The Shadow Sirens (The Three Shadows in the Switch remake) are the main antagonists (along with the Secret Society of X-Nauts) of the 2004 video game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and its 2024 remake of the same name.

They consist of Beldam, Marilyn, Vivian and Doopliss (who later replaces Vivian after her defection). They aid Sir Grodus and the X-Naut Legion in their quest for Crystal Stars and attempt to retrieve the Magical Map from Mario and his friends. They are the three that the Shadow Queen sees as her best and most loyal followers. They trick Sir Grodus into believing that the Shadow Queen can be controlled by him, which ended in his near demise and successfully bringing the queen back into the world. After the Shadow Queen's defeat, both Beldam and Marilyn reform and restore their relationship with Vivian.

The Sirens[]

Beldam[]

Beldam is the leader of the Shadow Sirens and the overall main antagonist of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, as she is later revealed to be the true mastermind behind the plot of the game. Sometime prior to the events that took place in the story, Beldam, Marilyn and possibly Vivian were servants of the Shadow Queen. After she was defeated and sealed by the four heroes, Beldam and the Shadow Sirens devised a plan to reawaken the Shadow Queen so they could serve her once more. They soon began to spread rumors of an ancient treasure that has been sealed behind the Thousand-Year Door in the hopes that someone would find the Crystal Stars in order to open the seal.

Eventually, they came across the extraterrestrial organization known as the Secret Society of X-Nauts and acquainted themselves with their leader, Sir Grodus; they then joined him and enlisted in his services, pretending to be nothing more than hired help. Taking advantage of Grodus' desire to rule the world, Beldam and the Shadow Sirens told him a lie, saying that the Shadow Queen will obey whoever wakes her and aid him in his quest for world domination. Beldam also told Grodus that all seven Crystal Stars were needed to break the seal on the Thousand-Year Door and that a pure maiden was needed in order for the Shadow Queen to be fully revived. Beldam also informed Grodus of the Magical Map that was contained inside of a treasure chest, which had radar-like functions that would allow anyone to track down the location of the Crystal Stars. However, neither Grodus or Beldam were able to open it themselves due to their evil and tainted ambitions, as it could only be opened by someone who is pure of heart. Taking this into consideration, they decided to have someone else open it for them.

Putting their plan into action, Beldam decides to go to the city of Rogueport to look for a pure maiden, and just so happened to find one in the form of Princess Peach. Disguised as an old merchant, Beldam sold Peach the treasure chest containing the map in the hopes of stealing it back (as well as kidnapping Peach in the process). However, a "strange old man" (as well as many other witnesses) were around at the time, causing Beldam to withdraw from the mission. As a result of Beldam's failure to steal the map, Princess Peach ended up mailing it to Mario, inviting him to go on a treasure hunt with her. However, by the time Mario arrived at Rogueport, Peach had already gotten herself kidnapped by the X-Nauts (who also managed to find the Crystal Star while they were there). Grodus interrogated Peach for a little while, asking about the whereabouts of the map. Peach refused to tell him, but accidentally does so anyway after one of the X-Naut soldiers told Grodus that a "dude in a red shirt and blue overalls" defeated Hooktail and obtained the Diamond Star. From there, it was confirmed that Mario had the map and Grodus makes it his sole mission to steal that map from him at all costs, so he sends Beldam, Marilyn and Vivian to Boggly Woods in order to do so, but not before giving them a sketch so they will know what Mario looks like when they come across him.

Due to the fact that the sketch had gotten "misplaced", none of the Shadow Sirens (except for Marilyn, apparently) recognized Mario when they saw him. Beldam then blamed it on Vivian, claiming that she was the one who lost it (when in actuality, it was Beldam herself). Vivian tried to tell Beldam that she never had it, but Beldam did not listen and continued yelling at her, and decided to punish her by taking the necklace that she found. However, Beldam eventually found the sketch, and recognized Mario as soon as he came back (since he and his partners were trying to find the necklace that Beldam took from Vivian, which belonged to Flurrie). Shortly after that, the Shadow Sirens engaged Mario and company in battle, and were defeated. Beldam, humiliated by her defeat, blames it all on Marilyn and Vivian, telling them to prepare for a "world-class punishment session" when they get home (although Vivian was most likely the only one who got punished, despite Beldam's claim of punishing them both). After that, they retreat and return to the base, leaving the necklace behind.

Twilight Town[]

Later on, Beldam informs Grodus of the Superbombbomb, a new weapon that she prepared that would bring Mario to a "quick and certain end". Although he was displeased with her previous failures and was beginning to lose his patience, Grodus still trusted her words, and sent Beldam, Marilyn and Vivian on yet another mission. This time, they were sent to Twilight Town, which was Mario and company's next destination. Somehow, Beldam managed to lose the Superbombbomb, and once again blamed Vivian. Beldam yelled at Vivian once more, talking about how much of a "useless little fool" she was. Then, Beldam decided to leave Vivian outside to search for the Superbombbomb while she and Marilyn go to take a "well-earned siesta", once again threatening to punish her if she does not. After Beldam and Marilyn were finished with their nap, they find that Vivian's no longer there (as she had recently joined Mario's party). Shortly thereafter, Doopliss, who was just defeated by Mario and Vivian, came rushing by. From there, Beldam recruited him as a new member of the Shadow Sirens (and thus a new member of the Secret Society of X-Nauts as well).

Beldam was seen again during Chapter 6, where she eavesdropped on a conversation that Mario and his partners were having, concerning the whereabouts of the next Crystal Star. She then emerges from the shadows, startling them in the process. She tells them that she would like to dispose of them, but feels that trying that alone would not be wise, so she instead tells them that she will beat them to Poshley Heights to look for it. During Mario and company's ride on the Excess Express, Beldam made it her sole mission to stop them from reaching Poshley Heights at any cost. She originally intended to use the Superbombbomb to destroy the train while they were still on board, but that plan was foiled when Grodus sent Lord Crump to Twilight Town to retrieve it. Lord Crump soon ended up getting into a quarrel with Bowser, who decided to detonate the bomb by blowing fire on it. As a result, Beldam had to come up with another strategy.

Somehow, Beldam found out about what would happen if Nitro Honey Syrup was mixed with seashells and gold, which is a sticky explosion that would gooify the entire train and immobilize everyone on board. She then had Doopliss board the train disguised as the famous actor Zip Toad, so that no one would suspect anything. After that, Doopliss stole the Businessman's briefcase (which contained important documents), Toodles' Gold Ring, and the Toad Waitress' Shell Earrings. However, Mario, his partners, and fellow "detective" Pennington managed to track Doopliss down before the plan could be completed; they retrieved the stolen items and gave them back to their rightful owners. After the train stopped at Riverside Station, "Zip Toad" reverted back to his true self and ran off. A Toad then tells Mario that a "suspicious shadowy person wearing a hat" (which may have been Beldam) went into the terminal station to flip the switch. Not only that, but a bunch of small Smorgs were left there as well. However, it was never revealed whether or not they had any official connection to the Shadow Sirens and/or the Secret Society of X-Nauts. By the time Mario and company arrived at Poshley Sanctum alongside Pennington, they found Beldam, Marilyn and Doopliss stealing the Crystal Star. As soon as they left, however, Pennington revealed to Mario and company that "Crystal Star" they stole was a fake, and told them that the real one was cleverly hidden within the sanctum somewhere.

Palace of Shadow[]

During the events of Chapter 7 and 8, Grodus and the Shadow Sirens devised a plan to successfully open the Thousand-Year Door, despite the fact that they had already lost six of the Crystal Stars to Mario and his allies. Grodus left Lord Crump in charge of guarding the base, as well as the Crystal Star that they found in Rogueport prior to the beginning of the game. Grodus had planned for Mario and company to defeat him so that they could obtain the Crystal Star and open the Thousand-Year Door for them. He felt that regardless of whether or not Lord Crump succeeded in destroying Mario and his partners, or if it was the other way around, then it would still achieve the same effect regardless of the outcome. After abducting Professor Frankly and having him stuffed in a closet somewhere, Beldam (or Grodus) had Doopliss disguise himself as the professor to trick Mario and company into opening the door. "Professor Frankly" told the heroes that Grodus somehow found a way to open the door without the Crystal Stars, and ended up entering the Palace of Shadow with Peach. As soon as Mario and company went through the door, Grodus and the Shadow Sirens followed them in secrecy. Grodus managed to get to the palaces' throne room (possibly after Gloomtail was defeated, since it was impossible to advance through the palace without the Star Key), while Beldam and the Shadow Sirens, on the other hand, waited for Mario and company in the "outside" area of the Palace of Shadow, and revealed to them that the "Professor Frankly" that convinced them to open the Thousand-Year Door was none other than Doopliss (whom Beldam refers to as "Freak-Sheet", showing him almost the same amount of disrespect she showed toward Vivian). The Shadow Sirens once again engaged Mario and his associates in combat, and ended up suffering another defeat.

Later on, after Mario and company defeated Bowser and Kammy Koopa, who literally "dropped in" after Grodus' defeat, Grodus took Peach and managed to escape to the Shadow Queen's resting place. Declaring himself the new ruler of the world, Grodus unleashed the Shadow Queen, which literally covered the world in darkness by her mere presence. Grodus then presented Peach to the Shadow Queen as a vessel for her spirit. After the Shadow Queen possessed Peach, Grodus orders her to destroy Mario and company, but she refuses and blasts him to pieces, saying that she takes orders from no one. After the second strike to Grodus' head, Beldam, Marilyn and Doopliss appear. Beldam then explains to the Shadow Queen that she orchestrated all of the events that took place in the game, from tricking Grodus, spreading the rumor of the false treasure, and finding a pure maiden for the Shadow Queen to inhabit, thus making her the true mastermind behind everything. The Shadow Queen then congratulates Beldam and the Shadow Sirens for their work, and then offers Mario and company a chance to join her. They refuse, and engage the Shadow Queen in combat, eventually defeating her with the help of the seven Crystal Stars, Peach and the wishes of all of their friends. Peach is then changed back into her normal self, and Beldam, Marilyn and Doopliss retreat.

Marilyn[]

Marilyn is the strong but silent one of the group, only speaking two words in the entire game and otherwise communicating through grunts and laughter. Not much is known about her because of this. She follows Beldam everywhere and follows her orders no matter what. After Beldam's failed attempt to abduct Princess Peach and steal the map from her after the chest was opened (due to the fact that there were many witnesses around), she had no choice but to flee and return to the base. Sometime later, after Mario and his partners defeated Hooktail and obtained the Diamond Star, an X-Naut soldier informed Grodus of this, and he sent the Shadow Sirens on a mission to ambush Mario at Boggly Woods and steal the map from him. Before then, Grodus gave them a sketch of Mario so they will know what he looks like when they come across him. Unfortunately, Beldam somehow managed to lose that sketch, and as a result, none of the Shadow Sirens recognized Mario when they came across him. None of them except for Marilyn, that is. However, this is one of the rare instances in which Beldam could not understand a word she was saying, so she ignored her and continued yelling at Vivian, who she blamed for losing the sketch that was given to them. Eventually, they managed to find the sketch and recognized Mario as soon as he and his partners returned to get necklace that Beldam took from Vivian, which belonged to Flurrie. The Shadow Sirens (including Marilyn, making this the only time she spoke in the game) introduced themselves to Mario and company, and revealed their intention to steal the magical map from them so they could obtain the rest of the Crystal Stars. Shortly afterward, the Shadow Sirens engaged Mario and his associates in combat and were eventually defeated. Beldam then blamed their defeat on both Marilyn and Vivian, telling them to "prepare for a world-class punishment session when [they] get home". After that, the Shadow Sirens fled and returned to the X-Naut fortress, leaving the necklace behind in the process.

Later on, up at the X-Naut Fortress, Grodus ridiculed the Shadow Sirens for their failure to steal the map from Mario, but Beldam then told him about the Superbombomb, a weapon that she prepared that would bring Mario to a "quick and certain end". Although Grodus was displeased with their previous failures and was beginning to lose his patience, he still trusted Beldam's word, and sent the Shadow Sirens to Twilight Town, Mario and company's next destination. Before they could use the Superbombomb, however, Beldam ended up losing that, too, just as she did with the sketch, and once again blamed Vivian for it. After that, Vivian was left to search for it while she and Marilyn go to take a "well-earned siesta". After they finished their nap, Marilyn and Beldam found that Vivian was no longer there (as she had recently joined Mario's party). After that, Doopliss, who was just defeated by Mario and Vivian, came rushing by, and was soon recruited as a new member of the Shadow Sirens, and thus a new member of the Secret Society of X-Nauts as well.

She, Beldam and Doopliss were seen at Poshley Sanctum stealing what was thought to be the Garnet Star. After stealing it, the Shadow Sirens fled from the scene. Mario and his partners were about to chase them, but Pennington, the Sanctum Manager, told them that the "Crystal Star" they stole was a fake, and that the real one was cleverly hidden somewhere within the Sanctum.

By the time Mario and his partners reach the Palace of Shadow, they confronted the Shadow Sirens again. Beldam then revealed to them that they were tricked into opening the Thousand-Year Door by Doopliss, who was disguised as Professor Frankly. As it turns out, they managed to abduct the professor sometime during the events of Chapter 7, and had him stuffed in a closet somewhere. After that, the Shadow Sirens engaged Mario and his allies in combat once more, but ended up suffering another defeat.

Sometime later, after Mario and company managed to defeat Bowser and Kammy Koopa, who literally "dropped in" unexpectedly after Grodus' defeat, Grodus somehow regained consciousness and took Princess Peach down to the Shadow Queen's resting place. Grodus told Mario and company his motive for kidnapping Peach, declared himself the ruler of the world and released the Shadow Queen, who managed to cover the world in darkness with her mere presence. Grodus presented Peach to the Shadow Queen so that she could be used as a vessel for her spirit. After the Shadow Queen possessed Peach's body, Grodus orders her to destroy Mario and company, but she refuses and instead blasts Grodus to pieces, stating that she takes orders from no one. After the second strike to Grodus' head, the Shadow Sirens appeared and explained to the Shadow Queen that they were the ones truly responsible for reviving her. The Shadow Queen congratulated them for the work, and then offered Mario and his allies a chance to join her. They, of course, refused, and engaged her in combat. They eventually managed to defeat the demon with the power of the Crystal Stars, Princess Peach, and the wishes of all their friends. After the Shadow Queen was defeated, Beldam, Marilyn and Doopliss retreated.

Vivian (defected)[]

Vivian is the youngest member of The Shadow Sirens. Her first appearance in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is in Chapter 2, when the Shadow Sirens were sent by Grodus to ambush Mario. Grodus gives the three a picture, and they go to Boggly Woods. Vivian found Flurrie's Necklace while going there. However, Beldam loses the picture and blames Vivian for it, taking away the necklace from Vivian. When Mario passes by again, it is discovered that Beldam had the picture all along, but she's still angry at Vivian and insists that it's somehow her fault. They then challenge Mario to a fight. In this fight, Vivian is the middle strongest of the party and uses magic. After they are defeated, they run away, leaving behind Flurrie's Necklace. Vivian hesitates and goes back to get it, but ends up leaving.

Later on, at the Creepy Steeple, Mario fights Doopliss, a Duplighost. He steals Mario's body and identity, leaving Mario as a shadow. Meanwhile, Vivian and the Sirens have got an 'infallible' plan. They have a weapon that will surely wipe out Mario: the Superbombomb. However, it is lost, presumably by Beldam, but once again, she blamed it on Vivian. She then forces Vivian to search for it while she and Marilyn take a nap at the local inn. When Mario returns to Twilight Town, he finds Vivian searching for the Superbombomb. Possibly because he believes it will be used to eradicate the doppleganger, Mario finds it for Vivian, but they soon find that the bomb is broken. Vivian then gets saddened, saying that she was probably "meant to be punished for life", but Mario cheers her up. Vivian then asks Mario his name, but Mario is unable to say his name, and he tells his story to Vivian. She is shocked to hear that his name has been stolen, as such things do not often happen. Vivian decides to repay his kindness and help him get his name, identity and body back.

When Mario and Vivian finally reach Doopliss' room in Creepy Steeple again, they battle him along with all Mario's old partners, who think Doopliss is Mario. Vivian feels like a fool upon realizing that the one she was helping was Mario, and for a few turns, will not help Mario in battle. However, after two turns, Vivian returns because Mario was nicer to her than her siblings ever were. After Doopliss is defeated, Mario's partners ask why Mario would join up with a Shadow Siren, Mario stands up for her and Vivian joins Mario for good. Throughout her travels, Vivian seems to develop a friendship with one of Mario's other partners, Goombella. At the very end of Mario's adventure, Beldam and Marilyn end their villainous activities and promise not to mistreat Vivian again. When Mario is preparing to leave Rogueport, Vivian is about to tell Mario that she has a crush on him, but decides otherwise, telling him that she thinks he and Princess Peach will make a good couple.

Doopliss[]

Following Vivian's defection to Mario's side and his defeat at their hands, Doopliss takes Vivian's place as the third member of the Shadow Sirens. However, like Vivian, Beldam does not treat him any better.

Epilogue[]

Following the Shadow Queen's defeat, Beldam, Marilyn and Doopliss redeem themselves and renounce their evil ways. Beldam and Marilyn reconcile with Vivian and promise to treat her better, while Doopliss becomes an actor in a stage production of the game's events with Mario's companion Flurrie, using his duplication powers to play the role of Mario.

Quotes[]

Beldam[]

Marilyn[]

Vivian[]

Trivia[]

• In the Japanese version of their first appearance in Chapter 2, instead of Beldam taunting Vivian for saying "Three Shadow Beauties", she actually says it correctly, but Beldam taunts her for saying sisters when they already knew that she was transgender, and Beldam calls her a "man" (instead of Plug-Ugly). This is because Vivian was originally depicted as a transgender woman in all versions except the English and German ones. The English and German translations of the remake restore Vivian's status as a transwoman, with her mentioning that Beldam has been treating her much worse since she came out.
• Before the fight against the final boss, it seems that Shadow Queen remembers Beldam and Marilyn, but not Vivian. It can be that she appeared after Shadow Queen's first defeat, because she did not know their real motives.
• If the player does not use the Tattle ability on any of the Shadow Sirens in the first battle, only Vivian's Tattle Log appears in the yellow bin in Professor Frankly's home, but not the rest of her sisters. This foreshadows Vivian's redemption and the second battle against Beldam and Marilyn in the Palace of Shadow.
• All three Shadow Sisters are redeemed, but Vivian is the only one who served as one of Mario's friends and partners.
• The color of each Shadow Siren's hat is a reference to their attacks. Beldam's hat is blue, while she can use blizzard to freeze Mario and his partner in the second battle. Marilyn's hat is yellow, while she can use thunder to attack in the second battle. Vivian's hat is red, while she can use many fire attacks as Mario's Partner.

External Links[]

• Three Shadows on the Mario Wiki
• Three Shadows on the Super Mario
• Three Shadows on the Paper Mario Wiki
• Three Shadows on the Nintendo Wiki

Navigation[]

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