Shadow Weaver (character)

Shadow Weaver is a fictional character in She-Ra: Princess of Power and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power who both opposes and supports She-Ra, being the character's former mentor. She is a powerful sorceress and member of The Horde. She is shown as being second-in-command to Hordak, the tyrannical leader of the planet Etheria. When Princess Adora was kidnapped when she was just an infant, it was Shadow Weaver who cast a spell on her so that she would believe the deceptions of The Horde and blindly follow their evil ways. Unlike many of the Evil Horde, Shadow Weaver was created by Filmation and did not have a figure released until the Masters of the Universe Classics line in 2012.

She-Ra: Princess of Power (1985)
Shadow Weaver and the Evil Horde originally appeared in the Filmation cartoon series She-Ra: Princess of Power. Shadow Weaver is portrayed as a ruthless sorceress, who delights in the pain and misery of others, including her own minions. She was initially a mentor to Princess Adora until she defected against the Horde.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018–2020)
In the 2018 series, Shadow Weaver begins the series as a mentor and guardian to Horde cadets Adora and Catra. She was once Light Spinner, a sorceress from the kingdom of Mystacor. Her history is revealed in a flashback sequence in the second-season episode "Light Spinner": as Light Spinner, she was a mentor to Glimmer's father Micah during the early days of the Horde's invasion of Etheria. Though she succeeded in using a forbidden spell that allowed her to siphon magic to increase her power, it rebounded and disfigured her. She left the Sorcerers' Guild soon after and joined the Horde. Shadow Weaver used her position to gain access to the Black Garnet runestone, learning to draw power from it.

As Adora and Catra's guardian, Shadow Weaver favored Adora and was dismissive and emotionally abusive toward Catra. In the first season, after Adora defects to the Rebellion, Shadow Weaver is obsessed with recapturing her, ignoring Hordak's orders. Hordak dismisses her as second-in-command for this insubordination, replacing her with Catra, and she is imprisoned for refusing to relinquish the Black Garnet to her former subordinate.

Late in the second season, Shadow Weaver manipulates Catra into helping her escape the Fright Zone. In the third season, she defects to the Rebellion and becomes a prisoner in the Rebellion stronghold of Bright Moon. She tells Adora about Hordak's plan to open a portal to bring the full Horde army to Etheria. Shadow Weaver is later freed by Glimmer to help rescue Adora after the Horde captures her and aid the rebels in stopping the portal. She begins training Glimmer in sorcery, contributing to Glimmer's conflict in the fourth season with Adora, who does not trust her former mentor.

When Horde Prime makes his appearance on Etheria in the final episode of the fourth season, Shadow Weaver continues to work alongside the resistance, despite the rebels' lingering distrust towards her. (Showrunner Noelle Stevenson has hinted that Shadow Weaver also has pursued her own selfish reasons. ) She leads Adora and her friends to the failsafe for the Heart of Etheria in the catacombs of Mystacor, doing her best to protect them from the traps set in the place, and explains that only She-Ra would have the chance of wielding it. In the fifth season finale, when Adora travels to the Heart of Etheria in order to shut it down before Horde Prime can use it, Shadow Weaver protects her and Catra from a guard monster and sacrifices her life in order to destroy it.

History
Shadow Weaver was a practicing apprentice sorceress originally from the Kingdom of Mystacor. Her real name is Light Spinner. Along with a rival sorceress named Castaspella, she was being trained by a great Etherian sorcerer named Norwyn. When Hordak arrived on Etheria, he promised Shadow Weaver vast power in exchange for information, she agreed. Only a second-rate sorceress herself, her powers were greatly increased through a magical gem which was responsible for a devastating unforeseen physical transformation. While absorbing the power of the Horde's "dark gem", Norwyn discovered her and realized her great betrayal. He then destroyed the gem, severing her link with the gem but not before she had taken only a third of its power, inducing an irreversible change in her mentally and spiritually. She betrayed Norwyn and Castaspella and joined The Horde forever.

The Horde
Although she is a prominent member of The Horde and has quarters at their Fright Zone base, her main dwelling is at Horror Hall, which is located in the darkest region of Etheria.

Powers and abilities
Shadow Weaver owns a huge cauldron, which she can use to scry and communicate with other worlds. She is also at her most powerful in Horror Hall. Her dark skills allow her to weave her mystical abilities as dark force-bolts, mind-control, telekinesis, teleportation, transmogrification, weather manipulation, and just about any other feat she sets her mind to, such as assailing Castle Brightmoon itself through means of a magical replica in the episode "The Crystal Castle". She moves about solely by levitation, having never been shown to walk or run in the series.

Shadow Weaver is perhaps best known for her Shadow Magic, which includes casting Shadow Coils, Shadow Cells, the Sleeping Shadow, and Shadow Bubbles—often used to detain members of The Great Rebellion. She also has extensive magical knowledge relating to myths and legends.

Shadow Weaver wears a red hood/veil and robe which covers most of her body. Her face is never shown, with only two yellowish eyes visible. Her hands are a pale green color. Once young and beautiful, her conversion to evil dramatically altered her appearance and voice. This is the most likely reason that she hides her body and face undergarments.

Comics
Shadow Weaver has appeared in various comic adaptations of Masters of the Universe. In the UK comics published by London Editions, she was given the name Light Spinner before her transformation into Shadow Weaver, which was caused by Hordak himself using a combination of Horde science and magic.

Other media
Shadow Weaver appears in the Robot Chicken episode "Slaughterhouse on the Prairie", voiced by Seth Green. She accompanies Leech into attacking the Crystal Castle only for her to have her backbone ripped out by She-Ra.

Reception
Shadow Weaver was voted No. 1 in The 6 Best (and 6 Worst) Filmation-Only He-Man Characters by Topless Robot. WhatCulture.com voted Shadow Weaver No. 5 on the 5 Key Villains That Should Be Considered for a Masters of the Universe film reboot.