| “ | I must thank you for bringing me the three ultimate weapons. With their power I'll create the ultimate energy source! Now nothing can stop me from taking the kingdom... and the universe! Bwaa ha ha! | „ |
| ~ Binary Bard, Astro-Knights Island |
| “ | You fool! Nothing can stop the power of my creations! | „ |
| ~ Binary Bard before his boss fight, Astro-Knights Island |
| “ | At last, I've become the perfect fusion of man and machine! ... A pathetic creature like you is no match for the Binary Bard. Time for you to clock out! | „ |
| ~ Binary Bard after transforming, Super Villain Island |
Mordred, better known as Binary Bard, is the main antagonist of Astro-Knights Island in the online game Poptropica. He later appears on Super Villain Island as a major antagonist. He is a cyborg that resembles a jester, and is able to build many robots and inventions to help him.
Biography[]
Past[]
As told in The Life of Mordred: A Cautionary Tale, as well as his personal journal, Mordred used to be an inventor living in the kingdom of Arturus, making many mechanical inventions to improve the kingdom. However, after dabbling with dark sciences by mixing the DNA of animals with machinery, the King and Queen of Arturus feared for their kingdom, and locked the inventor up. Mordred, however, escaped his imprisonment, and continued working on his inventions in private.
One day, Mordred realized that his grand inventions needed more energy than the kingdom could give him, so he decided to focus his efforts on a rocket that could take him to a nearby moon to gather resources. The kingdom, however, had found out about Mordred's plan and tried to invade his secret lair, leading him to use an unfinished rocket to escape.
By the events of the game, Mordred, now known as the Binary Bard, has become well renowned by the universe as a "wizard", and has build up a secret order to communicate with. As days gone by, so did the Binary Bard's compassion and heart, until one day, he decided to take revenge on his former home.
Astro-Knights Island[]
Astro-Knights Island begins with the kidnapping of Princess Elyana, who was one of the members of the Binary Bard's court. Three grand knights were tasked to save her, but none have returned, and were left stranded on the planets of Fire, Jungle, and Ice, all three of which are guarded by wildlife heavily modified by the Binary Bard's machinery. The protagonist, hearing the news, ventured out into space in hopes of finding the three knights in order to save her.
After saving the three knights, and gaining three mystical weapons in the process, the group discover a portal to the Binary Bard's domain, where the princess waiting just outside the castle. Asking the protagonist to hand over the weapons they acquired, the princess is revealed to be the Binary Bard in disguise, with the real princess inside. Using the weapons, the Binary Bard used them to quickly built a robot to take over the universe.
Venturing inside, the protagonist used Merlin, the Binary Bard's own mechanical owl and one of his first companions, against him, dropping bombs onto his former master. Enraged, the Binary Bard zapped the owl, destroying him. However, through the protagonist using the room chandeliers to drop onto the mechanical jester, the machine is destroyed, with its source of energy dropped onto the floor. The Binary Bard tried to take the orb for another chance at a scheme, but is stopped by Elyana, being knocked out in the process. The protagonist and Elyana escape the realm, leaving the Binary Bard trapped inside.
Super Villain Island[]
The Binary Bard appears once more on Super Villain Island, having been captured and put in stasis by Dr. Jupiter alongside three other villains. His dream is a recreation of his imprisonment as Mordred, with the door out of his cell rapidly opening and closing. To escape, the protagonist must use the Stopwatch from Captain Crawfish's dream in order to stop time, allowing the two to escape.
Venturing further into the dream, Mordred finds a machine that transforms him into the Binary Bard, turning him hostile. The protagonist has to shock the Binary Bard within his machine three times in order to defeat him once more, causing him to drop the Astrolabe Totem, the source of his evil.
Near the end of the island, Dr. Jupiter reveals his true identity as Zeus, another one of the villains previously fought in the game. Sending his lab down, alongside the protagonist and the villains, down to the sea, Zeus flies off as he uses the totems for his own goals, with the protagonist following behind using the powers of Poseidon and Hades.
The Binary Bard, alongside the other villains, made his last major scene swimming back to shore during this confrontation. It's unknown what happened to him afterward, but considering that his totem wasn't returned to him, it's likely that whatever evil he had in his heart is now gone.
Other Media[]
Poptropica Adventures[]
The Binary Bard reappears in Poptropica Adventures for the Nintendo DS, recreating events from the original Astro-Knights Island.
Meeting with the king of Arturus, the Binary Bard kidnapped the king and replaced him with a robot in his image before somehow convincing the king's knights to let him use the royal rocket. Fleeing to Pewter Moon, the protagonist follows the information they were given before eventually making their way to the Fire Planet, where it's revealed that a squire was kidnapped by the bard and placed atop the volcano.
After saving the squire, the protagonist is free to continue on their journey before eventually making it to the Jungle Planet, where the Binary Bard has made his residence. The cyborg challenges the protagonist to a race with the Atomic Phoenix, who is promptly defeated, forcing the Binary Bard to flee to his crystal palace. After rescuing the king, the protagonist is sent off to chase down the Binary Bard, who traps him inside of his own palace, defeating him for the time being.
Astro-Knights Island (Book)[]
The Binary Bard appears in the novelization of Astro-Knights Island, taking on the exact same role as his mainline counterpart.
Poptropica: The End of Time[]
The Binary Bard makes a cameo in the official Poptropica graphic novel, specifically in its last book, The End of Time. While Spencer Albright shows Oliver, Mya, Jorge, and Octavian different time streams, a version of the Binary Bard can be seen chasing after a princess.
Appearance[]
Mordred was a tan Poptropican with long brown hair and a goatee with stubble around his face. He wears a purple cap with a yellow feather, a gold necklace with a red gemstone in it, a purple and yellow shirt, a black belt, and black pants.
After turning into the Binary Bard, his skin has turned pale, with the left side of his face turning mechanical. His left eye has turned into a red spyglass. He now wears a yellow and purple jester outfit.
Personality[]
Originally, Mordred was a kindhearted and passionate inventor, using his inventions for the good of the kingdom. A man well-renowned by the galaxy, Mordred was popular enough that his disappearance led to a group trying to contact him, even after so long.
After his imprisonment and modifications, the Binary Bard shifted from his once kind self and into a selfish and maniacal figure. Having no qualms with attacking the places he once knew as homes, kidnapping and destroying former allies, and generally having little to no regard for anyone other than himself, it's clear that the Binary Bard has fallen from the once peaceful man he once was.
The Binary Bard's most notable trait is his ingenious mind, having produced many machines for various purposes. As one of the brightest minds of the kingdom, he constantly seeks new ways to accomplish his goals, and seems impressed if someone finds a solution for him.
The Binary Bard also seems to have a bit of an ego, having hailed himself as the "Master of the Universe" before he even succeeded in his plans. He also boasts about the might of his machine right before his boss fight.
Trivia[]
- Mordred is directly based off of the character with the same name in the King Arthur mythos.
- The Binary Bard was voted as the #1 villain in Poptropica during the 2011 Villain Showdown.
- Originally, it was possible to use the customization tool to copy the Binary Bard's mechanical face and eye, alongside the rest of his outfit. This was later removed.
- The Binary Bard appears as a silhouette during a cutscene on Game Show Island using both of his designs.
[]
- Mordred on the Poptropica Wiki