-Year Door. The basis of the game revolves around numerous villains working together to revive her. Each of them have their own agenda for doing so though, but the Shadow Queen represents the source of all the conflict for the entire game.

Origin
Legend has it that the Shadow Queen simply appeared one day and waged war against the city where Rogueport now stands. The demon destroyed the city, murdering and slaughtering all who stood in her path. The war itself would be described as a great cataclysm where the earth shook and skies roared. After an onslaught of attacks, the city eventually sank beneath the depths of the earth. One quarter of the old city was constructed to be the Palace of Shadows where the entrance would be the Thousand Year-Door itself.

With the city in her complete control and a base of operations, the demonic Queen next set her sights on the rest of the world, hoping to plunge it into an endless time of pain and suffering under her control. To this end, she created numerous demonic beasts and spirits to make 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, their corpses soon reanimated to become minions of the queen.

The queen and her army quickly became feared above all else and the mere mention of them sent people into a fearful state. As more areas fell to the Shadow Queen, she next created the Crystal Stars. These jewels were created to hold the essences of the heavens and would be used to transform the world into a demonic state. These stars were placed in separate areas around the world to exert the queen's influence. Castles and fortresses were constructed to keep them secured. One would be known as Hooktail's Castle which would also soon become a dungeon to torture those who opposed the queen. 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.

Just when all hope seemed lost, four brave warriors stepped forward to end the reign of the demon once and for all. The four were a Toad with an odd voice from Petalburg, a wise Goomba from Boggly Woods, a scarred and feared Koopa, and a Boo who was once part of the demonic army but left at the urging of the koopa. The Toad from Petalburg was often ridiculed for his voice, but 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 her vast set of knowledge to aid the Punis in defending themselves against the monsters. The scarred Koopa was a drifter who 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 with the odd voice and the wise Goomba in order to have a fighting chance against the Shadow Queen. All four came together and made a plan to destroy the queen. They would use the very power she controlled against her, the Crystal Stars themselves. Through numerous trials, the four obtained the stars and ventured into the Palace of Shadow. There they faced the demon in an epic battle. After an intense fight, the heroes destroyed the queen's physical being. 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.

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 will 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 other heroes would need them. To insure that the map only fell into pure hands, they placed it in a chest that could only be opened by one pure of heart.

The heroes all went their separate ways, spreading the crystal stars in secluded areas. The Goomba went back to the Boggly Woods where monsters were still attacking the Punis. To help them, the Goomba hollowed out a tree to serve as protection for the Punis. This would go on to be known as the Great Tree and the Punis promised to guard the crystal star in return. The goomba soon became trapped in the chest, located within the Rogueport sewers. The Boo warrior went towards Twilight Town and hid the star in the Creepy Steeple and then was trapped in a black chest herself within an abandoned building, soon to be a shop in the dark town. The Koopa warrior went to a tropical island to hide the star, but it was stolen by the pirate Cortez. The Koopa was in such a weak state from his journey that he did not put up a fight. He soon became trapped in the chest within a wreaked ship and Cortez soon lost the Crystal Star among his various stolen treasures. The last hero was the Toad who became exhausted from his journey and his only option was to leave the star in the care of a stranger. The Toad met his inevitable fate of being trapped in the chest while the stranger would eventually be devoured by Hooktail along with the crystal star. The chest containing the Toad would be found by the dark army and locked away within Hooktail's castle to insure that one of the heroes who destroyed their dark master would not be released.

While the war finally seemed to be over, there were other plans in effect to insure 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.

1,000 Years Later
Years passed and the warriors, the Shadow Queen and their great battle faded into being nothing more than a legend. 1,000 years passed and the seal on the palace door began to fade and the Shadow Queens 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 by Beldam though just to get Grodus to help, unaware that the Shadow Queen was an evil beyond any form of control.

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. Peach in the meantime 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.

Beldam resided in the shadows of the organization, making sure that everything was going to plan. With the seal on the Thousand-Year Door weakening and Grodus's intellegence at her side, the queen's resurrection seemed assured. Attempting to collect the stars the X-Nauts were foiled at every turn by the hero Mario and his friends (including another traitor to the Queen). Eventually Mario after defeating Grodus's second in command Lord Crump and shutting down the X-Naut base, managed to claim the last Crystal Star. In the meantime, Beldam abducted Frankly and had him locked in a secluded area and Grodus had Doopliss disguise himself as the aged professor. In this guise, he was able to convince Mario to open the door and allow entry for Grodus. Mario did and 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 was Peach saved from harm. Unfortunately Bowser engaged Mario and his friends in battle along with his assistant Kammy Koopa, this distracted Mario and co. 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.

Summoning the Queen, Grodus presented her with Peach whom she then possessed, her summoning engulfing 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 that they created the myth of an ancient treasure and tricked Grodus into reviving her. The Shadow Queen then sees Mario, and offers him a choice of being her servant, which he 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 or his companion's attacks were able to do any damage to the Queen and all Mario could do to survive was to wait until the Crystal Stars came out in response to the evil in the area.

Once the Crystal Stars appeared, they transported themselves to their respective locations, one per location. They were then used as a way for the people in that area to communicate to Mario. Once this was discovered, the friends who Mario had made during the course of his journey 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 after waiting years to be revived. She screams as her life force is drained and her spirit explodes and is sent to the netherworld. Peach is released perfectly unharmed, while the rest of the Queen's followers fled and eventually turned good all together. With the queen finally destroyed, the world could enjoy a sense of peace with her army and influence gone at last. Mario, Peach, and all their friends then went back to Rogueport to celebrate.

Personality
Like many Mario villains within the series, the Shadow Queen is shown to be a cold and calculating villain who cares for nothing but power and control. She is a highly sadistic, 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 more disturbing villains within the series as she has been known to be completely pure evil, devoid of any kindness or goodness. Unlike some of the other villains, the Shadow Queen possesses no comical undertones whatsoever and only has a sadistic and dark sense of humor. While it is unknown if she instructed Beldam to revive her, the Shadow Queen in essence is responsible for all the events in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. 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 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. The corpses were so mutilated that only the skeletons of their former beings were left, their only purpose left was to serve the very being that murdered them. In addition to this, the demon was also in control of the Pit of 100 trials, which eerily resembled a torture chamber. This all contributed to her sadistic personality and thirst for violence. Her evil and power seemed to posses no limits as she created demonic armies, three fierce and 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 powers seem nearly god like. 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.

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. Unsurprisingly, the queen was able to instill massive fear in not just the world itself, but her followers as well. While the demon's followers are shown to be loyal, this seems to be as a result of fear rather than respect. Even after her first defeat, her minions, the Shadow Sirens, attempted to revive her by using other villains. It is later shown that they turn good after her destruction. This hints that they were never truly evil, but were afraid of the queen's wrath should she return without their assistance. Other than the stories told within the game, not much more is known about the demon and it seems that she has done nothing else within her existence other than creating destruction, chaos, and mass murder. As of now, it has been stated that she has been destroyed by Mario and sent to the netherworld for all eternity.

It's worth noting some of the Shadow Queen's speech and behavoir varies somewhat between the Japanese and English versions of the game. In the Japanese version, she speaks in far more down to Earth manner. For example, she sees Mario and his party members, she describes them as looking "agreeable," and when she offers them a 2nd chance to serve her she says if they agree she will "Let by-gones be by-gones." In the English version, she speaks more formally, and is more condescending, describing, backhandedly, Mario and his party members as looking weak, but possibly useful, and when she sees Beldam she says "what ages have past."

Power and Abilities
The Shadow Queen, being an ancient demon, is in control of numerous powers. At her full power, she is completely invincible (even attacks that pierce defense don't work on her), and can only be made vulnerable with the power of the Crystal Stars. In her spiritual form, she is able to use her hands to drain the life force of her enemies. This damages her opponents while at the same time giving her energy. In addition to this attack, her arms are also capable of smashing opponents to the ground. Her hands are considered separate enemies, and can be targeted and killed easily since they don't have much HP. However, whenever they're killed, the Shadow Queen revives them a turn later. The Shadow Queen is also able to strike her opponents with lightning, an attack that is difficult to avoid due to how fast it is implemented. When in a dire situation, the queen will often resort to poison and confusion toxins. One makes her opponent loss life force every turn while the other makes her opponent so incapacitated that he or she will often attack their own allies or miss an attack all together.

One of the most harmful attacks of the queen is when she summons upon dozens of demonic hands to come up from the ground and drag her victims down to be issued a large beating. The demonic queen used this early in the battle with Mario to murder the audience members and drain their life force to give her full health and power. Another very harmful attack is when the queen uses one full turn to build up energy and then release demonic energies at her enemies. This attack alone can take off a large portion of Mario's health. Her strongest attack consists of sending out black waves of darkness, which hits Mario and his party member, but this attack turns a turn to charge up before she can use it, allowing Mario avoid it with Vivian's Veil ability. The Shadow Queen also has the ability to temporally raise her attack and defense by noticeable amount. While not considered to be a battle power, the queen also holds the ability to posses other beings for her own uses. The Queen seems to be ageless and therefore immortal. She holds the abilities of creating unlimited amounts of demonic monsters and other spirits to do her bidding.

Trivia

 * This is the second Mario RPG in where one of the main characters of the Mario series is possessed or brainwashed and used as a puppet to take role of the final boss; the first was Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga where Bowser was possessed by Cackletta, creating Bowletta. However, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is the first time that the character in question was one of Mario's allies, a theme carried over in Super Paper Mario, where Luigi was brainwashed by Dimentio, creating Mr. L and then Super Dimentio.
 * The Shadow Queen made an appearance in issue 34 of Super Mario-Kun.