The Iron-Masked Marauder stands as the primary antagonist in the fourth Pokémon film. An Elite Officer of Team Rocket, he specializes in capturing Pokémon with specialized "Dark Balls," devices that override a Pokémon's free will, turn them evil, and amplify their power regardless of prior ownership. His core objective is capturing Celebi, the Time Travel Pokémon, intending to exploit its abilities to overthrow Team Rocket leader Giovanni and dominate both the organization and the world. He also seeks to capture the Legendary Beast Suicune to augment his power further. He first appears tracking and interrogating an elderly Pokémon poacher who encountered Celebi forty years earlier. When the poacher refuses information, the Marauder demonstrates the Dark Ball by capturing the poacher's Tyranitar, then commands the brainwashed Pokémon to obliterate the poacher's camp. This coercion forces the poacher to reveal Celebi's location. Operating a large, spider-legged mechanical vehicle, he pursues Celebi through the forest. He temporarily allies with Team Rocket members Jessie, James, and Meowth due to shared affiliation, but displays indifference to their well-being, abandoning them unnoticed during the chase. Upon locating Ash, his friends, and Celebi, he demands the Time Travel Pokémon. After initial resistance defeats his Sneasel and Scizor, he captures Celebi, using his machine's claw to brutally electrocute it before confinement in a Dark Ball. He reclaims the Dark Ball from Ash by stomping on the boy's hands until he loses consciousness. Under his control, the corrupted Celebi attacks forest Pokémon and constructs a massive, destructive monster from forest materials. He commands Celebi to kill Ash and his companion Sammy, explicitly demanding their destruction in a moment of fury. He accidentally captures Jessie but keeps her as a witness to demonstrate Celebi's power and his ambition. He openly reveals his plan to betray Giovanni, stating his desire to rule Team Rocket and the world using Celebi. His attempt to capture Suicune using Tyranitar fails when Suicune defeats it. The brainwashing on Celebi eventually breaks, causing the Dark Ball to explode and freeing his captured Pokémon (Scizor, Sneasel, Tyranitar). During the collapse of Celebi's monster construct, he falls into the Lake of Life. He resurfaces, grabbing the weakened Celebi and attempting escape via jetpack. Ash clings to his leg during ascent. Despite attempts to kick Ash off, Pikachu damages the jetpack with a Thunderbolt, causing an explosion. While Celebi saves Ash and Pikachu, the Marauder plummets to the forest floor. The fall causes him to lose his mask and remaining Dark Balls. Surrounded by forest Pokémon and human residents (Towa, Diana, Mr. White), he is rendered powerless. He pleads for mercy, claiming a misunderstanding, but is subdued and bound by Pokémon using String Shot. His ultimate fate is implied arrest and imprisonment, with Giovanni unlikely to intervene due to the betrayal. Characterized as ruthless, power-hungry, and devoid of empathy, he exhibits cruelty towards humans and Pokémon. He demonstrates sadistic pleasure in causing destruction and inflicting suffering, evidenced by torturing Celebi and ordering the deaths of Ash and Sammy. His ambition drives him to plan the overthrow and implied murder of his boss. He relies heavily on Dark Balls for control and combat, possessing some hand-to-hand combat skill but poor balance. Jessie, James, and Meowth are horrified by his methods, highlighting his extreme nature even within Team Rocket. He is sometimes referred to by his original Japanese name, Vicious.