Enemies

The Maelstrom is the dark menace spreading chaos and destruction throughout the LEGO Universe.

The Maelstrom was created long ago by Baron Typhonus. After creating the Spider Boss to demonstrate the power of Imagination without rules, the chaotic spider turned on him and dragged him into the Imagination Nexus. Their combined chaotic ideals corrupted the Imagination Nexus, mutating it into a powerful Maelstrom. The Maelstrom proceeded to destroy the Venture Koi and fired lightning at the remaining explores, successfully smashing Duke Exeter. Doctor Overbuild attempted to contain the Maelstrom, but as a result the Maelstrom shattered Planet Crux into countless smaller worlds.

A massive black hole where Planet Crux once existed, the Maelstrom spread across the LEGO Universe, seeking to destroy all Imagination and leave chaos in its wake. Baron Typhonus was transformed into the Darkitect, the mastermind behind the Maelstrom's actions. The Maelstrom corrupted many unfortunate denizens of the LEGO Universe into the Darkitect's minions, the Stromlings. The Nexus Force was founded to protect the last source of Pure Imagination from the destructive powers of the Maelstrom. The Paradox faction in particular was created to study the Maelstrom.

The Maelstrom was first unveiled in the "Answer the Call" LEGO Universe trailer, in which Stromlings have taken over YouReeka. To aid the Stromling army in the Battle of YouReeka, a Maelstrom opens above YouReeka and releases several Grumpy Darklings and a Maelstrom Dragon. During the Battle of Nimbus Station based upon this trailer, the Maelstrom has taken over Nimbus Station and blocks off most of the planet chunk with Maelstrom Fog.

The Maelstrom's menace led to the mission of the Pods to deliver the LEGO Universe's plea of help to the Blue Planet. However, while passing through the rift between the two universes, MMW4 was unrelentingly pursued by the Maelstrom's energies. The paths of Pods 6 and 7 were altered to avoid the dark menace, although JFR6 was disturbed by the possibility of the Maelstrom passing through the rip. The Maelstrom also appears to have corrupted AJR7 or altered his Mission Log.

More details about the Maelstrom were slowly unveiled in the Great Minifig Mission. In Mission 3 and Mission 11, players must complete slider puzzles before the Maelstrom catches up to them. Mission 10 details the Maelstrom's creation, while Mission 12 discusses the origins of the Maelstrom's Stromlings.

The Maelstrom sensed Imagination leaking from Engine 2 of the Venture Explorer as the starship was passing over the Maelstrom black hole. It responded by blasting the Venture Explorer with a bolt of lightning, which damaged the spaceship and causes it to become slowly sucked into the vortex. After all the Minifigures aboard are evacuated, the Maelstrom takes over the Venture Explorer.

On Avant Gardens, the once-peaceful planet chunk became corrupted by Maelstrom energies unleashed by an explosion at Paradox Research Facility caused by the Spider Queen. Although the Sentinels have managed to contain the Maelstrom energies and prevent them from spreading to the Monument, the area around the Research Facility has become a battlefield occupied by the Stromlings. While the Spider Queen inhabited the Maelstrom Mine, she was protected by a heavy layer of Maelstrom Fog. After the Spider Queen escaped to Block Yard, the Launch Area becomes blanketed with Maelstrom Fog that can only be cleared by smashing the Spider Queen.

All Property worlds have been taken over by the Maelstrom and occupied by Stromlings spawned by a Maelstrom Generator. The Maelstrom energies contain the planet chunks' Imagination into large Imagination Orbs. Players must free the Imagination Orbs to cleanse the Properties from Maelstrom, after which they can rent the Property from the local Property Guard.

The Maelstrom gained a foothold in Gnarled Forest after greedy Pirates attempted to stockpile Maelstrom Crystals, thinking that they were valuable treasure. The Maelstrom Trench contains so many of these Pirates' Maelstrom Treasure Chests that it has not only corrupted the planet chunk's inhabitants, but the Maelstrom is actually seeping into the land itself, as Renee Tombcrusher once noted.

In Forbidden Valley, the Maelstrom possesses Dark Ronin and has taken over the ancient temples and tombs of Cavalry Hill. Paradox studies the Maelstrom energies in the Paradox Refinery, but their Maelstrom experiments unintentionally unleashed Maelstrom Dragons which now preside in Maelstrom Valley.

Maelstrom concentrations are at their highest at Crux Prime, which is literally surrounded by a sea of Maelstrom energies. In such high concentration, rather than corrupting and infecting denizens into Stromlings, the Maelstrom can spawn infinite numbers of Stromling Invaders. However, following the completion of Nexus Tower, the Maelstrom's occupation of Crux Prime has significantly weakened, causing fewer Stromling Invaders to spawn.

The Darkitect's only known ally, Lord Garmadon, uses the Maelstrom to strengthen his Skulkin armies. The skeletons mine for Maelstrom Ore in the Maelstrom Quarry and fashion it into weapons and armor, which the Skulkins use in the siege on the Ninjago Monastery.