Bloodscream (originally Bloodsport) is a
supervillain
A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero.
Supervillains are oft ...
appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. The character is usually depicted as an enemy of
Wolverine
The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...
.
Publication history
Bloodscream's first appearance was in ''
Wolverine
The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...
'' vol. 2 #4 (February, 1989), and he was created by
Chris Claremont
Christopher S. Claremont (; born November 25, 1950) is a British-born American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on ''Uncanny X-Men'' from 1975 to 1991, far longer than that of any other writer,Claremont, Chris. ''Marvel ...
and
.
Fictional character biography
Bloodscream is a being with traits and abilities that are similar to those of
vampires
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths ...
, though he himself is not a vampire. Bloodscream was born in England in the 16th century. In his youth, he served as an apprentice to an unknown
doctor
Doctor or The Doctor may refer to:
Personal titles
* Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree
* A medical practitioner, including:
** Physician
** Surgeon
** Dentist
** Veterinary physician
** Optometrist
*Other roles
** ...
before adulthood, in the manner typical of the
Tudor period
The Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603 in History of England, England and Wales and includes the Elizabethan period during the reign of Elizabeth I until 1603. The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in Englan ...
. He later served in Sir
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 (t ...
's pirate fleet as a
naval surgeon
A naval surgeon, or less commonly ship's doctor, is the person responsible for the health of the ship's company aboard a warship. The term appears often in reference to Royal Navy's medical personnel during the Age of Sail.
Ancient uses
Speciali ...
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
Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...
named Dagoo. The shaman, however, is actually a
necromancer
Necromancy () is the practice of magic or black magic involving communication with the dead by summoning their spirits as apparitions or visions, or by resurrection for the purpose of divination; imparting the means to foretell future events; ...
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, as Dagoo told him that was where he might find an immortal.
During the 20th century, he serves as a
soldier
A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer.
Etymology
The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...
in the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
, the armed forces of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
from 1935 to 1945. He sees action during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and first encountered the man then known only as Logan, who would later become Wolverine, during the
Battle of Normandy
Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norma ...
(June 6 - August 25, 1944), when Wolverine is a
corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...
of the
Canadian Forces
}
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force.
...
. The two engage in a brief battle with Bloodscream being stabbed and left for dead.
He runs into Wolverine decades later in
Madripoor
The Principality of Madripoor or Madripoor is a fictional island located in maritime Southeast Asia appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, mostly associated with stories from the ''X-Men'' series. Based on illustrations, it ...
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
The Principality of Madripoor or Madripoor is a fictional island located in maritime Southeast Asia appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, mostly associated with stories from the ''X-Men'' series. Based on illustrations, it ...
as a criminal enforcer with his partner,
Roughouse
Roughouse is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as the occasional enemy of Wolverine. His first appearance was in ''Wolverine'' vol. 2, #4. The character was created by Chris C ...
. 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 is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
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 compan ...
, managing to scar his chest with a handprint before being interrupted.
After he parts company with Roughouse, Bloodscream enters a partnership with
Cylla Markham
Skullbuster is the name of three supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original Skullbuster first appeared in ''Uncanny X-Men'' #229 (May 1988) and was created by Chris Claremont and Marc Silvestri.
F ...
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
A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...
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 may refer to:
Companies
* Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia
* Albert Productions, a record label
* Alber ...
and
Elsie-Dee
Elsie-Dee is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an ally of Wolverine. The character first appeared in ''Wolverine'' vol. 2 #37 in an inanimate state suspended ...
, hoping to use them to locate Wolverine. Bloodscream later begins working as a mercenary again with Roughouse, the two being hired by villain the
Black Tarantula
Black Tarantula is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #419 (January 1997), and makes his first full appearance in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' ...
for a time before being defeated and captured by
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
- although they were unaware of this as Spider-Man fought them using his
four new identities- exchanging knowledge of the Tarantula's plans for their freedom. He encounters Wolverine a few more times and has recently been involved in a confrontation with
Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...
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
Hydra generally refers to:
* Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed serpent in Greek mythology
* ''Hydra'' (genus), a genus of simple freshwater animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria
Hydra or The Hydra may also refer to:
Astronomy
* Hydra (constel ...
. They came into conflict with the
Shadow Initiative
''Avengers: The Initiative'' is a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series deals with the aftermath of Marvel's "Civil War (c ...
. Already beheaded by
Typhoid Mary
Mary Mallon (September 23, 1869 – November 11, 1938), commonly known as Typhoid Mary, was an Irish Americans, Irish-born American cook believed to have infected between 51 and 122 people with typhoid fever. The infections caused three co ...
, Bloodscream is defeated by the appearance of
Ant-Man
Ant-Man is the name of several superheroes appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, Ant-Man's first appearance was in ''Tales to Astonish'' #27 (January 1962) but first appeared in costum ...
, 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 transformed 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, and Iron Man once managed to seriously injure him with a blade function in his armor that had been created by a Stark Industries robot rather than a living being.
Bloodscream also possesses limited shape-shifting powers, able to transform from his 'normal' pale-skinned vampire likeness into a more monstrous 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 lifespan has granted him great experience in matters of naval warfare and piracy.
In other media
Television
* Bloodscream had a cameo in episode of the ''
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
'' series along with
Roughouse
Roughouse is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as the occasional enemy of Wolverine. His first appearance was in ''Wolverine'' vol. 2, #4. The character was created by Chris C ...
just as with the first ongoing Wolverine comic series.
Video games
* Bloodscream appears as a boss in ''
Wolverine: Adamantium Rage''.
* Though he is not seen in the game, Bloodscream is briefly mentioned as having been murdered by a cult group called "The Circle of Eight" in the
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
game ''
Marvel: Avengers Alliance''.
References
External links
UncannyXmen.net Character Profile on Bloodscream
{{Wolverine
Characters created by John Buscema
Comics characters introduced in 1989
Fictional sailors
Marvel Comics characters who are shapeshifters
Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds
Marvel Comics characters with accelerated healing
Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength
Marvel Comics supervillains
Marvel Comics vampires
Marvel Comics Nazis
Characters created by Chris Claremont