Dark Samus

Dark Samus in Metroid Prime 3.
Dark Samus
Base	Tallon IV
Debut	Metroid Prime

Dark Samus is a dark duplicate of Samus that served as one of the main antagonists of the Metroid Prime series. She was formed from the remains of Metroid Prime and the Phazon originally infused in Samus's suit. Dark Samus serves no one save for her own constant need to consume Phazon.

Background

Origins

On Tallon IV, Samus Aran defeated Metroid Prime, a vile creature that was the source of the Phazon polluting the planet. While battling this creature, the Phazon Power Suit was absorbed and returned Samus back to her normal Power Suit. Unknown to Samus after she left, a creature emerged from the Phazon. This creature would become known as Dark Samus and come to be one of her greatest foes.

Aether

Dark Samus moved on to another planet to feed her constant need for Phazon to sustain herself. The planet Aether served this purpose well and Dark Samus seen began scouring the planet for Phazon. The Space Pirates on the planet were surprised by this 'Dark Hunter' that did not actively hunt them, but only killed Space Pirates that got in her way. When the Pirates discovered Samus and Dark Samus were separate entities, they attempted to ally with Dark Samus, but with no success. In the same vain, Dark Samus had little regard for the Ing or the Luminoth, as she simply disposed of whoever got in her way.

Dark Samus seemed to hold a particular vendetta against Samus Aran (perhaps indicating Dark Samus is Metroid Prime reborn). Samus Aran engaged and defeated Dark Samus two separate instances on Aether. Samus Aran engaged Dark Samus for a final time after defeating Emperor Ing. Dark Samus took great damage, but was relentless in its attack. With the last of its energy, it attempted to approach Samus Aran, but dissipated before it could. Although Samus Aran presumed Dark Samus to be destroyed, the dark hunter reformed in space above Aether.

Phazon Crisis

The Space Pirates returned to Aether on the Colossus to gather as much Phazon as they could before the Galactic Federation returned. In their haste, they accidentally brought with them Dark Samus. She tore through the ship killing a third of the crew and then spreading a corruption that bent the Pirates to her will. Eventually those that resisted were corrupted and brainwashed by her. To their minds though, it was a conscious decision that they vowed loyalty to her.

Dark Samus left the pirates adrift as she left. She spent a long time searching and in time found Phaaze, the origin of all Phazon. She rode on the back of a Leviathan that created a wormhole for her that led her back to the Space Pirate ship. The Colossus followed the Leviathan back to Phaaze and there Dark Samus educated her new followers and had them improve the Colossus and to retrofit a Leviathan for use as a command ship.

She then had them steal a Aurora Unit to help coordinate her attack on the Federation. They brought back with them Aurora Unit 313 from the G.F.S. Valhalla. With it Dark Samus discovered she was able to control the trajectory of Leviathans. Eager to test this ability out, she sent a Leviathan to the Pirate Homeworld. The Space Pirates attempted to destroy it, but failed to do so and they soon came under Dark Samus's corruption as well.

She turned her sights on the Federation. Three Leviathans were sent out simultaneously to the Federation stronghold Norion, the fuel gel repository Bryyo, and the spy network of Elysia. Dark Samus personally led the charge on Norion, the most defended of the three planets. Her minions were able to disrupt the Generators on the planet, making it impossible for their large cannons to destroy the Leviathan before it landed. However four bounty hunters, Samus Aran, Ghor, Rundas, and Gandrayda were able to reactivate the generations. They reached the operations tower and were about to fire the cannon when Dark Samus arrived. When they survived her first volley of attacks, she unleashed a devastating attack that knocked them all out. But Samus Aran was able to regain consciousness long enough to fire the cannon and save Norion.

Dark Samus was not concerned though. The four bounty hunters had become corrupted and were deployed to the planets struck by Leviathans. One by one they fell to her control. Soon enough Rundas, Ghor, and Gandrayda became Dark Samus's field commanders on each planet. Despite this though, they were one by one defeated by Samus Aran who managed to prevent becoming fully corrupted. Samus Aran's destroyed the three Leviathans on Elysia, Bryyo, and the Pirate Homeworld. When she had finished all that, she led the Galactic Federation in an attack on Phaaze.

On the surface of the planet, Dark Samus and Samus Aran engaged in their final battle. At first Dark Samus fought Samus alone, employing the use of a technique that allowed her to create copies of herself. When these failed, Dark Samus fused with Aurora Unit 313 to battle Samus. Samus was able to find a weak spot on the back of the Aurora Unit and used it to destroy the colossal brain. With the defeat of both Dark Samus and Aurora Unit 313, Phaaze self-destructed and Dark Samus was eliminated for good.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• In the Super Smash Bros. series, Dark Samus made non-playable appearances in two games before appearing as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, one event match presented a darkened version of Samus as Dark Samus an opponent who was teamed up with Dark Link. Dark Samus made a true appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U as an Assist Trophy and an alternate costume for Samus. When summoned from an Assist Trophy, she attacked with blasts from her cannon as well as Phazon tentacles. In Ultimate, Dark Samus was included as a playable fighter and was labeled as an Echo Fighter of Samus, meaning that they have the same moveset for the most part. She could be unlocked through the game's variable-based system for unlocking the characters or by awakening her in Adventure Mode (where she was found in the area known as The Final Battle, on the dark side of the map).
  • Throughout the series, Dark Samus has also appeared as a trophy and sticker (from Metroid Prime 2) in Brawl, a trophy in the 3DS/Wii U game and as a Fighter Spirit (obtained through her completion of Classic Mode or through a Vault shop purchase) in Ultimate.
  • Her Classic Mode route in Ultimate is called "The Great Poison Being Formed". In most of this route's battles, Dark Samus fought alongside some corrupted version of a character against one or more other characters from the same series. The last pre-boss battle was instead a free-for-all against Samus and Ridley, and the route's boss was Master Hand (with Crazy Hand on higher difficulties).

Trivia

• Although Dark Samus is chronologically the first of Samus's 'doppelgangers', in terms of release order she was preceded by SA-X from Metroid Fusion.