Makuta Teridax (Bionicle)

Makuta Teridax, also known as the Master of Shadows or simply Makuta is a fictional character and the main antagonist of LEGO's Bionicle franchise.

Fictional character history

Legends of Metru Nui

When the Bionicle toy franchise was first released in 2001, Teridax, known only as "the Makuta" was billed to be the brother of the Great Spirit Mata Nui. The story told that he grew jealous of his brother and cast a spell over Mata Nui that caused the Great Spirit to fall into a deep sleep leaving Teridax free to take over the world.

It is later revealed however that Teridax was not Mata Nui’s brother but a member of a powerful race known as the Makuta who had evolved past the point of needing bodies and were now pure energy beings whose essence was contained within their armour. Teridax was the leader of the Brotherhood of Makuta, an organization dedicated to protecting the subterranean city of Metru-Nui, home to the Matoran. Teridax, in a bid to seize power over the universe had poisoned Mata Nui, which had caused the Great Spirit’s coma. When Mata Nui fell unconscious it caused the Great Cataclysm, an event that shook the entire Matoran Universe to its foundations. In the Great Cataclysm, many Matoran were killed and the City of Metru Nui was badly damaged. The Cataclysm, also caused a part of the Main Continent to shoot up to the surface of the planet, becoming the Island of Voya Nui.

Meanwhile Teridax was busy sealing the Matoran inside spheres which would erase their memories. His plan was to open the spheres and awaken the brainwashed Matoran and tell them that he was the Great Spirit which would result in him becoming their ruler. In order to consolidate his power however, Teridax needed Kanohi Vahi, a magical mask with the power to control time.

Teridax's plans for domination encountered opposition in the form of six Toa Metru warriors. Teridax sent two bounty hunters called Nidhiki and Krekka to kill the Toa, eventually absorbing and destroying them when they were of no further use. He also unleashed a giant plant known as the Morbuzakh which was eventually destroyed by the Toa.

Teridax was finally defeated when he was imprisoned in a seal of frozen protodermis, a fictional substance found on the Bionicle planet.

The Toa then took the Matoran to the surface of their planet where they took refuge on a tropical island. They released the Matoran from their spheres and named the island Mata Nui after the Great Spirit.

Web of Shadows

The Toa then returned to Metru Nui to see if there were any Matoran they had left behind only to discover that the city had been taken over by an army of malevolent, spider-like creatures known as the Visorak. Roodaka, the Viceroy of the Visorak and paramour of the Visorak King, Sidorak, was in fact a follower of Teridax and planned to release him from his prison. With the help of a powerful beast named Keetongu, the Toa defeated the Visorak but were unable to stop Roodaka. Teridax was released and the Toa returned to the Island of Mata Nui where they became tribal leaders called Turaga.

The Thousand Years of Darkness

Long after this, six canisters washed up on the Island containing six new Toa, the Toa Mata.

Teridax meanwhile had enslaved the beasts of the island (known as Rahi) with infected masks and was poised to take over the island.

The Toa fought against Makuta's minions and defeated them all, eventually confronting the Master of Shadows himself in a heated battle. Teridax was defeated in battle but not destroyed. Fleeing back to his subterranean lair of Mangaia, the dark spirit of Teridax awoke the fearsome Bohrok, a race of powerful robotic automatons whose only purpose was to destroy all life. Teridax's plan was that the Toa would be kept busy fighting the Bohrok, leaving him time to regain power which eventually he did.

The Mask of Light

After the Toa had utterly defeated the Bohrok however, a Matoran named Takua found the fabled Mask of Light which foretold the coming of the Seventh Toa, the Toa of Light who would vanquish the Makuta's shadows and awaken Mata Nui.

Teridax hindered Takua and his friend Jaller on their quest for the Seventh Toa by sending his six minions, the Rahkshi to destroy them. Three of the Rahkshi were killed by Toa Kopaka but the other three later attacked Takua and Jaller, dealing Jaller a fatal injury. Vowing to avenge his friend, Takua donned the Mask of Light and became the Seventh Toa, Takanuva, Toa of Light. Takanuva easily vanquished the remaining Rahkshi then descended into Mangaia to battle Teridax who revealed himself in the form of a gothic giant clad in black armour with blazing red, cat-like eyes. Teridax taunted Takanuva and attacked him.

As Takanuva and Teridax did battle, Hahli, Takua’s lady-friend went above ground and gathered the Matoran who flocked down to Mangaia to observe the battle. Takanuva found himself outmatched and massively outsized but when Teridax launched a blast of energy from his staff at the Matoran, Takanuva deflected the blast at Teridax, temporarily knocking him out cold. Teridax however was not defeated and climbed to his feet, attempting to persuade Takanuva to give up his battle by pretending that he kept Mata Nui asleep to spare him pain. Takanuva however was not fooled by Teridax’s lies and launched himself at him, tearing off the demon’s mask. As the two combatants struggled, they lost their balance and fell into a pool of protodermis and were fused together, becoming the entity Takutanuva, the most powerful being seen yet in the Bionicle universe. In this form, Takanuva was in control because Teridax was weakened by the loss of his Mask. Takutanuva lifted up a great gate in the corner of Teridax’s lair, revealing a passageway which he urged the Matoran to pass through. They did so but as Hahli passed through, Takutanuva implored her to set Jaller’s Mask on the ground. He then breathed life into the Mask, causing Jaller to come back to life. The Gate then came crashing down on Takutanuva, destroying him. The Matoran salvaged Takanuva’s Mask from the ruins of Takutanuva and then Hahli and Jaller took part in a ritual that brought Takanuva back to life. The Matoran then followed the passageway back to Metru Nui.

Quest for the Mask of Life

It was soon discovered by the Turaga that Mata Nui was not only asleep but dying. If he died, the universe would collapse in on itself nice and the only thing that could save him was Kanohi Ignika, the Mask of Life.

Meanwhile, six vicious bounty hunters called the Piraka had entered Mangia and found the remnants of Teridax’s armour. They also discovered a strange substance which they collected and named Antidermis, unaware that it was in fact Teridax’s spirit.

Upon learning that Mata Nui was dying and the Mask of Life could save him, the Piraka immediately set off for the Island of Voya Nui where the Ignika was located, intending to find the Mask and sell it for a large profit.

Meanwhile six new Toa known as the Toa Inika journeyed to Voya Nui to find the Mask and save Mata Nui.

Zaktan, the leader of the Piraka was unconsciously manipulated by the spirit of Teridax who planned to gain the Mask of Life and use it to regain his physical form and take over the universe.

However the vat containing Teridax’s spirit was shattered in a battle forcing Teridax to flee and find a host.

During a battle between the Piraka and the Toa, the Ignika went flying into the ocean. The Piraka were defeated and the Toa went to salvage the Mask but encountered opposition from a league of warlords named the Barraki.

Teridax took possession of a robotic being named Maxilos and set about finding the Mask which had filtered down through a hole in the ocean bed and down to Karda Nui, the Universe Core.

Teridax did battle with the legendary despot Karzahni for possession of the Mask and defeated the insane tyrant by tearing his mind to shreds.

The delay meanwhile had proven too long. Mata Nui had died and the universe had three days to live. Only the Ignika could resurrect Mata Nui and save the world.

Realizing that if the Toa didn’t get the Mask, the universe would collapse and his plans would be ruined, Teridax fought the Barraki, allowing the Toa time to get to Karda Nui and retrieve the Mask. He defeated the Barraki but Maxilos’s body was badly damaged in the process, forcing Teridax to flee and find another host.

He has currently taken up residence in the coliseum at Metru Nui where he plans to carry out the final phase of his plan.

Dark Mirror

In a short story in which Toa Takanuva journeys into a parallel universe in which the Toa failed to find the Mask and the universe collapsed, Teridax appeared as the main antagonist. Driven mad by the failure of his plans for universal domination, Teridax had created an army of Rahkshi with which to destroy the Matoran who had fled to the Island of Mata Nui and renamed it the Kingdom of Mata Nui as revenge for not allowing him and his brothers to join them above the surface.

Takanuva, along with Toa Matoro confronts Teridax who has killed all the other members of the Brotherhood and absorbed their power, transforming into a hulking colossus. Teridax absorbs Matoro but at this point his immense strength of will has withered greatly as the result of his dreams of power being thwarted. Matoro’s mind overpowers Teridax’s and his gargantuan body collapses beneath its own weight. Matoro and Teridax are both destroyed in the process.

Powers and weapons

Teridax, like all Makuta, wields the element of Shadow and is extremely proficient in its use. He has a vast array of dark powers at his command and is widely regarded to be one of the most powerful beings in the Bionicle universe, second only to Mata Nui.

In addition to his immense physical strength, he also possesses a genius level intellect that surpasses that of most beings in the Bionicle universe, nearing him to omniscience.

One of Teridax’s most deadly weapons is his Shadow-hand, a talon of pure shadow that emerges from a vortex in his stomach and absorbs whatever it touches, giving Teridax the powers and properties of whatever person or object the Hand has absorbed.

Like all Makuta, Teridax also has the ability to conjure Kraata and use them to create Rahkshi which do his bidding. Another ability Teridax shares with his fellow Makuta is the power of shapeshifting. When he shapeshifts he takes on the strengths and weaknesses of whatever he has become. Sometimes he can become an amalgamation of many things as he did in "".

Teridax also used to possess Kanohi Kraahkan, the Mask of Shadows which enabled him to read minds (however so gifted is he in the field of psychology that he rarely needed to use it, the mask is currently in possession of Makuta Icarax, Teridax's rival) but this was lost in his battle with Takanuva, the Toa of Light.

In combat Teridax wields the powerful Staff of Darkness which he took from Makuta Icarax.

Finally Teridax, like his fellow Makuta seems to be immortal but has shown a great vulnerability to Light Energy.

Personality

Teridax is arrogant, proud and narcissistic, desiring praise and devotion and becoming jealous when others get it and not him. Bionicle series author Greg Farshtey has described Teridax as a sociopath, saying “He has no conscience, no sense of remorse, no emotional attachment to any living thing.”

Despite his cruelty and lust for power however, Teridax does not seem to consider himself evil, instead justifying his actions as for the good of Mata Nui and the universe. He has an unshakeable belief that it is his right to take control of creation and remake it in a manner that suits him.

ee also

* Makuta (Bionicle)