- See: Makuta (Disambiguation)
Makuta was the primary villain of the second series of BIONICLE, which ran from 2015 through 2016. Also known as the Mask Hoarder, he was a Mask Maker, owner of the Mask of Control, and the brother of Ekimu the Wise Master.
History
Makuta and Ekimu both crafted masks for the islanders of Okoto-such as the Protectors-but Makuta became jealous of Ekimu, who's finely crafted masks were the most sought after. Seeking a way to outdo Ekimu, Makuta experimented with combining multiple elements into a single mask, a practice forbidden due to the danger of too much power being imbued into a single mask. After the failure of some of these prototypes, Makuta's obsession led him to create a single mask that combined all six of Okoto's Elements: the Forbidden Mask of Ultimate Power. Upon donning it, Makuta's jealousy and bitterness blossomed into malevolence and a desire to rule over his world, and Ekimu was forced to knock the mask from Makuta's face. Unable to contain the power, the mask exploded, sending its fragments flying all over the island; the blast also reshaped the island and sent Ekimu into a coma while Makuta and Okoto's capital city were sent through a dimensional rift into the Shadow Realm.
Over the centuries Makuta became a monstrous titan of shadow who wore a shadowy version of the Mask of Ultimate Power, but he was unable to leave the Shadow Realm of his own power. To prepare for his return, he enlisted the services of the Lord of Skull Spiders and his Skull Spider minions as well as the Skull Creatures under Kulta to seize control of Okoto and destroy Ekimu's Mask of Creation. However, the Protectors, following the counsel of Ekimu given to their ancestors, summoned the Toa to Okoto. Despite their initial struggles, the Toa succeeded in defeating Makuta's minions and awakening Ekimu.
Determined to achieve victory, Makuta turned to Umarak the Hunter, whom he instructed to capture one of the Elemental Creatures so as to find Makuta's lost Mask of Control. Umarak eventually succeeded, and Makuta then used the mask to take control of him and mutate him into a monstrous new minion, the Destroyer. At Makuta's orders, the Destroyer unleashed the three breeds of Elemental Beast that made up the Shadow Horde against the City of the Mask Makers to distract the Toa while the Destroyer gathered fragments of the Forbidden Mask. He then proceeded to the Black Crater, the former site of Capital City, in preparation to open a portal to the Shadow Realm through which Makuta could escape.
The Toa and Ekimu soon arrived to try and thwart Makuta's escape, but Gali's spirit was drawn into the Shadow Realm by Makuta's power when she tried to steal the pieces of the Forbidden Mask. While there, she witnessed Makuta addressing his assorted minions-Skull Creatures, Elemental Beasts, Skull Spiders, and shadowy Okotans-and learned the key to defeating Makuta based on his words. Sacrificing Umarak, Makuta was able to begin emerging from the Shadow Realm, but Gali escaped as well and led her fellow Toa in combining their powers to challenge Makuta. Faced with the united power of all six elements, Makuta's Shadow powers proved no match, and he was forever banished back to the Shadow Realm while the Toa returned to the stars from which they had come.
Set Information
Makuta was the only character depicted visually in the second generation of BIONICLE who did not have a set released for him. However, his two depicted forms-the Mask Maker and Shadow Titan-could be created using pieces from the following sets:
- 70790 Lord of Skull Spiders
- 70795 Mask Maker vs. Skull Grinder
- 71303 Ikir – Creature of Fire
- 71308 Tahu – Uniter of Fire
- 71309 Onua – Uniter of Earth
- 71310 Umarak the Hunter
- 71316 Umarak the Destroyer
The larger of the two sets was technically incomplete, however, as no piece was ever released for the Mask of Ultimate Power, though a prototype was seen in promotion for the BIONICLE Makuta Contest.