- This article is about the Ninjago minifigure. For other uses, see Overlord.
The Overlord is an evil spirit who is one of the main antagonists of Season 2 and the main antagonist of Season 3 and Season 15 in Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu. He created the Stone Army out of an unbreakable material only found on the Dark Island and commanded the Nindroids. In a prophecy by the Serpentine, he is known as The Golden Master. However, he was defeated in "The Titanium Ninja" after Zane sacrificed himself. He returns in the Crystalized subtheme as the Crystal King.
Description
Minifigures
The Overlord's original minifigure reveals him as the Golden Master. He has a black head with a printing of his evil face and wears a helmet. His torso is black with printings of his skeletons in gold. He has a black triangle piece for his legs which includes his more skeletons, and ghost-like tail. The Overlord wears the same armor as the Gundabad Orcs in gold. He is the only Ninjago character to have a triangle piece as his feet. However, he also has plain black legs, which he can also use.
In 2019 a second Overlord minifigure was released, with this version being a four-armed variant. He reuses the Helmet of Shadows element from 2013 without the mouthpiece, and has a new unique head. The upper torso was created for The LEGO Ninjago Movie armored version of Garmadon, but has a different print on the front that seems to be modeled on the golden armor of his original release. His hands are purple, as is the ghostly tail element that replaces his legs; this latter is recolored from the Possession theme of Ninjago and the Nadakhan figure.
A third Overlord minifigure was released in 2021, and combines elements from both of its predecessors.
The Crystal King comes with a new exclusive printed mask part as well as exclusive head, torso, and leg prints. Two versions of the figure come with a secondary torso that reuses the mold originally created in 2017 for the movie version of Garmadon; both of these torsos come with gold arms. He has a new for 2022 helmet piece to which his mask attaches; the same piece was also used for Mr. F, 2022 Garmadon, and in gold for Golden Oni Lloyd.
TV Series
Spirit
In the Overlord's spirit form, he appears to be a hovering ball of dark matter.
True Form
In the Overlord's true form, he takes the form of a dragon. During the Final Battle, he once gains the upper hand, growing as large as Ninjago City, itself.
Digital
In his digital form, he appears as two balls of matter, forming two eyes, which expand and shrink during talking. He later appears with a body, resembling a giant, featureless blue minifigure with those same eyes.
Weakened State
In his weakened state, the Overlord appears to be a sloppy goo, similar to his spirit form.
90% Complete Golden Master
In his 90% complete form, the Overlord looks like his Golden Master minifigure, except with no printings.
Background
The Beginning
- "...The blackest of darkness that existed from the very beginning - an evil spirit called The Overlord"
- ―Misako retelling the story of Ninjago
The First Spinjitzu Master, creating Ninjago, made it the land of Light, but since the balance must be maintained, the Overlord emerged from the shadow side of the Balance. He and the Master began a battle between good and evil.
the Overlord in the scrolls
Both the Overlord and the Spinjitzu Master were evenly matched. To corrupt the balance, the Overlord created The Stone Army from indestructible material. The First Spinjitzu Master knew he could not win, so he split Ninjago into two, banishing the Overlord on the other side.
The Celestial Clock
- "There will be nothing that can stop you from making Ninjago into your image!"
- ―The Overlord to Garmadon
Thousands of years later, Lord Garmadon teamed up with the Serpentine in an attempt to destroy the Ninja (Jay, Kai, Zane and Cole). After the Ninja thwarted all his plans, Garmadon made one last ditch attempt by finding the Dark Island, home of the Overlord. However, the Serpentine betrayed him, and threw him in the ocean. Garmadon washed ashore on a small island. It was there that he met the Overlord.
the Overlord
The Overlord and Garmadon teamed up to take over Ninjago. The Overlord first instructed Lord Garmadon climb to the top of a mountain. There, Garmadon turned four cranks and The Dark Island came out of the ocean. The Overlord then urged Garmadon take the Helmet of Shadows so he could control the Stone Army, in turn starting the Celestial Clock that counts down to the final battle between good and evil.
Next, The Overlord instructed Lord Garmadon to command the army to build a super weapon. The Ninja soon showed up on the island in an attempt to stop evil from winning the final battle. However, the Stone Army attacked them. The Ninja managed to escape and make it to the Temple of Light. They managed to get Elemental Weapons that can defeat the Stone Army. Although, the Ninja had gotten stronger, the Overlord informed Garmadon that they were, too. The stop the Final Battle, the Ninja planned to steal the Helmet of Shadows and return it to the Celestial Clock. However, the clock reached zero, and the super weapon was powered up. The Overlord gave the super weapon, Garmatron, to Garmadon so he could take over Ninjago.
the Overlord fighting Lloyd
Garmadon drove the Garmatron to the beach of the Dark Island and, despite the efforts of Wu, Loyd, and Misako, managed to fire a dark-matter missile onto Ninjago. This disturbed the balance between good and evil enough to free the Overlord from the island, who let out his secret plan: using Garmadon's desire to turn all of Ninjago into his image to turn all of the world into his (Overlord's) image. Proceeding in his betrayal, he possessed Garmadon's body and continued firing missiles. Lloyd Garmadon attacked the Overlord, which began the final battle where it had been stopped by the First Master. Although delayed, the Overlord succeeded in injuring Lloyd's leg and traveled to Ninjago to claim his place as ruler, leaving the Ninja on the Dark Island.
The Final Battle
- "You're in no shape to fight! It's over... Evil wins! ...You don't even have a sword!"
- ―The Overlord to Lloyd
The Ninja returned to Ninjago, only to discover the Garmatron had turned into a fortress and the Overlord had assumed his true dragon form.
the Final Battle
The ninja climbed the Garmatron, but they had been struck by Dark Matter (except for Kai) and only Lloyd made it to the top. The Overlord mocked Lloyd and spit a massive amount of Dark Matter at him. However, Lloyd used his gold energy to create a shield. After releasing the shield, Lloyd's outfit turned golden, making him the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master. Lloyd summoned The Golden Dragon and continued his fight with the evil spirit. Both as masters of light and darkness they were evenly matched, until the Overlord gained the upper hand, and brought darkness upon Ninjago. He turned huge and swallowed the Golden Dragon. The Golden Dragon unleashed the maximum power of Lloyd's golden energy, dispersing the Overlord and the Darkness, and purifying Ninjago once again.
The Age of Technology
- "I don't want to fight... I just want your power!"
- ―Overlord to Lloyd
However, the Overlord was not entirely destroyed. Reverted to his weakened state from the Dark Island, he returned by disguising himself as a computer virus which infected Borg Industries, led by Cyrus Borg who is the only one aware of his presence for some time.
When Borg attempts to sneak away the Techno Blades--the only hardware capable of erasing the spirit from the systems--to the ninja, the Overlord becomes infuriated and takes over the whole tower, 'reformatting' Borg and every piece of equipment connected to the tower. He possess Borg's Mech Chair, allowing him to move around.
the Overlord controlling Cyrus
His attempts to destroy the ninja and obtain the Blades ultimately fail, but does kidnap Sensei Wu who used himself to divert the spirit's attention. Building the Nindroid Army from scans on Zane, compliments of P.I.X.A.L, he plans to capture Lloyd to harness his Golden powers and escape the digital realm with his own body. Unfortunately, his digitized state means he can only exist in bodies and technological devices to survive until then. Soon, the Ninja destroy the Ninjago Power Source, turning the Overlord off.
The Stranger
- "Whoever you are, I like you!"
- ―The Overlord to the Stranger
Soon, the hardrive with the Overlord was stolen by a Stranger, previous to the ninja's success in disabling Ninjago's main power station.
the Overlord and the Stranger
Although curious at Pythor's disguised form, he decides there is no choice but to comply with the former Serpentine leader. After a near-successful attempt on the ninja's lives and the Techno-Blades, the Overlord develops some respect for the snake.
However, a problem develops with Pythor's schemes: with the main power shut off, only a few Nindroids can be activated at a time. To solve this, Pythor makes his way to Ninjago's aquarium, where he steals its entire tank of Electro Cobrai to power the Nindroids. With the horde that goes underground after the ninja, the Overlord possesses one to provide a message to his enemies: that they failed in their focused attempt to defeat him, because the Nindroids were only a distraction for them while he focused on separating from them, locating, and capturing his true weakness--Lloyd. Meanwhile, this actually happens when the Digital Overlord, possessing the mech-dragon, corners Lloyd and Pythor restrains him. He then proceeds to take the Green Ninja back to Ninjago for his revival.
Revival
- "Soon, you will be utterly powerless... And I... I will escape this digital prison and become whole!"
- ―The Overlord to Lloyd
After he captured Lloyd, he tells the Nindroids and Pythor to Attack Borg Industries. While the Nindroids are on their assault, he starts draining Lloyd's powers and reveals that he's having the body of the legendary Golden Master.
The Overlord transforming into the Golden Master
But as he drains Lloyd's Power,The Overlord starts to realize that the Ninja are starting to reboot the system in the Digiverse. So the Overlord starts to fight the Ninja to prevent them from rebooting the entire Ninjago. So then he turns the Digiverse upside down. So he heads to the top where they cant get him. But the Ninja transformed their Techno Blades into the vehicles before they were destroyed, but the Ninja luckily managed to reboot Ninjago except for the Nindroids.
Before the Overlord could become the Golden Master, the system was rebooted, leaving the Overlord in an incomplete body. Pythor finds him in the sunk MechDragon. He swallows him and spits him back on land, where he plans to go after the Golden Weapons of Spinjitsu in space to complete his body. General Cryptor and the Nindroids build a spaceship and blast off. The next day, Pythor, OverBorg, and the Overlord go to Borg Industries and place the Overlord in a capsule, restoring his body as a 90% complete Golden Master. The OverBorg finds out that Nya, P.I.X.A.L., Wu, and Garmadon are hiding in the tower, and attacks them. However, they escape on a hover-copter. Later, the Nindroids arrive with the Golden Weapons, making the Overlord the reborn, god-like Golden Master.
The Golden Master
- "First I was trapped in Lord Garmadon, then I was trapped in the Digiverse, now I'm free, free! Bow to your Golden Master!""
- ―the Golden Master
With the Golden Weapons reforged as a new mech to embody and empower him, the Golden Master sets his authority by fortifying the city and terrorizing the people.
The Golden Master
Upon seeing the ninjas' arrival, he uses his new-found Spinjitzu power to destroy them, but fails when faced with the Temple of Fortitude's shield. The Ninja soon get Stone Warrior armor, making them invisible. However, the Overlord attacks the Ninja again with ropes of golden energy. This time he succeeds, until Zane charges him directly with his ice power to freeze him. The Golden Master retaliates with his golden energy, but the exchange of such colossal power surges proves too much for even him to master. The Overlord is then defeated, but at the apparent cost of Zane's life.
In The Dark Island Trilogy Wu's journal entries depict the Golden Master in his humanoid form in opposition to the First Spinjitzu Master. He is also mentioned in "Day of the Departed" as one of the various villains the ninja have faced in the past. His Golden Armor survived his physical demise, and was eventually melted back down into the Golden Weapons in March of the Oni.
Crystal King
- "Destruction comes from conflict, from the eternal struggle between light and dark. I will end the struggle. If you serve me, I will destroy the Balance and end the conflict once and for all. There will be peace in the dark."
- ―The Spider's Design
As the embodiment of evil in Ninjago, however, the Overlord could not be destroyed, and would eventually return. Wu was aware of this but, hoping that it would be centuries before the Overlord would become strong enough to pose a threat again, didn't speak of it to the Ninja. Unfortunately, the many conflicts among the denizens of Ninjago and invaders from other realms fed the Overlord's strength so that he was able to contact Harumi following her death prior to the March of the Oni. Without disclosing his identity at first, the Overlord offered Harumi the chance to return to life if she would serve him, as seen in A Sinister Shadow.
Though initially reluctant, Harumi agrees to serve the Overlord rather than go to the Departed Realm. He restores her to life, and gives her a crystal containing his essence. With his aid, she is able to dig her way out of the collapsed building where she died, and makes her way back to the Oni Temple where she found the Oni Mask of Hatred. Following his instructions, she placed the crystal within the temple altar, causing it to grow into a large crystalline structure. The Overlord himself became visible as a shadowy form within this crystal, allowing Harumi to identify him at last.
Harumi was initially horrified to learn the truth and wished to renounce her promise to serve the Overlord. However, when he explained his intention to bring "peace" by destroying the balance between light and darkness, she relented. The Overlord then tasked her with "building [him] an army"-literally-"from Vengestone". Harumi set about on this task, while the Overlord continued to grow in strength as Ninjago was plagued by threats like the Pyro Vipers and Wojira.
Eventually, the Overlord-under his name of the Crystal King-grew strong enough that he was nearly prepared to make his true return to Ninjago. Concealing her identity with a hooded cloak and mask, Harumi began reaching out to other villains on his behalf, inviting villains to join "the Council of the Crystal King." Aspheera, Vangelis, Pythor, and the Mechanic were all recruited for this organization, with Harumi and the Nindroid Mister F rounding out the membership. After Lloyd was captured by the council, Harumi offered him the chance to join them but was rejected.
LEGO Dimensions
The Golden Master appears in the game, though in much smaller form than in the series, as one of the villains in service to Lord Vortech. Given that the Ninjago storyline of the game takes place in the time of the Tournament of Elements arc, it is assumed that the Golden Master was brought forth from by Vortech.
LEGO.com Description
 This is a description taken from LEGO Quest & Collect. Please do not modify it.
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NAME: Overlord |
Appearances
- 70728 Battle for Ninjago City
- 70666 The Golden Dragon (Legacy)
- 71699 Thunder Raider (Legacy)
- 71742 Overlord Dragon (Legacy; two-armed)
- 71771 The Crystal King Temple (Crystal King)
- 71772 The Crystal King (Crystal King; two-armed)
- 71774 Lloyd's Golden Ultra Dragon (Crystal King)
- 112218 Lloyd vs. Overlord (Legacy; two-armed)
- 892294 Overlord (Crystal King; two-armed, no armor)
TV Appearances
- Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu
- Season 2
- Season 3
- Season 15
Game appearances
Book Appearances
Gallery of Variants
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| Rebooted | Legacy (2019) | Legacy (2021) | Crystal King (Two-armed) | Crystal King (Four-armed) | Crystal King (Two-armed, no armor) |
Notes
- The Overlord is played by actor Scott McNeil, who voices a number of other Ninjago characters including Fangtom, Clouse, Karlof, Nadakhan, and Chew Toy.
- The first picture featured in the Gallery below makes the Overlord look mysteriously like artwork for Baron Typhonus' (Otherwise known as "The Darkitect") face, who, like the Overlord, is the main villain and creator of the Maelstrom in LEGO's MMOG LEGO Universe. (The specific artwork is the second-to-last Gallery picture in the following link).
- The Overlord's disguise's story and appearance is similar to that of Kahn Digifer (Known as Kilokhan in Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad, the American dub of Gridman) of Denkou Choujin Gridman fame.
- In the show the ninja twice mistook his titles for characters they already know: Dark Lord (though it referred to Garmadon), Golden Master (the Ninjas mistook Lloyd for being the golden master)
- He is the first character to first appear in the show, then in a set.
- The Overlord's intro as the Golden Master in episode 34 reflects that of Emperor Palpatine's intro in the sixth Star Wars film, Return of the Jedi.
- The Overlord has possessed a total of 4 characters in the show. These being Lord Garmadon, Cyrus Borg, a Nindroid Warrior, and the MechDragon.
- When possessing Garmaddon, he massively deformed the latter's body. The head was reformed to form a protruding jaw and teeth, the arms became longer and differently shaped, and Garmaddon's hands split into individual fingers. This is represented in the 70505 Temple of Light set by Garmadon's Helmet of Shadows sporting a mouth guard.
Gallery
