| “ | Mmmmmmwee hee hee hee! I have no quarrel with you...but I simply can't allow you to hunt for the Crystal Stars. | „ |
| ~ Beldam |
Beldam is one of the two main antagonists (alongside Sir Grodus) of the 2004 video game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and its 2024 remake of the same name.
She is the leader of the Shadow Sirens (Three Shadows in the remake) and a loyal servant of the Shadow Queen. She, Marilyn, and Vivian successfully trick Sir Grodus and the X-Nauts into reviving the Shadow Queen, and pretend to aid the X-Nauts in their plans. She and the Shadow Sirens try to get the Crystal Stars and try to retrieve the Magical Map from Mario.
Biography[]
Past[]
Beldam and the Shadow Sirens served the Shadow Queen at some point before the events of the game. Beldam and the Shadow Sirens came up with a scheme to resurrect the Shadow Queen so they could serve her again after the four heroes vanquished and sealed her. Soon after a new town was built in place of the one that was destroyed by their mistress, they started spreading rumors about an old treasure hidden beyond the Thousand-Year Door, with the goal that someone would discover the Crystal Stars to break the barrier. They eventually find the Secret Society of X-Nauts and their leader Sir Grodus. They pretend to aid Grodus and the X-Nauts. Beldam takes advantage of Grodus's desire for world domination, and lies to him, telling him that the Shadow Queen will obey whoever wakes her and aid them in whatever they desire. Beldam also informed Grodus that a pure maiden was required for the Shadow Queen to be completely revived, and that all seven Crystal Stars were required to shatter the barrier on the Thousand-Year Door. Grodus was also told by Beldam about the Magical Map, which was hidden inside a treasure chest and had features similar to radar that could be used to locate the Crystal Stars. Because it could only be opened by someone with a pure heart, neither Grodus or Beldam were able to open it themselves because of their wicked and contaminated goals. They made the decision to have someone else open it for them after taking this into account.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door[]
Prologue[]
In the game's prologue, Beldam disguises as the merchant Princess Peach encounters, though the player does not know this until later on. She offers the princess a treasure chest, saying it won't open for her since she isn't pure-hearted. She then hands Peach the box, promising to give her whatever was inside if she could figure out how to open it. Her strategy works, and Peach gets her hands on the map that shows where the Crystal Stars are located. But too many witnesses were there at the moment, so she was unable to kidnap the princess. After telling Grodus about it, he kidnaps Peach. But because the map has already been shipped to Mario, Grodus has ordered the Shadow Sirens to pursue him.
Boggly Woods[]
At Boggly Woods, the Shadow Sirens are waiting for Mario and his group. But Beldam misplaced the sketch of Mario, accusing Vivian of being to blame, and took the necklace she discovered as punishment. The Sirens will not harm the player if he speaks with them. Marilyn seems to know who Mario is, but she is only allowed to utter "guh," so she can't inform the others. When Vivian tells Beldam that she KNEW it wasn't her fault later on after he discovers the sketch, Beldam becomes angry. So Mario and friends fight the witches, and when they lose, they run away, and the necklace is left behind.
Twilight Town[]
Later on, Grodus is informed by Beldam about the Superbombomb, a weapon that will undoubtedly destroy Mario. Despite his strained tolerance, he sends them on another task because he trusts her. When Beldam arrives in Twilight Town, Vivian replies that Beldam already had the lethal device when Beldam asks where it is. Beldam shouts at Vivian for being an idiot and threatens to punish her if she does not find it, while Beldam and Marilyn take "a well-earned siesta." Upon their return, they discover that Vivian has left (having joined Mario's party). Doopliss then replaces Vivian as the third Shadow Siren.
Chapter 6[]
Beldam reappeared in Chapter 6, listening in on a discussion between Mario and his partners about the location of the upcoming Crystal Star. Then she appears out of the shadows, taking them by surprise. She tells them she would like to get rid of them but that she doesn't think it would be a good idea to try that on its own. Instead, she promises to beat them to Poshley Heights to seek for it. Beldam's one and only goal during Mario and company's Excess Express voyage was to prevent them from getting to Poshley Heights at whatever cost. When Grodus dispatched Lord Crump to Twilight Town to fetch the Superbombbomb, her original plan to destroy the train while they were still on board was thwarted. After a short argument between Lord Crump and Bowser, the latter decided to blast the bomb by setting it on fire. Consequently, Beldam was forced to devise an alternative plan.
Beldam somehow learned that combining gold and seashells with Nitro Honey Syrup would result in a sticky explosion that would gooify the entire train and render all of the passengers immobile. In order to prevent suspicion, she had Doopliss board the train dressed as well-known actor Zip Toad. The Businessman's briefcase, which held crucial documents, Toodles' gold ring, and the Toad Waitress' shell earrings were then taken by Doopliss. Before the scheme could be carried out, though, Mario, his allies, and fellow "detective" Pennington were able to locate Doopliss; they recovered the stolen goods and returned them to their proper owners. "Zip Toad" returned into his true form after the train stopped at Riverside Station and took off. Mario is then informed by a Toad that a "suspicious shadowy person wearing a hat"—possibly Beldam—went into the terminal station and turned the switch. Furthermore, there were some tiny Smorgs left there as well. However, it was never made clear if they were formally associated with the Secret Society of X-Nauts, the Shadow Sirens, or both. As Mario and his companions reached Poshley Sanctum with Pennington, they discovered Beldam, Marilyn, and Doopliss had taken the Crystal Star. But as soon as they were gone, Pennington informed Mario and his companions that the "Crystal Star" they had taken was a copy and that the real one was someplace, skillfully, hidden within the sanctum.
Palace of Shadow[]
Even though Grodus and the Shadow Sirens had already lost six of the Crystal Stars to Mario and his companions, they came up with a strategy during the events of Chapters 7 and 8 to successfully open the Thousand-Year Door. Lord Crump was placed in charge of securing both the base and the Crystal Star that they had discovered in Rogueport earlier in the game by Grodus. Grodus had intended for Mario and friends to defeat him in order to get the Crystal Star and let them through the Thousand-Year Door. He believed that the conclusion would remain the same whether Lord Crump was successful in eliminating Mario and his allies or the other way around. Beldam (or Grodus) had Doopliss pose as Professor Frankly in order to fool Mario and company into opening the door after the professor was kidnapped and placed away in a closet. "Professor Frankly" informed the heroes that Grodus managed to enter the Palace of Shadow with Peach after finding a means to unlock the door without using the Crystal Stars. Once Mario and the others had passed through the door, Grodus and the Shadow Sirens had silently followed. In the meantime, Beldam and the Shadow Sirens waited for Mario and company in the "outside" area of the Palace of Shadow, and informed them that the "Professor Frankly" who persuaded them to open the Thousand-Year Door was none other than Doopliss (whom Beldam refers to as "Freak-Sheet", showing him almost as much disrespect as she did toward Vivian). Grodus was able to reach the palace's throne room (possibly after Gloomtail was defeated, as it was impossible to advance through the palace without the Star Key). The Shadow Sirens faced out against Mario and his allies once more, but were ultimately defeated.
Later, when Grodus was defeated by Mario and his allies along with Bowser and Kammy Koopa in a fight against them following Grodus' defeat, Grodus stole Peach and made his way to the Shadow Queen's final resting place. Grodus, announcing himself as the new global ruler, let out the Shadow Queen, whose very existence cast the entire planet into darkness. The Shadow Queen was then given Peach by Grodus as a vessel for her spirit. Grodus tells Peach to murder Mario and company after the Shadow Queen takes control of her, but she defies him and blows him to bits, declaring that she obeys no one. Following Grodus's second blow to the skull, Beldam, Marilyn, and Doopliss emerge. Beldam then informs the Shadow Queen that she was the real mastermind behind everything, having planned every event that took place in the game, including fooling Grodus, distributing the word about the fictitious riches, and locating a virgin for the Shadow Queen to live in. After applauding Beldam and the Shadow Sirens for their efforts, the Shadow Queen offers an invitation for Mario and company to join her. When Mario and the group refuses, they fight the Shadow Queen and vanquish her in the end thanks to Peach, the seven Crystal Stars, and the desires of all of their friends. After that, Peach returns to her usual self, and Beldam, Marilyn, and Doopliss retreat.
The Shadow Sirens reform at the end of the game, and they made amends with Vivian.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Each Shadow Siren's hat color references to one of their attacks. Beldam's hat is blue, and in the second encounter against the Shadow Sirens, she uses a blizzard attack to freeze Mario and his partner.
- Since the remake has included dialogue of Vivian being teased as a transgender woman, alongside her admitting that Beldam's treatment over her feels "heavier" because of it, many have gone on to accuse Beldam of being transphobic.
External Links[]
- Beldam on the Mario Wiki
- Beldam on the Super Mario
- Beldam on the Paper Mario Wiki
- Beldam on the Nintendo Wiki
