Mata Nui (Being)

"I will return."

- Mata Nui, Comic 15: Mata Nui Rising.

Mata Nui was a Great Spirit created by the Great Beings to explore and observe the galaxy.

Creation and Early Life
Far into the unknown past, the Great Beings created Mata Nui as the foundations of a synthezoid, otherwise known as an android. Mata Nui's construction was taken over by the Matoran, who labored completely unaware of what they were doing. These Matoran created the Matoran Universe, whose lands and species would serve as essential functions to him. During this time, Tren Krom maintained the universe in the heart of Mata Nui, the cavernous Karda Nui.

By 100,000 years ago, Mata Nui was awakened. This was heralded by the exile of Tren Krom, who with the awakening of Mata Nui would no longer be necessary to the Matoran Universe. Meanwhile, the Great Beings created the Kanohi Ignika, a mask which could heal Mata Nui's life-force if required, and provided Artakha with the supplies needed to create the Toa Mata, whose destiny was a failsafe against the possibility of Mata Nui falling asleep.

With his awakening, Mata Nui provided the Matoran Universe with light, gravity, heat, and essential forces of nature, as the Matoran would now labor as unknowingly inside his body to continue his existence. Because of this, the Matoran venerated Mata Nui, and gave him his name, Mata Nui, which was the Matoran translation for the title, Great Spirit, as well as building statues and temples in his honor. Meanwhile, in Karda Nui, the Energy Storms began, which happened as long as Mata Nui was awakened.

Mata Nui was given several tasks by the Great Beings, including the observation of other worlds.

Creating the Makuta/Barraki
Shortly after his awakening, Mata Nui saw fit to create a new species, the Makuta. The Makuta formed the Brotherhood of Makuta, who became known as the brothers of Mata Nui and carried out his will of creating bio-mechanical Rahi and Plant Life to populate his universe.

Five thousand years later, he created six species, choosing one of each to withhold order. These six became warlords known as the Barraki and allied into the League of Six Kingdoms. However, the Barraki were not entirely loyal to Mata Nui. By 15,000 years later, they had conquered the known Matoran Universe in regions, and sought the overthrow of Mata Nui himself. This action prompted the Brotherhood of Makuta and the Toa to muster an army under Makuta Teridax and capture the Barraki and end the League's rule.



500 years later, a Matoran dispute arose in Metru Nui, escalating to the Matoran Civil War. With the loss of workers, this created dire results for Mata Nui. Even when Teridax ended the conflict, Mata Nui's life was endangered. Therefore, Toa Jovan and his team were dispatched to the Southern Continent to recover the Kanohi Ignika. They took the mask underground to Karda Nui, and, with a teammate's sacrifice, healed Mata Nui.

The Brotherhood's Rebellion
Subsequently, Makuta Teridax had begun to formulate The Plan, a coup to overthrow the Great Spirit. The idea stemmed from an idea Teridax had following the Barraki's defeat, believing the League could not be the rulers of the Matoran Universe, but surely the Makuta could. After the Metru Nui Civil War, many Makuta had similar beliefs, as Makuta Miserix assigned regions for the Makuta to watch over. All over, the species became aware of complete devotion, veneration, and love for the Great Spirit, and yet none for the Makuta, despite all they had done for them.

This spawned jealousy, hatred, and anger toward him, until all the Makuta just wanted to see was the Great Spirit "humbled", as Teridax described once. Therefore, when Makuta Mutran had returned from a mission to investigate Tren Krom, he informed Teridax of information such as Mata Nui's actual form and characteristics, who used the information to overthrow Miserix, and fell the Great Spirit with a virus to make him fall asleep.

But Mata Nui did see the attack coming, and manipulated events to make sure things could be made right. When new Toa Metru were about to be chosen by Toa Lhikan shortly before the Cataclysm, Teridax wished to influence the choices to his advantage. Knowing this, Mata Nui and his Order falsified prophesies regarding the identities of the new Toa. Teridax believed these prophesies, and influenced Lhikan to choose others to become the new Toa. But as these "others" were fake to begin with, the ones that Teridax influenced Lhikan to choose were in fact the true destined Toa Metru. The Toa Nuva were sent to Voya Nui to find the Ignika, Mask of Life, that could heal Mata Nui. Six Matoran followed them determined to help, and were transformed into the Toa Inika. The Toa Inika got the mask, after several struggles against rogue Skakdi ex-Dark Hunters calling themselves Piraka, but it immediately flew away and plunged into the sea, heading for the undersea city of Mahri Nui that rested on top of the Pit, which it considered the most damaged place in the universe.

There, the mask was found by a Ga-Matoran named Kyrehx, who passed it on to a Po-Matoran named Dekar. The Barraki went after it as soon as they learned of it, and the waters of the Pit were slowly destroying it. The Toa Inika pursued it down to Mahri Nui through the stone cord linking Mahri Nui and Voya Nui. They encountered a tribe of Zyglak, and a giant venom eel cracked the cord and attacked them.

However, they became Toa Mahri, transformed by the mask. They had from that point around 24 hours to heal Mata Nui before he died, and three days after that till the entire Matoran Universe was destroyed. Unfortunately, they failed, and shortly after the Toa Mahri recovered the Ignika and cut the Stone Cord in preparation for Mata Nui's awakening, he died, causing the Mask of Life to go dark (it did not, however, lose its powers--the darkness was purely symbolic). The universe then slowly began to die; then, after falling into Karda Nui, Matoro put on the Ignika. Matoro died, bringing Mata Nui back to life and the universe was saved, but he remained asleep and began having terrible nightmares.

After arriving in Karda Nui, the Toa Nuva discovered that there were six fragments of a keystone that told how to awaken Mata Nui. From the first three stones they acquired, they learned that the secret to reviving the Great Spirit was in the Swamp of Secrets.

Mata Nui's body was taken over by Teridax at the exact moment when the Ignika revived him, making Teridax ruler of the universe. Teridax also banished Mata Nui's spirit to the Ignika, and the Ignika from the universe after it was used to awaken him.

Bara Magna
After drifting through space, Mata Nui eventually crash landed on the planet of Bara Magna. He soon formed a new body. He was not walking steadily at first, as he was used to walking a great distance every step. He almost squashed a Scarbax Beetle, if it wasn't for its quick cry. The beetle then crawled up his arm to his face, touching the Ignika. It then transformed into a new weapon, the Scarab Shield.

He was then attacked by a Vorox. After just gaining weapons he found it hard to fight. Mata Nui won and then started traveling again. Soon after his victory over the Vorox, he saw something coming and picked up the stinger of the Vorox, and encountered the Agori Metus, and asked if he could share his Thornatus as transport. The Agori agreed, and Mata Nui introduced himself as the two set off. On their way to the village of Vulcanus, they were attacked by a Sand Bat, which knocked them off their vehicle. Mata Nui, believing the creature to be a Rahi of the Matoran Universe, suggested knocking off its Kanohi mask, a notion laughed by Metus. Mata Nui soon learned that the Sand Bat hated light. With the help of Metus, Mata Nui defeated the Sand Bat and let it disappear into the sand. The two then reached Vulcanus and watched the match between Strakk and Ackar.

Alternate Universe
The Kingdom In The Kingdom Alternate Universe Toa Matoro failed to save Mata Nui's life in time.

Dark Mirror In the Dark Mirror Alternate Universe, Mata Nui was never put to sleep by Teridax. He continues to watch over the Matoran Universe.

Powers and Tools
After being cast out of the Matoran Universe, Mata Nui wore the Ignika. When he landed on Bara Magna, the Ignika created a body for him. After touching the Ignika, the Scarabax Beetle, Click, gained the ability to transform between the Scarabax Shield and it's former form. Later, he defeated a Vorox by smashing its the tip of it's tail off and later took the stinger to use as a weapon.

Set Information

 * Mata Nui in his Toa-like form was released in the summer of 2009 as set 8989 and contained 52 pieces.
 * Mata Nui has also been released as a Special Edition Titan box set during the Summer of 2009. This depicts him in the same form as the canister set, just on a larger scale. The set number is 8998 and contains 366 pieces. It is notable as it contains a golden colored version of the Kanohi Ignika, first released in silver in 2008. This version is 32 inches tall.

Trivia

 * If Mata Nui would have ever died, the Matoran Universe would only have three days before the domes inside the Matoran Universe would fill with water with Mutagen in it, according to "The Kingdom" parellel universe.
 * During his slumber, Mata Nui was, on some level, aware of what was going on in the universe.
 * Before Mata Nui existed, the universe was kept in order by an entity called Tren Krom from inside Karda Nui.
 * Mata Nui's original body was 40 million feet high, or 12,000 km high (757.57 miles high). His Toa-like body, however, was about 7 feet tall.
 * In the movie Bionicle The legend reborn, Mata Nui is voiced by Michael Dorn, who is best known for playing Commander Worf in Star Trek.