Shapeshifter

The Shapeshifter, also known as the Grim Reaper (and less popularly known as the Cloaked Spectre and the Thorn Lord) is a mysterious recurring villain in the Dragon's Lair franchise. Presumably a servant of Mordroc, it first appears in the original Dragon's Lair, waiting for Dirk the Daring to cross a narrow bridge while dodging twin whirling batons. A singe blow from Dirk’s Sword seemingly vanquishes the spectral villain, but Dirk must continue to evade the fast-growing thorns before he can exit the room.

Dragon's Lair: Escape from Singe's Castle

The Shapeshifter has a more prominent role in the 1990 game Dragon's Lair: Escape from Singe's Castle. According to the manual for this game, as soon as Dirk saved Princess Daphne from Singe, the Shapeshifter teleported her away. It appears to Dirk, saying that Daphne is the expected bride of the wizard who owned the castle.

Near the end of the game, Dirk reaches "The Shapeshifter's Den" where Daphne is laid upon a stone table. The Shapeshifter appears in its familiar form of a floating cloaked featureless figure with pointed hood and carrying a halberd. It shoots electric bolts towards Dirk, who eventually defeats it with a throw from his sword.

Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair

The Grim Reaper serves as the boss of the Lair of Thorns and presumably has control over of the Thorn Beasts throughout the game. Dirk's battle begins similarly to the original game, in which the knight must cross a narrow bridge, dodging a couple of whirling batons and the Reaper's scythe. But with each attack Dirk lands upon the Reaper, more obstacles and challenges are created which he must overcome to cross the room from one side to the other. By the time Dirk lands five blows, the Lair of Thorns has filled with whirling batons and Thorn Beasts—and the bridge has largely deteriorated. After defeating the Reaper, Dirk acquires the Magic Arrow, the item essential to defeat Mordroc.

TV Series

A figure similar to that appears in the episode "The Legend of the Giant's Name" of the Dragon's Lair animated series, a floating cloak armed with a wooden club, but the superficial similarities might be just a coincidence.

Dragon's Lair (NES)

The Grim Reaper is the boss of the game’s third level: “The Hall of the Grim Reaper”, standing stationary and launching fireballs from its skeletal hand as Chattering Skulls also fly out of its head toward Dirk. The in-game sprite portrays the villain in a blue-tinted cloak with the possible inclusion of legs, a departure from the Reaper’s more iconic appearance as a floating specter in a red cloak.

Trivia

Conceptual Art for AnJon action figure

• In 2002, AnJon Toys released a wave of four action figures as a tie-in with Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair: Dirk the Daring, Princess Daphne, Mordroc, and Singe. A second wave of figures was planned but the company's financial losses prevented the retail release of additional figures and resulted in the closure of the company. "The Thorn Lord/Grim Reaper" was a candidate to become a figure of future waves, and might have featured a feminine full-body "under-robe" sculpt.
• In the 1984 Marvel Coloring/Activity book Dirk the Daring Battles the Black Knight, Dirk encounters a spectral robed figure resembling the Grim Reaper but the page text described it as "an eery new disguise" taken on by the titular Black Knight.
• The Reaper's stage is featured in Cardsmiths' Dragon's Lair trading card series as card #23 ("REAPER ROOM"), with the description: "Why does the Grim Reaper have inflatable boxing pillows? No one knows. Death is a mys-tery. Either way, Dirk will have to move quickly to avoid both them and the Reaper's touch."

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