Mr Dark: Difference between revisions

| appears in = ''[[Rayman 1|Rayman]]'', ''[[Rayman Junior]]'', ''[[Rayman Designer]]'', ''[[English with Rayman]]'', [[Rayman (Game Boy Color)|''Rayman'' (Game Boy Color)]], ''[[Rayman 3]]'' (cameo), ''[[Rayman Origins]]'' (cameo), ''[[Rayman Mini]]''

| location = [[Mr Dark's Dare]], [[Arcane Forest]], [[Mr Dark's Lair]], [[the Lair of Dark]]

{{quote|text=A wicked character, he wants to spread evil all around him by taking over [[the Glade of Dreams|the magical world of Rayman]]. If he succeeds, he will make the world a dreadful place under a reign of terror and dictatorship.|sign=Official site|source=''[[Rayman Junior]]''<ref>''Rayman Junior'' official site, Mister Dark, http://web.archive.org/web/20020211202327/http://sites.ubisoft.fr/raymanedu/ami/ami2/dark.html</ref>}}

'''Mr Dark''' is [[Rayman]]'s arch-nemesis, and a major character in the [[Rayman (series)|''Rayman'' series]]. A diabolical and mysterious shape-shifting sorcerer, Mr Dark has attempted to disrupt the balance of [[the Glade of Dreams]] on several occasions, but is always thwarted by [[Rayman]]. His features are hidden beneath a shadowy cloak and hat, beneath which only his glowing yellow eyes can be seen. Mr Dark's first appearance is in [[Rayman 1|the original ''Rayman'' game]], where he acts as the main antagonist and final boss. He makes similar villainous appearances in ''[[Rayman Junior]]'', ''[[Rayman Designer]]'' and [[Rayman (Game Boy Color)|the Game Boy Color adaptation of ''Rayman'']]. Mr Dark was originally meant to return in ''[[Rayman Origins]]'', but he was cut from the final game and replaced with [[the Magician]], a secret admirer of his whom he inspired to become a villain.

==In ''Rayman'' and its spin-offs==

{{quote|text=You enter [[Candy Château|the world of desserts]] where Mister Dark is hidden, guarded by [[clown]]s carrying out amazing stunts... Be careful, Mister Dark is diabolical.|sign=Manual|source=''[[Rayman 1|Rayman]]''}}

===In ''Rayman Junior''===

[[File:RJMrDark 001.PNG|thumb|right|class=sprite|Mr Dark as seen in ''[[Rayman Junior]]'']]

Mr Dark also appears in ''[[Rayman Junior]]'', an educational spin-off of [[Rayman 1|the original ''Rayman'' game]]. In this game, he steals the [[Magic Book of Knowledge]] from [[the Magician]] and destroys a map to [[Mr Dark's lair|his hideout]] in [[Candy Château]]. He casts the same spells on [[Rayman]] as he did in [[Rayman 1|the original game]], but due to the game's educational nature, he doesn't fight as a boss at all. Once [[Rayman]] has solved the riddles on the parchment showing the way to [[Mr Dark's Lair|his hideout]] and been through his spells, Mr Dark doesn't appear any more and [[Rayman]] eventually finds [[Magic Book of Knowledge|the Book of Knowledge]].

 

===In ''Rayman Designer''===

===In the Game Boy Color version of ''Rayman''===

{{quote|text=The archenemy from ''[[Rayman 1]]'' returns. A stupedendous super villain, it was Mr Dark who stole the [[Great Protoon]] and sent the [[Electoon]]s scattering from its orbit. This series of events upset the harmonic balance of [[the Glade of Dreams|Rayman's world]] and a heroic fight followed.|sign=Official site|source=''[[Rayman Origins]]''}}

In a May 2011 interview with ''Jeux Vidéo Magazine'', Gabrielle Shrager, the lead writer of ''[[Rayman Origins]]'', stated that "We will probably see how Mr Dark became what he is".<ref>''Jeux Vidéo Magazine'', Exclusif Rayman Origins, [[:File:Jeux video page 47.jpg]]</ref> When the second trailer of ''[[Rayman Origins]]'' showed a brief glimpse of a [[Teensie]] with a top hat and a dark cloak, standing on a stone platform and surrounded by [[Antitoon|Darktoons]] and [[Psychlops]], it was speculated that this was Mr Dark. Several months later, clearer artwork of the character was released on the official website, explicitly stating that the [[Teensie]] in question was indeed Mr Dark, and adding that "The archenemy from ''[[Rayman 1]]'' returns".<ref>raymanorigins.uk.ubi.com, Characters, http://web.archive.org/web/20111112121327/http://raymanorigins.uk.ubi.com/#characters-4</ref>

However, Mr Dark was cut from the game at some point during development, and replaced with [[the Magician]], for which the developers reused his new appearance as a [[Teensie]], with only small modifications such as shortening his hair and removing the swirl on his nose. He nonetheless remained available as an avatar on the PlayStation Store, along with the [[soldier]] and the [[piranha]], two other types of enemies also featured on the same section of the official website and also cut from the final game.<ref>psprices.com, Rayman Origins Mr. Dark Avatar, https://psprices.com/region-us/game/269728/rayman-origins-mr-dark-avatar</ref><ref>PS Deals, Rayman® Origins Mr. Dark Avatar, https://psdeals.net/us-store/game/717237/rayman-origins-mr-dark-avatar-</ref>

In [[the Reveal]], one of the final levels of the game, the heroes discover that [[the Magician]] is the one responsible for the evil steampunk empire of the [[Moody Clouds]]. A diagram on the wall of his office explains that he has been collecting the heroes' [[Lum (UbiArt games)|Lums]] throughout the game and using them to power his machines. In response to his cover being blown, [[the Magician]] rips the golden star off his top hat, showing more clearly his resemblance with Mr Dark. Additionally, on the walls are some posters with pictures of Mr Dark's silhouette, and one with "♥ Mister D" written on it, revealing that he is an admirer of Mr Dark.<ref>Gabrielle Shrager clarifies the identity of the villain of ''[[Rayman Origins]]'', [[:File:Gabrielle Shrager Facebook conversation.jpg]]</ref>

An [[Rayman Origins (early production)|early version of the game's script]], found within the files of the game's [[List of Rayman demos|demo]], contains unused dialogue which indicates that in this scrapped scenario, [[the Magician]] was a fan and admirer of Mr Dark, and desired to be as mysterious and evil as him; one of his lines is "I always wanted to be like Mr. Dark: mysterious, dark!...um, dark and mysterious..". The script also reveals that [[the Magician]]'s real name would have been Ales Mansay, and that he became embittered and corrupted when he was bullied at magic school for his poor magical abilities. He eventually disguised himself as his hero, Mr Dark, and hid a microphone in [[the Snoring Tree]] to start a war between [[Rayman]] and the [[Livid Dead]] while he himself set to work building an army of mechas (powered by the [[Lum (UbiArt games)|Lums]] given to him by the clueless heroes) that he could use to take over [[the Glade of Dreams]] and free it from the rule of [[Polokus]], whom he considered to be an ineffectual and useless leader, unable to protect his people from his own nightmares. It is unknown why this plot was scrapped from the final game, and all that is left of it is the posters on the walls in [[the Magician]]'s headquarters, indicating that the part about him being an admirer of Mr Dark still holds true.

Although Mr Dark does not appear in the game, he is featured in an artwork included in a leaked early build of the game.

[[File:Rayman Jungle Run Early Art WP23.jpg|thumb|left|Mr Dark seen commanding an army of [[Darktoon|Darktoons]]]]

 

{{quote|text=I see that you're tougher than you look, let's see how I'll break you! The rule is simple, every day I'll launch several challenges for you! 3 per contract. If you fulfill those challenges I'll give you a reward. But beware, these challenges are not for the faint-hearted, the higher your [[Level of Awesomeness|awesomeness]] is, the harder the challenge... And the bigger the reward.|sign=Mr Dark|source=''[[Rayman Mini]]''}}

Mr Dark comes into a new game mode bearing his name. To access it, the player must first recover five [[skull]]s hidden in Adventure mode levels. In his mode, the sorcerer offers the player various contracts, which indicate challenges to be achieved in the levels of ''[[Rayman Mini]]''. If they are successful, the player gets various rewards. These, as well as the difficulty of the challenges, depending on the [[Level of Awesomeness|level of awesomeness]].

==In other games==

[[File:2D Madness ending.png|thumb|320px|A picture of Mr Dark can be seen on the floor to the left at the ending of ''[[Rayman 3]]'''s [[2D Madness]] minigame. This represents Mr Dark's only appearance in a 3D [[Rayman (series)|''Rayman'' game]] to date.]]

 

 

 

While Mr Dark does not appear in ''[[Rayman in the Phantom Show]]'', the third DLC of ''[[Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope]]'', replicas of his hat and cloak can be found hanging on a wall in the [[Space Opera Network#Backing Studio|Backing Studio]].

==References==