Bloodscream
Encyclopedia
Bloodscream is a fictional character
, a comic book
supervillain
in the Marvel Comics
universe
and an enemy of Wolverine
.
and John Buscema
.
Bloodscream received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89
#1, and in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Wolverine (2004).
, though he himself isn't a vampire. Bloodscream is born in England in the 16th century. In his youth, he serves as an apprentice to an unknown doctor
before adulthood, in the manner typical of the Tudor period
. He later serves in Sir Francis Drake
's pirate fleet as a naval surgeon between 1577 and 1580.
In 1580, the surgeon is mortally wounded during an attack on a Spanish galleon and Drake personally directs him to be treated by a Native American
shaman
named Dagoo. The shaman, however, is actually a necromancer
and is only able to save his life by transforming him into a vampire-like being. Enraged by his new condition, Bloodscream forces Dagoo to reveal the ingredients of the potion that had saved him and how to reverse the effects. Before he kills Dagoo, the necromancer reveals that the effects will only be reversed if the potion contains the blood of a man who doesn't age. Most of his activities over the centuries aren't known, with the exception that he continuously fights in any war he can.
During the 20th century, he serves as a soldier
in the Wehrmacht
, the armed forces of Nazi Germany
from 1935 to 1945. He sees action during World War II
and first encountered the man then known only as Logan, who would later become Wolverine, during the Battle of Normandy
(June 6 - August 25, 1944), when Wolverine is a corporal
of the Canadian Forces
. The two engage in a brief battle with Bloodscream being stabbed and left for dead.
He runs into Wolverine decades later in Madripoor
and notices that Wolverine hasn't aged since his encounter with him decades earlier. This leaves Bloodscream to believe that Wolverine's blood will work in the formula to transform him back into a human.
He properly introduces himself to Wolverine while working in Madripoor
as a criminal enforcer with his partner, Roughouse. During this time, he often comes into conflict with Wolverine, who was at the time in his alter-ego as "Patch", though he's never able to defeat him. He nearly kills one of Wolverine's close friends, Archie Corrigan
, managing to scar his chest with a handprint before being interrupted.
After he parts company with Roughouse, Bloodscream enters a partnership with Cylla Markham of the Reavers
, who at that point is tracking Wolverine for reasons of her own. He joins her in tracking Wolverine all throughout the high Canadian wilderness and they finally locate him, though both he and Cylla are near death from hunger and fatigue. Knowing he has no chance against Wolverine unless he's at his peak, Bloodscream turns on Cylla and drains her of blood. Bloodscream then confronts Wolverine, who is armed with the honor sword of Clan Yashida. The sword is a katana
forged by demon blacksmiths from a fallen meteorite. As the sword wasn't forged by mortal man, Bloodscream is vulnerable to it and is struck down by Wolverine, who again leaves him for dead.
However, Bloodscream later reappears, and revives the androids Albert
and Elsie-Dee
, hoping to use them to locate Wolverine. Bloodscream later begins working as a mercenary again with Roughouse. He encounters Wolverine a few more times and has recently been involved in a confrontation with Iron Man
in which he was beaten. Iron Man stabbed him with a blade in his armour normally used to interface with outside systems. Maintaining Bloodscream's inability to be hurt with mortally-forged weapons, this blade was created by a Stark Enterprises engineering robot rather than a man.
Recently, Bloodscream and Roughouse have come into employment by Hydra. They came into conflict with the Shadow Initiative. Already beheaded by Typhoid Mary
, Bloodscream is defeated by the appearance of Ant-Man
, who destroys Bloodscream's body by growing inside of it. However, Ant-Man states Bloodscream would have pulled himself back together, thus urging the Shadow Initiative to evacuate the Hydra headquarters.
Like true vampires, however, Bloodscream possesses superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility, and reaction time. The full limits of Bloodscream's physical capabilities are unknown but are well beyond those of most known true vampires.
Bloodscream must regularly feed from the blood or the lifeforce of other human beings in order to maintain his physical vitality. There are times in which he merely ingests blood and there are others when he drains an individual of his or her life energy. He is able to accomplish either by touching a victim's bare skin. If a victim survives, the victim is left with a red scar in the shape of Bloodscream's hand at the exact point where he touches a victim. It also can result, if Bloodscream chooses to absorb a victim's entire lifeforce, in the victim's body quickly withering into rapidly aged husk. Bloodscream is able to transform a dead victim into a mindless, zombie-like being that is forced to do his bidding, though he rarely does so.
Bloodscream is functionally immortal in the sense that he is immune to the effects of aging and to all known diseases. He has also shown the ability to rapidly heal from physical injury and to regenerate damaged or destroyed tissues, similar to Wolverine's mutant healing factor. Bloodscream has, in the past, reattached his own head after being decapitated by Wolverine. According to the necromancer who transfromed him into his current form, Bloodscream cannot be slain by any weapon created by a mortal being, though it is unknown this is true or not. It is known that he can at least be injured by weapons created by mortal hands.
Bloodscream also possesses limited shape-shifting powers, able to transform from his 'normal' pale-skinned vampire likeness into a more monsterous form. His jaw expands to several feet deep, and his teeth grow to almost a foot long. Bloodscream's arms, hands, and fingers also elongate, with his fingernails growing out to a similar length as his teeth. In this state, Bloodscream is little more than an animal and his craving for blood reaches frenzied levels.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
and an enemy of Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
.
Publication history
Bloodscream's first appearance was in Wolverine vol. 2 #4 (February, 1989), and he was created by Chris ClaremontChris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...
and John Buscema
John Buscema
John Buscema, born Giovanni Natale Buscema , was an American comic-book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to a major pop culture conglomerate...
.
Bloodscream received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
#1, and in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Wolverine (2004).
Fictional character biography
Bloodscream is a being with traits and abilities that are similar to those of vampiresVampire (Marvel Comics)
Vampires are fictional characters found in the Marvel Universe.-History:They were created roughly 15,000 years ago when a small band of sorcerers from the legendary city of Atlantis discovered a book known as the Darkhold, an indestructible text filled with arcane lore and dark magic written...
, though he himself isn't a vampire. Bloodscream is born in England in the 16th century. In his youth, he serves as an apprentice to an unknown doctor
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
before adulthood, in the manner typical of the Tudor period
Tudor period
The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...
. He later serves in Sir Francis Drake
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
's pirate fleet as a naval surgeon between 1577 and 1580.
In 1580, the surgeon is mortally wounded during an attack on a Spanish galleon and Drake personally directs him to be treated by a Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
shaman
Shamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
named Dagoo. The shaman, however, is actually a necromancer
Necromancy
Necromancy is a claimed form of magic that involves communication with the deceased, either by summoning their spirit in the form of an apparition or raising them bodily, for the purpose of divination, imparting the ability to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge...
and is only able to save his life by transforming him into a vampire-like being. Enraged by his new condition, Bloodscream forces Dagoo to reveal the ingredients of the potion that had saved him and how to reverse the effects. Before he kills Dagoo, the necromancer reveals that the effects will only be reversed if the potion contains the blood of a man who doesn't age. Most of his activities over the centuries aren't known, with the exception that he continuously fights in any war he can.
During the 20th century, he serves as a soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
in the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
, the armed forces of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
from 1935 to 1945. He sees action during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and first encountered the man then known only as Logan, who would later become Wolverine, during the Battle of Normandy
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
(June 6 - August 25, 1944), when Wolverine is a corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
of the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
. The two engage in a brief battle with Bloodscream being stabbed and left for dead.
He runs into Wolverine decades later in Madripoor
Madripoor
The Principality of Madripoor is a fictional island located in Southeast Asia in the Marvel Comics universe. Based on illustrations, it is in the southern portion of the Strait of Malacca, southwest of Singapore.-Publication history:...
and notices that Wolverine hasn't aged since his encounter with him decades earlier. This leaves Bloodscream to believe that Wolverine's blood will work in the formula to transform him back into a human.
He properly introduces himself to Wolverine while working in Madripoor
Madripoor
The Principality of Madripoor is a fictional island located in Southeast Asia in the Marvel Comics universe. Based on illustrations, it is in the southern portion of the Strait of Malacca, southwest of Singapore.-Publication history:...
as a criminal enforcer with his partner, Roughouse. During this time, he often comes into conflict with Wolverine, who was at the time in his alter-ego as "Patch", though he's never able to defeat him. He nearly kills one of Wolverine's close friends, Archie Corrigan
Archie Corrigan
Archie Corrigan is a fictional comic book character from the Marvel Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:He is a friend of Patch and is a pilot. He owns and operates South Seas Skyways, of which he was the entire company. He lives in Madripoor....
, managing to scar his chest with a handprint before being interrupted.
After he parts company with Roughouse, Bloodscream enters a partnership with Cylla Markham of the Reavers
Reavers (comics)
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe the Reavers are a team of criminal cyborgs. The most significant team of Reavers were dedicated to the destruction of the mutant X-Men, and a number of them especially wanted to take revenge on one particular X-Man, Wolverine. The name was originally used by...
, who at that point is tracking Wolverine for reasons of her own. He joins her in tracking Wolverine all throughout the high Canadian wilderness and they finally locate him, though both he and Cylla are near death from hunger and fatigue. Knowing he has no chance against Wolverine unless he's at his peak, Bloodscream turns on Cylla and drains her of blood. Bloodscream then confronts Wolverine, who is armed with the honor sword of Clan Yashida. The sword is a katana
Katana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
forged by demon blacksmiths from a fallen meteorite. As the sword wasn't forged by mortal man, Bloodscream is vulnerable to it and is struck down by Wolverine, who again leaves him for dead.
However, Bloodscream later reappears, and revives the androids Albert
Albert (comics)
Albert is a fictional character appearing in Marvel Comics, and an ally of Wolverine. The character first appeared in Wolverine vol. 1 #37 suspended in a tank of liquid. Albert is a sapient automaton or android.-Fictional character biography:...
and Elsie-Dee
Elsie-Dee
Elsie-Dee is a fictional character appearing in Marvel Comics, and an ally of Wolverine. The character first appeared in Wolverine Vol. 2, Issue 37 in an inanimate state suspended in tank of gelatin. Elsie-Dee is a sentient automaton or android...
, hoping to use them to locate Wolverine. Bloodscream later begins working as a mercenary again with Roughouse. He encounters Wolverine a few more times and has recently been involved in a confrontation with Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
in which he was beaten. Iron Man stabbed him with a blade in his armour normally used to interface with outside systems. Maintaining Bloodscream's inability to be hurt with mortally-forged weapons, this blade was created by a Stark Enterprises engineering robot rather than a man.
Recently, Bloodscream and Roughouse have come into employment by Hydra. They came into conflict with the Shadow Initiative. Already beheaded by Typhoid Mary
Typhoid Mary (comics)
Typhoid Mary , also known as Typhoid, Walker, Bloody Mary and Mutant Zero, is a fictional character, a supervillain and enemy of Daredevil and Deadpool in the Marvel Comics Universe. She first appeared in Daredevil #254, and was created by Ann Nocenti and John Romita, Jr....
, Bloodscream is defeated by the appearance of Ant-Man
Ant-Man (Eric O'Grady)
Ant-Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . He is the third character to use the name Ant-Man. He first appears in The Irredeemable Ant-Man #1 and was created by Robert Kirkman and Phil Hester....
, who destroys Bloodscream's body by growing inside of it. However, Ant-Man states Bloodscream would have pulled himself back together, thus urging the Shadow Initiative to evacuate the Hydra headquarters.
Powers and abilities
Bloodscream possesses a variety of superhuman abilities that are reminiscent of those possessed by supernatural vampires, even though he himself is not a true vampire. He possesses none of the supernatural or mystical vulnerabilities common to true vampires. He suffers no harm from sunlight, silver, or any other traditional weakness from folklore.Like true vampires, however, Bloodscream possesses superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility, and reaction time. The full limits of Bloodscream's physical capabilities are unknown but are well beyond those of most known true vampires.
Bloodscream must regularly feed from the blood or the lifeforce of other human beings in order to maintain his physical vitality. There are times in which he merely ingests blood and there are others when he drains an individual of his or her life energy. He is able to accomplish either by touching a victim's bare skin. If a victim survives, the victim is left with a red scar in the shape of Bloodscream's hand at the exact point where he touches a victim. It also can result, if Bloodscream chooses to absorb a victim's entire lifeforce, in the victim's body quickly withering into rapidly aged husk. Bloodscream is able to transform a dead victim into a mindless, zombie-like being that is forced to do his bidding, though he rarely does so.
Bloodscream is functionally immortal in the sense that he is immune to the effects of aging and to all known diseases. He has also shown the ability to rapidly heal from physical injury and to regenerate damaged or destroyed tissues, similar to Wolverine's mutant healing factor. Bloodscream has, in the past, reattached his own head after being decapitated by Wolverine. According to the necromancer who transfromed him into his current form, Bloodscream cannot be slain by any weapon created by a mortal being, though it is unknown this is true or not. It is known that he can at least be injured by weapons created by mortal hands.
Bloodscream also possesses limited shape-shifting powers, able to transform from his 'normal' pale-skinned vampire likeness into a more monsterous form. His jaw expands to several feet deep, and his teeth grow to almost a foot long. Bloodscream's arms, hands, and fingers also elongate, with his fingernails growing out to a similar length as his teeth. In this state, Bloodscream is little more than an animal and his craving for blood reaches frenzied levels.
Special skills
Bloodscream is a good hand to hand combatant and has many connections throughout the criminal underworld, adding to his reputation as a mercenary for hire. His extended life-span has granted him great experience in matters of naval warfare and piracy.Television
- Bloodscream had a cameo in episode 16 of the X-MenX-Men (TV series)X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...
series along with Roughouse just like with the first ongoing Wolverine comic series.