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{{quote|GAAACK-ACK-ACK-ACK-ACK!!|Sir Grodus|Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door}}
{{character infobox
 
|image=[[File:PMTTYDNS Sir Grodus Artwork.png|200px]]<br>Artwork from ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'' (Nintendo Switch)
{{ttydenemy
|first_appearance=''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'' ([[List of games by date#2004|2004]])
|PM2=yes
|latest_appearance=''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)|Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'' ([[Nintendo Switch]]) ([[List of games by date#2024|2024]])
|image=[[Image:Grodus.jpg|200px]]
|hp=50
|atk=7
|def=1
|items=None
|moves=Thunderbolt (7), Flamethrower (6), Ice Beam (5), Time Stop, Counter, Turn Dodgy
|location=[[X-Naut Fortress]] (Peach Intermissions), [[Palace of Shadow]]
|log= The nasty creature who kidnapped Princess Peach. He's into world domination. Some hobby, huh?
|tattle=That's Grodus! He's the head of the X-Nauts who kidnapped Peach. But... when he has Grodus Xs surrounding him, his Defense will go up by that number. He may also use electricity, fire, and time-stopping magic. That doesn't sound good! Still, he's a totally weird guy. Why's he so intense and serious all the time? I guess we don't have time to worry about that. Let's beat him and find Peach!
|before=[[Lord Crump|119]]
|#=120
|after=[[Beldam|121]]
}}
}}
{{quote|And then I, Grodus, will build a new world! A perfect, ideal world... Yes. A world made by me, about me, and for me! GAAACK ACK ACK ACK ACK!|Grodus|Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door}}
'''Grodus''', referred to as '''Sir Grodus''' by his underlings, is the supreme leader of the [[X-Nauts (organization)|X-Nauts]] and the main antagonist of ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'' and [[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)|its remake]]. The organization consists of [[X-Naut]]s, a band of thugs determined to capture the [[Crystal Stars]] before [[Mario]] so they can dominate the world with the treasure behind [[the Thousand-Year Door]].
==History==
===Background===
Prior to the start of ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'', Grodus learns of the [[Shadow Queen]] buried beneath Rogueport from the [[Three Shadows]]. Grodus soon begins his plans to find the Crystal Stars and use them to revive the Queen in order to conquer the world. He learns the location of three of the Crystal Stars ([[Hooktail Castle]], [[the Great Tree]], and [[Rogueport Underground]]), and the Three Shadows inform him that a "pure maiden" is needed as a host for the Queen. The X-Naut organization eventually comes into possession of the Magic Map's treasure chest, though Grodus was unable to open it. He then decides to use the chest as a way of finding the pure maiden, since only a pure person can open it.


'''Sir Grodus''' is the supreme leader of the extraterrestrial organization called the [[Secret Society of the X-Nauts]] and the main villain in ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]''. The organization consists of [[X-Naut]]s, a band of thugs determined to capture the [[Crystal Stars]] before [[Mario]], so they can dominate the world with the treasure behind the [[Palace of Shadow|Thousand Year Door]]. He kidnaps [[Princess Peach]] to use her as an offering to the treasure behind the Thousand-Year Door, the 1,000-year-old demon, the [[Shadow Queen]].
===''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door''===
By the time the story starts, Grodus has obtained the Crystal Star found in Rogueport Underground, which ends up under tight security in the [[X-Naut Fortress|Fortress]] on the [[Moon]]. With this in hand, Grodus sends the Three Shadows to find a pure maiden for his plans. At [[Rogueport]], Beldam eventually finds Princess Peach, a suitable candidate to be the maiden, but since there were too many witnesses for her to kidnap Peach, Grodus loses his patience and sends some X-Nauts to abduct her themselves. After Grodus is given Peach, he is annoyed to find that Peach does not have the map, having already sent it to [[Mario]]. Hoping to gather more information on the Crystal Stars, he sends [[Lord Crump]] back to Rogueport.


[[File:GrodusPeach.png|thumb|left|Sir Grodus interrogating Peach]]
After failing to acquire any more information on the Crystal Stars, Lord Crump reports back to Grodus, who began setting his plans in order. Grodus' first appearance is when he is interrogating the princess about the whereabouts of the map. Peach accidentally reveals that Mario is the one who is going after the Stars, letting him know that he has the map. Afterwards, Grodus sends Lord Crump to the Great Tree to speed up the search, and sends the Three Shadows to steal the map from Mario. Mario, however, is able to defeat both of them, infuriating Grodus. After Mario successfully obtains the third Crystal Star, Grodus calls the Three Shadows once again to stop Mario, though this plan ended miserably.


At the Fortress, Grodus instructs [[TEC|TEC-XX]], who he designed to be the "perfect computer", to keep an eye on Peach, but TEC ends up becoming infatuated with Peach and helping her foil Grodus' plans. He continues to send his minions out to stop Mario, such as Lord Crump to [[Keelhaul Key]] and [[Doopliss]] to the [[Excess Express]], though they are always stopped due to Mario's intervention. As his plans continue to fail, Peach and TEC obtain Grodus' data disk that outlines all the aspects of his plans. With the disk, TEC is able to ultimately prepare for Peach to escape.


== Personality ==
Grodus eventually finds out that TEC has been letting Peach in and out of her cell and has been hacking into other files that he was forbidden to go into. He shuts down TEC just as TEC prepared to let Peach escape and then takes her to the Thousand-Year Door, leaving the Fortress and the final Crystal Star under the command of Lord Crump. However, Grodus planned for Crump's eventual defeat, forgetting about sending his minions after Mario and his team to steal the other Stars from him and knowing that he could trick the heroes into opening the Thousand-Year Door for him. While Mario and his team attack the fortress, Grodus had Doopliss abduct [[Professor Frankly]] and disguise himself as the professor, using the guise to convince Mario to open the door. Once it is opened, Grodus enters and waits patiently for Mario in the [[Palace of Shadow]]'s throne room.
Sir Grodus is presented as a serious, short-tempered, and emotionless villain bent on nothing, but total world conquest. Grodus is 100% devoted to taking control of the world and every action he performs is aimed at that goal. Taking his plans and operations extremely seriously, Grodus will stop at nothing to obtain his desires.


Despite being outwardly calm on most occasions, Grodus's desires often drive him to appear insane, almost psychotic on some occasions. Whenever discussing the prospect of his plans, he goes off into a maddened laughter that becomes more and more frequent as the story unfolds. This can be seen as a true reflection of his obsession and just how desperate he is to rule the world and remake it into a "perfect world."
After Mario confronts Grodus at the Palace, he reveals he tricked Mario into collecting the Crystal Stars to open the Thousand-Year Door. Grodus then engages Mario in battle, using various forms of magic and technology to aid him, though he ends up badly weakened. Not accepting defeat, he reveals Princess Peach imprisoned in a compact force field, threatening her life if Mario refuses to surrender. As Mario stands motionless, Grodus attempts to attack him, but the ceiling comes crashing down on him, being crushed by [[Bowser]] and [[Kammy Koopa]] who fall through the ceiling.  


Grodus has shown no form of emotion other than anger and bitterness, mostly directed at his henchmen for failing their many tasks. He does not care for anybody or anything other than himself and will willingly take the lives of his own followers in order to insure his own benefit. This is shown when Grodus does not tell Lord Crump of his plans of Mario defeating Crump. Grodus appears to have as much compassion and sympathy for his own associates as his enemies, showing mostly everyone around him as little respect as possible. Grodus also sees Mario’s relationship with Peach as a weakness and was ready to murder Peach if Mario refused to surrender.
While Mario fights Bowser and Kammy, Grodus escapes to the resting place of the Shadow Queen with Peach. Once Mario defeats Bowser and Kammy, he goes down to the Queen's resting place, where Grodus is waiting. Declaring himself as the new ruler of the world, Grodus summons the Shadow Queen, presenting Peach as a vessel for the Queen's spirit. Unfortunately, when Grodus tries to order the Shadow Queen to destroy Mario, the Shadow Queen does not obey and blasts him, destroying his body and leaving him as merely a head. The Queen attacks him again, apparently finishing him. The Three Shadows then appear to explain that they tricked Grodus into thinking that he could control the Queen in order to revive her.


Along with stereotypical villain traits, Grodus is also shown to be highly intelligent. He is shown to be very skilled at technology for the simple fact that his fortress and all his equipment are constructed from technological advancements that exceed those found anywhere in the Mushroom Kingdom. His technology goes as far as manipulating magic and using it at his whim.
[[File:XNautsinPoshleyHeights.png|thumb|Grodus, Lord Crump, and the X-Nauts at Poshley Heights during the ending]]


Grodus also always thinks ahead and is never ready or willing to admit defeat. He always has backup plans in case his original plans fall. He has shown to be very manipulative, even to his own organization, in order to play out his plans exactly as he imagined them. This tactic often works and is primarily the reason why Grodus came so close to throwing the world into endless despair and chaos.
In the game’s epilogue, as narrated by [[Goombella]], Grodus is revealed to still be alive, residing in [[Poshley Heights]] alongside Lord Crump and some X-Nauts, and has reportedly changed for the better. How Lord Crump and Grodus managed to survive remains unexplained.


Grodus’s faults, which ultimately led to his demise, are his arrogance and overconfidence. He underestimated Mario’s abilities, especially in his battle with him, and believed that Mario could never overcome all the trials that have been placed before him. Grodus’s arrogance led to his ultimate defeat in which he attempted to command the Shadow Queen even after she displayed that she is not so easily controlled. This mistake led to the destruction of his entire body at the hands of the Shadow Queen and nearly killed him.
He has the same role in the remake, though with minor dialogue changes, such as prior to the Shadow Queen's revival when he makes explicit to Mario and his partners that the Crystal Stars would unseal the coffin that holds her.


Grodus remains alive in some state at least partially. It is unlikly that he will return however as it is strongly hinted that he won't at the end of the game.
===''Super Mario-kun''===
[[File:Grodus SuperMarioKun.png|thumb|Grodus in ''Super Mario-kun'']]
Grodus appears in volume 35 of ''[[Super Mario-kun]]'' during the ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'' arc (though he also makes a cameo in volume 34 to preview a volume 35 chapter). As Peach's intermissions do not occur, he plays a smaller role than in the game. He enters the Palace of Shadow with Mario, Goombella, and Koops by disguising himself in a Bowser costume, and reveals his identity to them soon afterward. A battle breaks out between Grodus and Mario's party, but he is defeated when the real Bowser, in his [[Clown Car]], lands on top of him, reducing him to a head. Despite this, he still tries to control the Shadow Queen, but fails.


== Plans and Actions ==
===''Super Paper Mario''===
Prior to the start of the game, Grodus learns of the 1,000-year-old demon beneath Rougeport from the [[Shadow Sirens]]. Using this information, Grodus begins his plans to find the Crystal Stars and use them to revive the demon and use its' power to conquer all that is. He learns the location of three of the Crystal Stars; one in [[Hooktail's Castle]], one in the [[Great Tree]], and one in the sewers of [[Rougeport]].
In ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'', a novelist in [[Flopside]] wrote the script for the TV Show [[List of implied entertainment#The_Grodus_Chronicles|The Grodus Chronicles]] (a pun on "The Martian Chronicles"), apparently featuring Grodus. The boss [[Francis]] is a fan of the show.
Throughout the game, he remains in hiding at his [[X-Naut Fortress|fortress]] on [[the Moon]], sending out [[Lord Crump]] or the Shadow Sirens to perform his will. Grodus has already obtained one of the Crystal Stars found in the [[Rougeport Sewers]], which is under tight security in the Fortress. Grodus also has Peach in his captivity as well, but she does not have the Crystal Star map, much to his disgust. Hoping to gather more information on the Crystal Stars, Grodus sent Lord Crump back to Rougeport to gather any people with this possible information.  


Grodus is first shown interrogateing Princess Peach about the whereabouts of the map to the Crystal Stars. Though she refuses to say anything at first, she lets out a vital detail when one of Grodus's followers reports. The X-Naut reports that a figure in blue overalls, a red cap, and mustache obtained the first Crystal Star. Peach utters Mario's name and this indicates to Grodus that Mario has the map. He sends her back to her holding room and begins making his plans and gathers all available information on Mario.  
===''Super Mario Run''===
Grodus had a minor cameo in ''[[Super Mario Run]]'' (ver. 3.2.0) on promotional artwork in the game during its celebration of the release of ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)|Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'' ([[Nintendo Switch]]), though his presence on the in-game alert for the event was his only appearance in the game.


One of Grodus's earlier plans was intiated when he sent his armies to the Great Tree to steal the Crystal Star that was hidden there. Upon arriving, the X-Nauts took complete control of the tree and constructed several technological advancements that made the tree nearly impenetrable. The tree was ridged with explosives, supposedly to destroy the Punies and their tree once the Crystal Star was found, and all the Punies were captured, interrogated, and imprisoned. Forming an alliance with the [[Jabbies]], the X-Nauts searched for the Crystal Star, promising the Jabbies that they would give them the tree if they helped in the search.  
==General information==
===Personality===
[[File:PMTTYD Grodus Laughing.png|thumb|left|Grodus demonstrates his insanity by breaking out into a maniacal laughter after stating his intent to rule the world]]
While nothing is known about his past, Grodus is presented as a serious villain who wants to rule the world. Grodus is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish his plans.


Grodus eventually sent Lord Crump there to speed up the search and also sent the Shadow Sirens to steal the map that showed the locations of the Crystal Stars from Mario. All these plans fail leaving Grodus to spend more time to concot another scheme to stop Mario. He sends the Shadow Sirens again to attack Mario. They follow Mario to [[Twilight Town]] and attempt to kill him using a [[Superbombomb]]. They fail miserably in this task, never even finding or facing Mario in battle.  
Despite being outwardly calm on most occasions, Grodus's desires often drive him to appear insane, laughing evilly. Grodus is often seen giving orders to his organization, seeing most of them as inferiors. He is shown to be very uptight throughout the course of the game, but becomes more calm towards his associates when he gets closer to unleashing the Shadow Queen.


Peach, in her imprisonment, is being monitored by [[TEC-XX]]. TEC is the base's computer and was designed by Grodus to be "the perfect computer". Grodus instructed TEC to keep an eye on Peach, little did he know that this would turn out to be a major mistake. TEC, despite being a computer, fell in love with Peach. Despite TEC being unaware of what love was at first, he quickly learns that he has feelings for Peach and helps her gather data to learn all of Grodus's plans.
Grodus does not care about much other than himself. This is shown when Grodus does not tell Lord Crump about his plans of Mario defeating him. Grodus also shows a dislike for disobedience, as he demonstrated when he attempted to command the Shadow Queen. Grodus also sees Mario’s relationship with Peach as a weakness.


On one occasion Peach is asked to disguise herself as an X-Naut and ask Grodus why Peach was being kept at the base. Grodus nearly learned of her disguise, but she rushed away before he could get any closer. Grodus apparently was too busy by his destructive desires to monitor TEC himself. Eventually, Grodus learns that the seal on the Thousand-Year- Door was weakening. This delighted him as the power of the most evil spirit to ever walk the earth would soon be his. He reveals his full intentions here to completely destroy the world and remake it in his image. He explains his goal as "A world made by him, about him, and for him."
Along with typical villain traits, Grodus is also shown to be highly intelligent and skilled at technology. His technology goes as far as manipulating magic. Grodus also always thinks ahead and is never willing to admit defeat. He always has backup plans in case his original plans fail. He is also very cunning and is always prepared for an attack, as seen by the puzzles and traps he sets up in his base.


As more of Grodus’s plans failed, including another failed mission by Lord Crump to retrieve the fifth Crystal Star, he sent a new follower, [[Doopliss]], to sabotage the [[Excess Express]], a train Mario was taking, and kill all onboard to stop Mario once and for all. The Shadow Sirens were sent to retrieve the sixth Crystal Star while Doopliss took care of Mario, but many complications rose in the plan. When this plot failed, the Shadow Sirens had taken a fake Crystal Star by accident, Mario had all but one Crystal Star in his possession. Grodus decided to go in a different direction in his plans.        
Grodus’s main fault is his overconfidence. He underestimated Mario’s abilities, especially in his battle with him. Grodus’s arrogance led to his ultimate defeat in which he attempted to command the Shadow Queen. This mistake led to the Shadow Queen almost killing him. Grodus remains alive as a head only, with it being implied that he cleaned up his act as a result.
     
{{br}}
Grodus shuts down [[TEC-XX]] at the end of Chapter 6 after he learned that TEC was secretly helping Princess Peach. He then takes the Princess to the Thousand-Year Door, leaving his base of operations and the seventh and final Crystal Star under the command of Lord Crump. However, unknown to Crump, Grodus had secret plans in mind. He intended for Crump to fail so that Mario would obtain all the Crystal Stars and use them to open the Thousand-Year Door.


When Mario defeated Crump, obtained the last Crystal Star, and left the X-Naut fortress to self-destruct; Grodus had Dooplis disguise himself as [[Professor Frankly]]. In this guise, Doopliss was able to convince Mario to open the door. Once it was open, Grodus entered and waited patiently for Mario in the Palace's throne room.
===Powers and abilities===
[[File:PMTTYD Sir Grodus battle.png|thumb|Grodus's "Grodus-X force field" being blown away by [[Flurrie]]]]
{{quote|Meet your ends, you meddlesome fools! You will know my power!|Grodus|Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door}}


== Final Confrontation ==
Grodus can create Mini-[[Yux]]es called [[Grodus X]]'s. However, unlike the Yux family, he requires 4 Grodus Xs to create a force field to protect himself. If a single Grodus X is destroyed, the force field breaks. However, Grodus's Defense is increased by 1 for every Grodus X that he has. Grodus is also very adept at magic, using his scepter to conduct it. Using the scepter, Grodus is capable of casting lightning, setting fire to his enemies, and freezing them. His scepter is susceptible to being stunned after being attacked, preventing him from attacking for a while.
{{br}}


After Mario and his pals confront Grodus in the Palace of Shadow, Grodus reveals he tricked Mario and company into collecting the Crystal Stars to open the Thousand-Year Door. Grodus engages Mario and his associates in battle, using various forms of magic and technology to aid him. Despite his powers, Grodus is badly defeated and weakened.
==Profiles and statistics==
===''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door''===
{{:Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door bestiary|transcludesection=Sir Grodus|align=horizontal}}


Not accepting defeat, Grodus reveals Princess Peach imprisoned in a compact force field. Grodus, controlling magic lightning, threatens to murder Peach if Mario refuses to surrender. As Mario stands motionless, Grodus inflicts the lightning on Mario. Before dealing any more, Grodus asks Mario to give up. If Mario refuses, Grodus will murder Peach, if he does surrender, Grodus will torture him and his friends. Either way, before Grodus can cause anymore harm, the ceiling comes crashing down on him and Grodus is smashed by [[King Bowser|Bowser]] and [[Kammy Koopa]] who fall through the ceiling.
===''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'' (Nintendo Switch)===
{{:Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) bestiary|transcludesection=Sir Grodus|align=horizontal}}


Mario is left with no choice, but to fight both Bowser and Kammy Koopa, but this allows Grodus to escape to the Resting-Place of the Shadow Queen with Peach. Once Mario defeats Bowser and Kammy Koopa, he ventures to the lowest room on the Palace, the resting-place of the demon, the Shadow Queen. Here, Grodus reveals his reason for kidnapping Peach. He needs a pure maiden for the demon to inhabit to regain a physical presence.
==Gallery==
<gallery>
PMTTYD Grodus Artwork.png|''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]''
PMTTYD Grodus Orders TEC Shutdown.png
PMTTYD Grodus Threat.png|Grodus threatens to murder Princess Peach
TTYDNS X-Naut Call With Grodus.png|Grodus during the interrogation with Peach in the remake
TTYDNS TEC Final Email.jpg|Grodus as TEC shuts down in the remake
TTYDNS Grodus gets decapitated.jpg|Grodus getting struck down by the Shadow Queen in the remake
TTYDNS X-Nauts in Poshley Heights.jpg|Grodus (as a head) in Poshley Heights in the remake
SMR TTYD Promo.png|Grodus cameo in ''[[Super Mario Run]]''
Grodus Instagram.jpg|Promotional character introduction
Nintendo Magazine Summer 2024 TTYD Relationship Chart.png|Grodus on the Nintendo Magazine for summer 2024, showing a relationship chart featuring many characters from ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door''
</gallery>


Grodus summoned the Shadow Queen, presenting Peach as a vessel for the Queen's spirit. The world is literally plunged into darkness as the demon returns to the world. The queen is intially surprised that Grodus is the one who brought her back, but nonetheless is satisfied with Grodus's offering of Peach as a vessel. Once the queen completly gains control of Peach, Grodus attempts to command the Shadow Queen to kill Mario and his companions. However, the Queen is not one who takes orders and it is revealed that Grodus was tricked by the Shadow Sirens to resurrect their Queen. As a result, the Shadow Queen zaps him with lightning, destroying his body. Grodus is shown to be still alive, although barly, as a head. The queen strikes his head which sends him to parts unknown. The Shadow Queen soon after is destroyed by Mario, undoing all of Grodus's plans and desires.
==Names in other languages==
 
{{foreign names
After the Shadow Queen's destruction, it is shown that Grodus was able to survive the second strike by the Shadow Queen. While Grodus is still alive, his head is the only active thing left after his body was destroyed. His head currently resides in [[Poshley Heights]], with the remains of his forces which consist of Lord Crump and four soilders. With his entire organization practically destroyed and only being a head, it is assumed that Grodus is incapable of further evil.
|Jap=バツガルフ
 
|JapR=Batsugarufu
== Powers and Abilities ==
|JapM=Derived from "×" (''batsu'', "x" mark)
 
|Chi=艾克斯戈夫
Sir Grodus can create Mini-[[Yux]]es called Grodus X (explains why he has that mechanical head). He requires 4 Grodus X's to create a forcefield to protect himself. If a single Grodus X is destroyed, the forcefield breaks. However, Grodus's Defense is increased by 1 for every Grodus X that he has. His main form of attack is that scepter he's holding. Grodus is a powerful opponent because not only does he have an army and advanced technology at his disposal he is also very adept at magic.
|ChiR=Àikèsīgēfū
 
|ChiM=From the Japanese name; 「艾克斯」 (àikèsī, one possible translation of "X") + 「戈夫」 (''gēfū'')
It is unknown how Gordus learned how to use magic, but he has combined in with his technology to make it adept to use. His scepter is the weapon in which he uses to conduct the magic. The magic seems to posses no limitations. With this weapon, Grodus is capable of shooting lightning, setting fire to his enemies, and freezing them. One more ability Grodus has is the seeming ability to summon the Shadow Queen. However, it is not known if this is an ability or merely an action that anyone is capable of performing.
|Dut=Heer Cruxus
 
|DutM=Lord Cruxus; ''Cruxus'' comes from ''cru'' ("crude"), ''crux'' ("cross"), and ''-us'' (Latin suffix to Latinize names)
It is possible that Grodus allowed the Shadow Sirens to infuse their magic into his technology as they all have the same powers his scepter possesses.
|Fre=Cruxinistre
 
|FreM=Pun on ''crux'' ("cross") and ''sinistre'' ("sinister")
== Trivia ==
|Ger=Crucius
 
|GerM=From ''crux'' ("cross") with ''-ius'' (Latin suffix used for forming adjectives)
*Grodus apparently carries Lozenges on him as he looks for one when he thinks that a X-Naut has a sore-throat, although it was really Princess Peach in disguise.
|Ita=Giustignardo
 
|ItaM=Possibly from ''giustiziare'' ("to execute")
*It is never clear if Grodus is purely a machine or has a more humanoid, or like the X-Nauts, extraterrestrial appearance. Regardless, his head is at least fully mechanical as it can operate on it's own without the use of a body as shown at the end of the game.
|Spa=Xenón
 
|SpaM=Xenon; "Xenón" refers to the [[wikipedia:Xenon|chemical element]].
*It is hinted in the game that Grodus was plotting to conquer the world even before his knowledge of the Shadow Queen. It is only after the Shadow Sirens arm him with this dangerous knowledge that he attempts world conquest through this method. It is unknown how many other schemes Grodus has made to conquer the world prior to the game if any.
|Kor=엑스걸프
|KorR=Ekseugeolpeu
*In [[Super Paper Mario]], a novelist in [[Flopside]] (the inverted [[Flipside]]) wrote the script for the TV Show ''[[The Grodus Chronicles]]'' (a pun on "The Martian Chronicles"), apparently featuring Sir Grodus. This show is watched by [[Francis]].
|KorM=From the Japanese name; 엑스 (''ekseu'', "X") + 걸프(''geolpeu'')
 
}}
{{Miniboss}}
{{RPG Villains}}


[[Category: Characters]]
==Trivia==
[[Category: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Characters]]
*There is an error in the English version with choosing Mario's response after Grodus is defeated at the Palace of Shadow and strikes Mario and co. with lightning. In other versions the text "Don't Attack" is placed above "Attack", but in the English version the text "Don't Attack" is incorrectly placed below "Attack". This causes Grodus's response to be in the wrong order. If the player chooses "Don't attack", he will say "WORM! You dare defy me?!?", even though Mario is doing what Grodus said. Likewise, if the player chooses "Attack", Grodus simply tells Mario to stop his blubbering. This mistake was rectified in the [[Nintendo Switch]] [[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)|remake]] by swapping the order of Grodus’s responses.
[[Category: Enemies]]
{{PMTTYD}}
[[Category: Paper Mario Series Characters]]
[[Category:X-Nauts]]
[[Category: Paper Mario Series Bosses]]
[[Category:Magicians]]
[[Category: RPG Bosses]]
[[Category:Robots]]
[[Category: Villains]]
[[Category:Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door bosses]]
[[Category: Bosses]]
[[Category:Super Mario-kun characters]]
[[Category: Aliens]]
[[de:Crucius]]
[[Category: Magicians]]
[[it:Giustignardo]]

Latest revision as of 21:41, November 14, 2024

Grodus
Artwork of Grodus from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)
Artwork from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)
First appearance Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004)
Latest appearance Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (2024)
“And then I, Grodus, will build a new world! A perfect, ideal world... Yes. A world made by me, about me, and for me! GAAACK ACK ACK ACK ACK!”
Grodus, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Grodus, referred to as Sir Grodus by his underlings, is the supreme leader of the X-Nauts and the main antagonist of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and its remake. The organization consists of X-Nauts, a band of thugs determined to capture the Crystal Stars before Mario so they can dominate the world with the treasure behind the Thousand-Year Door.

History[edit]

Background[edit]

Prior to the start of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Grodus learns of the Shadow Queen buried beneath Rogueport from the Three Shadows. Grodus soon begins his plans to find the Crystal Stars and use them to revive the Queen in order to conquer the world. He learns the location of three of the Crystal Stars (Hooktail Castle, the Great Tree, and Rogueport Underground), and the Three Shadows inform him that a "pure maiden" is needed as a host for the Queen. The X-Naut organization eventually comes into possession of the Magic Map's treasure chest, though Grodus was unable to open it. He then decides to use the chest as a way of finding the pure maiden, since only a pure person can open it.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door[edit]

By the time the story starts, Grodus has obtained the Crystal Star found in Rogueport Underground, which ends up under tight security in the Fortress on the Moon. With this in hand, Grodus sends the Three Shadows to find a pure maiden for his plans. At Rogueport, Beldam eventually finds Princess Peach, a suitable candidate to be the maiden, but since there were too many witnesses for her to kidnap Peach, Grodus loses his patience and sends some X-Nauts to abduct her themselves. After Grodus is given Peach, he is annoyed to find that Peach does not have the map, having already sent it to Mario. Hoping to gather more information on the Crystal Stars, he sends Lord Crump back to Rogueport.

Sir Grodus interrogating Peach

After failing to acquire any more information on the Crystal Stars, Lord Crump reports back to Grodus, who began setting his plans in order. Grodus' first appearance is when he is interrogating the princess about the whereabouts of the map. Peach accidentally reveals that Mario is the one who is going after the Stars, letting him know that he has the map. Afterwards, Grodus sends Lord Crump to the Great Tree to speed up the search, and sends the Three Shadows to steal the map from Mario. Mario, however, is able to defeat both of them, infuriating Grodus. After Mario successfully obtains the third Crystal Star, Grodus calls the Three Shadows once again to stop Mario, though this plan ended miserably.

At the Fortress, Grodus instructs TEC-XX, who he designed to be the "perfect computer", to keep an eye on Peach, but TEC ends up becoming infatuated with Peach and helping her foil Grodus' plans. He continues to send his minions out to stop Mario, such as Lord Crump to Keelhaul Key and Doopliss to the Excess Express, though they are always stopped due to Mario's intervention. As his plans continue to fail, Peach and TEC obtain Grodus' data disk that outlines all the aspects of his plans. With the disk, TEC is able to ultimately prepare for Peach to escape.

Grodus eventually finds out that TEC has been letting Peach in and out of her cell and has been hacking into other files that he was forbidden to go into. He shuts down TEC just as TEC prepared to let Peach escape and then takes her to the Thousand-Year Door, leaving the Fortress and the final Crystal Star under the command of Lord Crump. However, Grodus planned for Crump's eventual defeat, forgetting about sending his minions after Mario and his team to steal the other Stars from him and knowing that he could trick the heroes into opening the Thousand-Year Door for him. While Mario and his team attack the fortress, Grodus had Doopliss abduct Professor Frankly and disguise himself as the professor, using the guise to convince Mario to open the door. Once it is opened, Grodus enters and waits patiently for Mario in the Palace of Shadow's throne room.

After Mario confronts Grodus at the Palace, he reveals he tricked Mario into collecting the Crystal Stars to open the Thousand-Year Door. Grodus then engages Mario in battle, using various forms of magic and technology to aid him, though he ends up badly weakened. Not accepting defeat, he reveals Princess Peach imprisoned in a compact force field, threatening her life if Mario refuses to surrender. As Mario stands motionless, Grodus attempts to attack him, but the ceiling comes crashing down on him, being crushed by Bowser and Kammy Koopa who fall through the ceiling.

While Mario fights Bowser and Kammy, Grodus escapes to the resting place of the Shadow Queen with Peach. Once Mario defeats Bowser and Kammy, he goes down to the Queen's resting place, where Grodus is waiting. Declaring himself as the new ruler of the world, Grodus summons the Shadow Queen, presenting Peach as a vessel for the Queen's spirit. Unfortunately, when Grodus tries to order the Shadow Queen to destroy Mario, the Shadow Queen does not obey and blasts him, destroying his body and leaving him as merely a head. The Queen attacks him again, apparently finishing him. The Three Shadows then appear to explain that they tricked Grodus into thinking that he could control the Queen in order to revive her.

Sir Grodus's head talking to Lord Crump, as seen in the cutscene introduced by Goombella's email, in Poshley Heights
Grodus, Lord Crump, and the X-Nauts at Poshley Heights during the ending

In the game’s epilogue, as narrated by Goombella, Grodus is revealed to still be alive, residing in Poshley Heights alongside Lord Crump and some X-Nauts, and has reportedly changed for the better. How Lord Crump and Grodus managed to survive remains unexplained.

He has the same role in the remake, though with minor dialogue changes, such as prior to the Shadow Queen's revival when he makes explicit to Mario and his partners that the Crystal Stars would unseal the coffin that holds her.

Super Mario-kun[edit]

Sir Grodus in Super Mario-kun
Grodus in Super Mario-kun

Grodus appears in volume 35 of Super Mario-kun during the Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door arc (though he also makes a cameo in volume 34 to preview a volume 35 chapter). As Peach's intermissions do not occur, he plays a smaller role than in the game. He enters the Palace of Shadow with Mario, Goombella, and Koops by disguising himself in a Bowser costume, and reveals his identity to them soon afterward. A battle breaks out between Grodus and Mario's party, but he is defeated when the real Bowser, in his Clown Car, lands on top of him, reducing him to a head. Despite this, he still tries to control the Shadow Queen, but fails.

Super Paper Mario[edit]

In Super Paper Mario, a novelist in Flopside wrote the script for the TV Show The Grodus Chronicles (a pun on "The Martian Chronicles"), apparently featuring Grodus. The boss Francis is a fan of the show.

Super Mario Run[edit]

Grodus had a minor cameo in Super Mario Run (ver. 3.2.0) on promotional artwork in the game during its celebration of the release of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch), though his presence on the in-game alert for the event was his only appearance in the game.

General information[edit]

Personality[edit]

Sir Grodus
Grodus demonstrates his insanity by breaking out into a maniacal laughter after stating his intent to rule the world

While nothing is known about his past, Grodus is presented as a serious villain who wants to rule the world. Grodus is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish his plans.

Despite being outwardly calm on most occasions, Grodus's desires often drive him to appear insane, laughing evilly. Grodus is often seen giving orders to his organization, seeing most of them as inferiors. He is shown to be very uptight throughout the course of the game, but becomes more calm towards his associates when he gets closer to unleashing the Shadow Queen.

Grodus does not care about much other than himself. This is shown when Grodus does not tell Lord Crump about his plans of Mario defeating him. Grodus also shows a dislike for disobedience, as he demonstrated when he attempted to command the Shadow Queen. Grodus also sees Mario’s relationship with Peach as a weakness.

Along with typical villain traits, Grodus is also shown to be highly intelligent and skilled at technology. His technology goes as far as manipulating magic. Grodus also always thinks ahead and is never willing to admit defeat. He always has backup plans in case his original plans fail. He is also very cunning and is always prepared for an attack, as seen by the puzzles and traps he sets up in his base.

Grodus’s main fault is his overconfidence. He underestimated Mario’s abilities, especially in his battle with him. Grodus’s arrogance led to his ultimate defeat in which he attempted to command the Shadow Queen. This mistake led to the Shadow Queen almost killing him. Grodus remains alive as a head only, with it being implied that he cleaned up his act as a result.

Powers and abilities[edit]

Flurrie blowing away Sir Grodus's Grodus Xs in the battle in the Palace of Shadow
Grodus's "Grodus-X force field" being blown away by Flurrie
“Meet your ends, you meddlesome fools! You will know my power!”
Grodus, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Grodus can create Mini-Yuxes called Grodus X's. However, unlike the Yux family, he requires 4 Grodus Xs to create a force field to protect himself. If a single Grodus X is destroyed, the force field breaks. However, Grodus's Defense is increased by 1 for every Grodus X that he has. Grodus is also very adept at magic, using his scepter to conduct it. Using the scepter, Grodus is capable of casting lightning, setting fire to his enemies, and freezing them. His scepter is susceptible to being stunned after being attacked, preventing him from attacking for a while.

Profiles and statistics[edit]

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door[edit]

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Grodus
Sir Grodus Max HP 50 Attack 7 Defense 1
Location(s) Palace of Shadow Role Boss Level 87
Sleep? 30% Dizzy? 30% Confuse? 30%
Tiny? 60% Stop? 30% Soft? 75%
Burn? 100% Freeze? 30% Fright? 0%
Gale Force? 0% KO? 1% Moves Thunderbolt (7, Piercing), Flamethrower (6, Piercing, Burn), Ice Beam (5, Piercing, Freeze), Clock Beam (Stop), Counterattack (Payback), Evade (Dodgy), Dud (indicated by smoke from scepter, 0)
Exp. points 0 Coins N/A Items None
Tattle Log #:
120
Log The nasty creature who kidnapped Princess Peach. He's into world domination. Some hobby, huh?
Tattle That's Grodus! He's the head of the X-Nauts who kidnapped Peach. Max HP is 50, Attack is 7, and Defense is 1. But...when he has Grodus Xs surrounding him, his Defense will go up by that number. He may also use electricity, fire, and time-stopping magic. That doesn't sound good! Still, he's a totally weird guy. Why's he so intense and serious all the time? I guess we don't have time to worry about that. Let's beat him and find Peach!

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)[edit]

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Grodus
A Tattle Log image from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) Max HP 50 Attack 7 Defense 1
Location(s) Palace of Shadow Role Boss Level 87
Sleep? 30% Dizzy? 30% Confuse? 30%
Tiny? 60% Stop? 30% Soft? 75%
Burn? 100% Freeze? 30% Fright? 0%
Gale Force? 0% KO? 1% Moves Thunderbolt (7, Piercing), Flamethrower (6, Piercing, Burn), Ice Beam (5, Piercing, Freeze), Clock Beam (Stop), Counterattack (Payback), Evade (Dodgy), Dud (indicated by smoke from scepter, 0)
Exp. points 0 Coins 50 Items None
Tattle Log #:
125
Log The nasty creature who kidnapped Peach. He's into world domination. Some hobby, huh?
Tattle That's Grodus! He's the head of the X-Nauts who kidnapped Peach. Max HP is 50, Attack is 7, and Defense is 1. But...when he has Grodus Xs surrounding him, his Defense will go up by that number. He may also use electricity, fire, and time-stopping magic. That doesn't sound good! Still, he's a totally weird guy. Why's he so intense and serious all the time? I guess we don't have time to worry about that. Let's beat him and find Peach!

Gallery[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese バツガルフ[?]
Batsugarufu
Derived from "×" (batsu, "x" mark)
Chinese 艾克斯戈夫[?]
Àikèsīgēfū
From the Japanese name; 「艾克斯」 (àikèsī, one possible translation of "X") + 「戈夫」 (gēfū)
Dutch Heer Cruxus[?] Lord Cruxus; Cruxus comes from cru ("crude"), crux ("cross"), and -us (Latin suffix to Latinize names)
French Cruxinistre[?] Pun on crux ("cross") and sinistre ("sinister")
German Crucius[?] From crux ("cross") with -ius (Latin suffix used for forming adjectives)
Italian Giustignardo[?] Possibly from giustiziare ("to execute")
Korean 엑스걸프[?]
Ekseugeolpeu
From the Japanese name; 엑스 (ekseu, "X") + 걸프(geolpeu)
Spanish Xenón[?] Xenon; "Xenón" refers to the chemical element.

Trivia[edit]

  • There is an error in the English version with choosing Mario's response after Grodus is defeated at the Palace of Shadow and strikes Mario and co. with lightning. In other versions the text "Don't Attack" is placed above "Attack", but in the English version the text "Don't Attack" is incorrectly placed below "Attack". This causes Grodus's response to be in the wrong order. If the player chooses "Don't attack", he will say "WORM! You dare defy me?!?", even though Mario is doing what Grodus said. Likewise, if the player chooses "Attack", Grodus simply tells Mario to stop his blubbering. This mistake was rectified in the Nintendo Switch remake by swapping the order of Grodus’s responses.