Skullmaster - Lord Of Evil
| “ | Time to die, Chosen One! | „ |
| ~ Skull Master |
Skullmaster was the main villain of the cartoon series "Mighty Max". In spite of his unimpressive name, he was easily one of the most terrifying villains ever to come out of the world of cartoons.
History
The archenemy of the "Mighty One", Skullmaster is an ancient fusion of warrior and sorcerer whose lust for power has driven him to destroy at least two civilizations - the Lemurians and the Atlanteans.
He destroyed the Lemurians out of wrath when they wouldn't give him the secrets of the key, and he used the souls of Atlantis to power his Crystal of Souls. At some point, he was imprisoned deep within the earth, where he sealed the reigning king, Lava Lord, into solid rock and took control of his minions. During the second season, Skullmaster was free to roam the earth and proceeded to cause all kinds of trouble until he was defeated once more by the new "Mighty One" - Max.
Powers and Abilities
Skullmaster was a fearsome warrior and strategist, commanding legions of rock monsters, skeletal turtle creatures, giant crab-like creatures and lava beasts before Lava Lord escaped his captivity and the lava beasts returned to his rule. After escaping from the center of the Earth he also freed another of his servants, a giant dragon that served as his primary mode of transport. It may also have been the source of the "blood of the dragon," a potion Skullmaster forced his human minions to drink to turn them into "Zilards," evil reptilian creatures.
His most powerful weapon was the Crystal of Souls, a magic gem energized by captive souls. He could use it to see events from afar, command the soulless husks of those whose souls it contained to do his bidding, and entomb an enemy alive in rock (which the victim might well have only survived thanks to being living rock already). Its powers were so great he was able to use it to sink Atlantis and to resurrect many of Mighty Max's other enemies during the series finale. In the end he intended to use it as part of a ritual (along with Max's magic hat) to gain control over the flow of time itself. For unknown reasons he could not use it to free himself from the center of the Earth.
Probably's Skullmaster's greatest asset was his cunning mind. In one instance he anticipated the treachery of his servant Warmonger, who appeared to use a stolen magical rune to kill him but which Skullmaster had built a plan around him doing so. This plan succeeded in forcing Mighty Max to use up a powerful magic spell that might've stopped Skullmaster himself to prevent another disaster of Skullmaster's own creation.
Trivia
- He was voiced by Tim Curry, who has portrayed villains like Drake, Maestro Forte, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Hexxus, Lord Dragaunus, Kilokahn, Long John Silver, Pennywise, Captain Hook (Peter Pan and the Pirates), and Doviculus.