Biography[]
Background[]
When Nox Decious was researching the Stone of Righteousness and its powers of preventing death, he wanted to fuse it with his body so it wouldn't be taken from him. After having his face terribly scarred by Merlin in battle, Decious cast the ancient spell El Nox de la Shateu, which translates to "The Darkness in the Shadow." This spell created the Darkness, which Decious said would be a tool to assist in his dominating of the Real World. He sent the Darkness, his new henchman, to find the Stone of Righteousness, connect the stone to itself, and merge itself to his soul.
At first, the Darkness obeyed his command and made Nox near immortal. However, after nearly 1,000 years of being trapped inside Decious, the Darkness began to resent its master, who viewed it as nothing more than a tool.
Season 3[]
When Nox Decious was killed, the Darkness needed a new body to attach itself to. The Darkness knew that the most powerful person was Mario, so it chose to attach itself to him in order to gain more power. It possessed Mario in a form of rage, making him attack Wario. Then the Darkness combined the energy that it took from his former boss with the energy it took from Mario and left him. It left Mario weak, but it had enough power to sustain itself and take physical form. Darkness took on the form of its most powerful host: Mario. However, Merlin was unaware that Mario was the Darkness' most powerful host and assumed it would take Decious' form.
In Season Three, the Darkness played a minor role, with Wario serving as the primary antagonist. The season primarily explores the origin of the Darkness, setting the stage for "Stupid Mario Brothers: The Movie." The Darkness attempts to persuade Waluigi to eliminate Mario, as it did with Wario, but fails due to Waluigi's greater intelligence and reasonableness compared to his brother. Subsequently, the Darkness convinces Wario to kill Mario and recharge the saber.
It acquires Decious' concealed Black Widow Blade from the Orchard, which was intended to deliver the killing blow to Mario during their confrontation. It is later revealed that the Darkness is Decious' most trusted enforcer.
Stupid Mario Brothers: The Movie[]
The Darkness seeks to aid Nox Decious in claiming Luigi as a vessel, with the ultimate goal of betraying and killing his own master. Additionally, he aspires to achieve immortality and plans to eliminate the Mushroom Force in order of their strength to accomplish this.
His first target is Link, who has been wandering lost in the woods for some time. They engage in battle, and Link is ultimately slain when the Darkness impales him with the Black Widow Blade. However, when he attempts to claim the Artifact, he is enraged to discover that Link had already sealed it within his soul.
After suffering another defeat at the hands of Mario, the Darkness turns his attention to Bowser. He attempts to strike a deal with the Koopa King, but Bowser rejects his offer and returns to his portal leading to the Mushroom Kingdom. Unbothered, the Darkness muses that even if Bowser had accepted his friendship, he would have betrayed and killed him in the end regardless.
Later, he arrives at the Orchard once again, saying that now that he's dispose of "him", he won't have to hide in his shadow. The Darkness is face-to-face withNess, who tells him he read the letter Mario sent and tries to kill the Darkness. His PK Thunder attack fails, so he rushes at the enity being with his baseball bat, which also fails. Ness is vanquished, but informs the Darkness that he will meet his demise soon. In a rare moment of mercy, Darkness lets Ness go free. Notably, the Darkness flinches when it is attacked, meaning that Mario is turning the enity more human.
While Solid Snake is out in the field attempting to contact Otacon, Liquid Snake suddenly creeps up behind him and tells him that ally (who turns out to be the Darkness), he will finally take over the Real World. Liquid leaves as the Darkness insults Snake and tries to eliminate him with his beam while, but Luigi comes in and intercepts. They fight for a short period time before Luigi is taken down, as well as having his physical form possesed by Decious' spirit.
Mario arrives after Decious had struck his brother down and mourns his fallen bro. However, Luigi suddenly rises, revealing that he has already been taken over and now takes on a new persona called Mr. L. Seizing the moment, the Darkness strikes, stabbing Mario from behind with the Black Widow Blade, appearing to kill him. The Darkness then declares that he no longer serves Decious, admitting that he only aided him in possessing Luigi as part of his own plan—to eliminate Decious and seize control of the world himself.
Shortly after, Wario appears and demands to battle the Darkness, who is able to impale the Black Widow Blade through Wario, presumably killing him. The Darkness believes he didn't have the Truth Stone after all and wonders where it is. Suddenly, Darkness stops in his tracks and monologue and finds that the Nether Saber has been thrown through his back by Wario, who faked his death and was really protected by the Truth Stone. The Darkness laments having been cut off from having more fun before laughing evilly and presumably dying. Afterwards, Wario retrieves the Black Widow Blade and puts it in his pocket. Then he goes over to the Darkness' corpse and tells him to "rest in Hell" before leaving.
Later, Merlin reveals that the only way to completely destroy the Darkness is through a specific counter-curse. Waluigi was meant to provide Wario with the means to cast it, but he ultimately forgot.
Meanwhile, the Darkness revives, disposing his hat as a symbolic rejection of any ties to Mario. With a vengeful grin, he vows vengeance on Wario, triumphantly declaring his return. Regardless of whether or not Merlin knew it, the Darkness had known about the counter-curse, so he forms a long-term plan behind the backs of the heroes. He studies everything Decious had learned, which included his knowledge of beam swords, allowing him to create several beam swords that mimicked and surpassed the Black Widow Blade's power. When he discarded his hat, the Darkness really transferred almost his entire being into it, except his body and mind. He recruits a boy named John (whose name he changes to Blaire Vherestorm), upon striking a deal with the Darkness. The two of them build an energy source designed for after his destruction.
Afterward, Wario confronts the Darkness for one final and climatic battle. Despite an intense struggle, he manages to pin the Darkness down and recite the counter-curse, seemingly destroying him for good. However, it is later revealed that Wario had only vanquished a shell—the Darkness had merely gone dormant within the hat.
Operation: Blind Storm[]
The Darkness' hat is discovered by Solid Snake and Ness. When Ness briefly dons it, the Darkness transfers into him, taking control. Using Ness as a puppet, the Darkness leads Snake to the Energy Source. Still under the Darkness' control, Ness urges Snake to destroy the source, while Wario advises against it. Given Ness's psychic abilities, the Darkness knew they would trust him over Wario, so Snake destroys the source. The Darkness then addresses the entire group, revealing that the Energy Source was a beacon connecting their powers from other worlds, and now they are all powerless.
The warriors believed the Darkness would never return, but it is soon revealed that the destruction of the Beacon only made the Darkness stronger.
Season 4[]
With the Beacon destroyed, the powers of Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Ness are absorbed by the Darkness, making it the most powerful being in existence. It tries to assume physical form but cannot because Mario was the first one it consumed. The Darkness soon realizes that it's spirit will only take physical form when Mario regains his powers first as the universe demanded at least that much equilibrium between it and the person it's taking the form of. The Darkness soon realizes that it's spirit will only take physical form when Mario regains his powers first as the universe demanded at least that much equilibrium between it and the person it's taking the form of.
He commands Blaire to create the Trifecta, intending to force the Mushroom Force to reclaim their powers. However, aware of Ganon's sinister scheme, he instructs Blaire to halt once Mario regains his abilities, ensuring that Mario defeats Ganon—paving the way for the Darkness to take control instead. Later, he acquires a physical form but keeps this a secret from Blaire to ensure his orders are followed.
Blaire betrays him by attacking Mario and the Darkness reveals himself. Allowing Mario to escape, Darkness confronts Blaire. Disgusted at his former apprentice's disobedience, the Darkness kills him with a Black Widow Blade replica and walks off to find and kill Mario. The Darkness reveals his complete plan to Mario, explaining his reasons for killing Blaire and warning him about Ganon. He then departs to assemble his own army, preparing for the possibility that Mario may not succeed in defeating Ganon.
Season 5[]
The Darkness meets with the General. He tells him of his changing of hair and complains about General not forming his army. However, he is then shown his army, which he thanks the General for. The General alerts The Darkness about the impending ninja assault. In response, The Darkness sends his forces into action and summons Ken for the task. Together with the General, they confront Zubashi and the ninjas. The Darkness then calls upon his pirates to fight the ninjas. Following the battle, the pirates emerge victorious, and Ken delivers a knockout blow to Zubashi. The Darkness orders the General to shoot the remaining ninjas, sparing one to track back to Ganon's base. He also instructs Ken to follow the surviving ninja to Ganon's stronghold.
The Darkness, Ken, and the General arrive at the base in the midst of Mario's battle with the Legion of Villains. He orders the General to kill the ninjas and freezes the Legion members in place when they rush him, allowing him to confront Ganon alone. After using telekinesis to push each other back, the Darkness nor Ganon find who is more powerful as the Darkness teleports the Mushroom Force as well as his own team back to their bases.
The Darkness meets up with Luigi and Wario and suggests a team-up between their two armies to take down Ganon's. He then gets mad at them for indirectly breaking the fourth wall, an idea that they don't understand. Finally, he then asks them one more time about the team up. ("An Unexpected? Proposal")
Eventually, he falls asleep while waiting for their answer. They agree to let him work with them and he gives them full use of his pirates. Later, the Darkness is told by Ken about Zubashi and the ninjas' upcoming invasion.
The Darkness tells Ryu and Ken to spend their time as they please until the invasion comes. However, he regrets it when he forgets to tell them about getting him something to eat.
As he waits for the two to return, The Darkness starts to question his role in the war, realizing he no longer desires to conquer the Real World. Instead, he believes his true purpose is to kill his former boss, Nox Decious. With this in mind, the Darkness begins recalling his conversation with Mr. L and how ambivalent Nox Decious was when he had tried to threaten him. The Darkness is then met by the General, who informs him that the ninjas are on their way. The Darkness is glad he will finally be able to get this over with and the General asks him what his orders are. Darkness pauses and tells General to go home, granting him an "honorable discharge". General is confused at first and is hesitant, but the Darkness reminds him of his wife and children and dismisses him. The General leaves for good and the Darkness declares it time for the death of Nox Decious.
After dispatching several ninjas, Wario was mortally wounded by Decious and was later taken to Dr. Naomi Hunter by Mona as the Darkness entered the fray and took over the battle.
Nox Decious spent a majority of the battle moving away as the Darkness brutally tried to strike. As the battle raged on, the Darkness became increasingly frustrated when Decious escaped him.
Eventually, the two got to the ground and crawled towards each other. Both pulled their beam swords to each other. The Darkness and Decious stabbed each other in the stomach. Decious believed that Ganon would triumph, though Darkness believed he was wrong. He assured Decious that he could find satisfaction in the fact that he finally exterminated his creator. As Decious toppled over, the Darkness became silent for a brief moment before accepting his fate and dropping to the ground.
While Mario was still in Hyrule, receiving training from Merlin, he discovered that he couldn't draw the Master Sword. The Darkness communicated with Mario and consented to surrender its spirit, along with those of Link and Merlin, so they could merge their souls to empower him. However, this sacrifice left remnants of their essence within Mario. This infusion granted him the strength to wield the Master Sword and defeat Ganon once and for all.
Stupid Mario World Mario reveals that The Darkness's spirit left his head along with Link and Merlin's spirits. Mario and Luigi aren't really worried about it, though, because they believe he is dead for good. Wario, however, shows concern, as he believes bad things could happen. Mario just dismisses it.
The Plumber Knight Returns[]
After Mario's soul left the Darkness, it returned to its true, incorporeal form, revealing that it was never truly alive. The Darkness, as well as everyone else, had believed it had become mortal because Mario's soul had been growing stronger within it. When the Darkness seemed to die, Mario's soul returned to him, and the Darkness reverted to its original, malevolent state without any of Mario's soul softening its nature. About 30 years after the events of Stupid Mario Brothers, the Darkness adopted the guise of "The Koopa" in an attempt to lure Mario out of retirement, having fallen into a deep depression after Bowser killed Peach and Luigi was murdered. The Darkness pretended to be the one responsible for Luigi's death, prompting Mario to once again suit up. Throughout The Plumber Knight Returns Season 1, Mario battles Goombas and a giant Goomba named Jeckle, while the Darkness kidnaps Mario's friend Denise to draw him out. After rescuing Denise, Mario tracks the Koopa to a forest, where Darkness reveals that he murdered innocents just to bring Mario back for a final duel. When the Darkness brings up Beam Swords, claiming they were Mario's favorite weapon, he reveals the Black Widow Blade but learns Mario still has his own Beam Sword. The two engage in a fierce duel, with neither gaining an advantage until Darkness disarms Mario. Just as Darkness attempts to strike him down, Mario blocks the blow, launching a fireball while Darkness charges dark energy. Both attacks collide, sending them flying. Mario rises first, forcing Darkness to the ground and demanding his identity. Darkness laughs, removing his mask to reveal a horrifying sight—his true face, with grey hair and a grey beard.
The Darkness admits that he did not kill Luigi but had manipulated Mario to get him out of retirement. It doesn't reveal its true motivations or the purpose behind the creation of the Goombas or its "Koopa" persona. The Darkness disappears, leaving Mario to deal with emerging threats. Later, the Darkness, once again in Koopa form, orders Dr. John Horrus to eliminate Commissioner Steve McGuinness.
After Mario discovers that the Blue Hood is actually Luigi, the Darkness reveals to Mario that Bowser Jr. was Luigi's true killer, seeking revenge for Mario killing Bowser. After Luigi's body was buried, Bowser Jr. and a group of Magikoopas brainwashed him to carry out a single mission: kill Mario. The Darkness says that there might still be traces of Luigi's former self, as the Blue Hood killed criminals in Rapid City, but warns Mario not to seek out Bowser Jr. because he's already dead—killed by the Blue Hood once freed from his chains. The Darkness plans to use the Blue Hood to kill Mario, knowing Mario won't be able to kill him because he's his brother. The Darkness leaves Mario once again.
The Blue Hood confronts Mario, knocking out Denise and overpowering Mario in battle. However, as Mario breaks through to Luigi's mind, the Darkness appears and kills the Blue Hood with a stab to the back using the Black Widow Blade. Later, Luigi's son confronts the Darkness in the same field where Wario killed Luigi years before. The Darkness reveals himself as the mastermind behind many of the events in The Plumber Knight, including deceiving Mario and his friends into fighting Ganondorf and his army. Boasting that no one can ever truly defeat him, he declares his intention to create a new world from chaos. Luigi's son exposes the Darkness's true feelings for Mario and vows to stop him for good. After an evenly matched battle, the Darkness knocks Luigi down with an energy blast, believing he's won. But Luigi rises, wielding the Truth Stone, and throws it at the Darkness while chanting the curse "El Nox de la Shateau". As the Darkness is sealed inside the stone, he laments that he only ever wanted to be alive. Mario later buries the Truth Stone deep in the woods, ensuring it is never found, but forgets about the Black Widow Blade, which is discovered and taken by Rosalina and Omega.