NOTE: I have not yet read Bionicle book 3 “Escape from the Underworld” yet, so I may be missing some information that would contradict my theory.
Here’s a theory of mine. I think Kulta was either more powerful than Umarak, or he was more trusted by Makuta.
Kulta was sent to find and destroy the mask of creation, the mask belonging to the one person strong enough to stop Makuta.
Umarak was sent to find the mask of control, only for Makuta to betray Umarak and force him into wearing it, which caused him to mutate and probably has turned him into Makuta’s mindless slave.
Given that the mask of creation is likely much more powerful than the mask of control, it’s surprising that Kulta could wear the mask of creation, and not be affected so drastically unlike Umarak. Not to mention, Kulta is in charge of an army that are all controlled through his power.
Basically, I believe Kulta was not only more powerful than Umarak, he was likely far more trusted by Makuta, since he gave Kulta such an important task.
But hey, that’s just a theory, a Bionicle theory. Sorry MatPat.
Given what we know from the book, I think that this is more accurate.
I don’t know if you care about spoilers, but Kulta is really just a few thousand year old undead pirate. There’s no reason for him to be more powerful than the guy that is effectively the creature of shadow, thus the physical manifestation of his element on Okoto.
Furthermore, in the book Kulta acts like his free will has been more or less rotten away over the ages(note that he makes his own decisions, but serves Makuta foremost). I think it’s really more that Makuta expected Umarak to turn on him and don the mask, whereas he knew Kulta would destroy it as planned(if things played out in his favor).
Thank you for the information. But that does mean that, basically, Makuta trusted Kulta more, despite whether or not Kulta could betray Makuta if he wanted to, and that still doesn’t explain why he could wear the mask of creation, and Umarak couldn’t handle the mask of control.
That’s a good point, but I think it boils down to the Mask of Creation granting a “passive” power, whereas Control grants an “active power.” It’s mostly speculation(and a couple remarks Ekimu made in RoSS), but I think that the Mask of Creation grants the user the understanding of how to obtain what they need, in Kulta’s case that would be the strength to defeat the Toa. Hence, he had access to what he needed and wiped them out.
If I were to guess about the Mask of Control, however, I’ll bet it grants the ability to control the immediate environment to make what you want… If you have the vision to. In Umarak’s case, perhaps his vision was muddled with ill intent and that reflected upon himself because of lacking willpower. Yes, that’s mostly speculating, but I think it kind of makes sense.
It is referred to as having the power of mind control though. And, a note from an earlier comment of yours, Kulta must have retained some individuality, seeing as he can still speak and think for himself, since he decides to put on the mask, it just seems that he remains loyal for whatever reason.
This is what I think:
Kulta is sn ancient Skull Raider that started to serve Makuta long before the Battle of the Mask Makers, so he’s a trusted servant (as long as he accomplishes the missions), while Umarak is fairly new to Makuta and he’s just there as a “bounty hunter” (not a servant), and Makuta probably knows his desperate need of freedom and he doesn’t really trust him.
Kulta, even if ancient, is not even close to have Umarak’s age, and while the Skull Raiders were (probably) close relatives of the Okotans, I view Umarak as an elemental creature (which means that he’s pretty much an animal). This makes the Hunter some kind of “lesser being” when it comes to masks, and he may not be able to wear such powerful masks as Kulta can without going insane (even his own mask is made out of tree bark, or at least it looks like).
Also, I don’t think that the Mask of Creation is more powerful than the Mask of Control, I tend to think the opposite actually (I mean, which mask was hidden in a maze outside of Okoto?). It may mean nothing but look at the box art of the sets too, the Mask of Control is “marketed” as stronger than the Mask of Creation, as you can see below.
^^^^ this one is emitting light and is completely destroying the wall behind it, while energy flows through the cracks.
So in the end I think that Kulta was a more powerful wearer for the mask, and the mask he decided to wear was strong, but not as strong as the mask that Umarak, who is a more threatening enemy but not a very powerful mask wearer, was induced to wear (transforming the Hunter into the Destroyer).
Man that was a long post, but I hope I have been clear in explaining my point of view. What do you think?
The mask of control was hidden away to keep it from Makuta, the mask of creation was left closer to Ekimu, for whenever he might awaken. Sure the mask of control appears more powerful, but that could simply be because it’s power is more wild and uncontrolable, while the mask of creation seems more calm and peaceful, but not nearly any less powerful, it enabled Kulta to defeat all six Toa at once, and though they were inexperienced, he had only been wearing the mask for a few seconds.
Umarak’s mask is probably the most powerful mask we know about besides the mask of control, the mask of creation, the mask of ultimate power, and the mask of time, with the power of shadows, Makuta Teridax’s original mask power. So I find it unlikely for Umarak to be a lesser mask wearer, but now I think, it might be because of the nature of the powers between the mask of control and the mask of creation.
One is more wild and uncontrolable, but was never originally intended for evil, just like it’s original wearer, Makuta. While the other is more peaceful and precise, much like it’s wearer, Ekimu.
Ekimu and his mask of creation are Makuta’s biggest fear, he wanted the mask destroyed, because it has the power to stop him.
So, basically, now I think it’s less about Kulta or Umarak, and more about the masks they put on respectively.
If you ever get to reading the book, you’ll find that he is his own person, but he takes orders from Makuta. It’s kind of like how a military officer takes orders from his superior; Kulta treats Makuta like a superior for whatever reason.
I think that he planned for it, but wasn’t necessarily responsible for it. But then again, there’s really no telling.
Yeah when I was talking about a “powerful mask” I was thinking more about a “mask with a wilder power” in my head, sorry .
Also, regarding Umarak, his mask could appear strong, but we don’t necessarily know if it is indeed a powerful mask of shadows, because we have nothing to compare it to. Remember that he used his mask power only to teleport and create shadows around a non-moving target, which is cool and great but not nearly as powerful as elemental masks (if used properly).
I believe that the Mask of Creation and the Mask of Control are of equal power. Ekimu and Makuta are brothers, so why should one be inherently more powerful than the other?
How did the Mask of Control allow Makuta to take over Umarak’s mind? Simple. It was Makuta’s personal mask. It’s implied that Ekimu has a connection with the masks he’s made, so why wouldn’t Makuta as well? Putting on the Mask of Control gives Makuta a direct link to your brain.
As for Kulta, Ekimu didn’t dominate his mind because, well, that’s not in his nature. Ekimu will leap into action, but he seems like a passive guy most of the time. He never tried to control Kulta because 1) it never occurred to him and 2) he probably wouldn’t know how if he tried.
As for who’s stronger? I’m leaning towards Umarak. Mainly because refuse to believe the elemental embodiment of darkness is weaker than a skeleton. However, I’d say that Kulta is the better fighter. Umarak seems to rely on stealth and strategy, but fails in direct combat. Kulta is a warrior hailing from a society of raiders.
So, in 1v1 match, Kulta would ultimately win, masks on or off. They both underwent a transformation when they put on their masks. Kulta’s was just never depicted in the animations. (It’s the combiner set with skull scorpio. It is canon to my knowledge.)
Just because it’s a representation doesn’t make it canon, if it doesn’t appear in any of the story material, or confirmed by the people who create that story material, it isn’t canon, no matter what one designer says it was originally meant to represent.
Not to mention, he said it was a representation, he didn’t say it absolutely was Kulta after putting on the mask.
It technically does appear is story material though, when Skull Grinder puts on the Mask of Creation and grows larger, he becomes the combo model, sort off, its like an Ultimate Dume situation where the set looks nothing like the thing it represents even though it confirmed to be that thing.
I would initially tend towards Umarak being much, much, more powerful than Kulta; certainly, Umarak is pretty much a god, and Kulta is just a pirate. However, one could argue that Kulta wearing the MoCr could defeat Umarak wearing the MoC; it has been strongly implied that Ekimu was better at mask-making than his brother, and creation encompasses a significantly deeper range of powers than control does. Creation allows for invention, while the MoC only allows the user to control preexisting objects or entities.
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