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History

A scheming vampire lord who lusts after power but is willing to be patient over the course of centuries to obtain it.

As his alter-ego Matthew Ramus, Bludd controlled a vast multinational conglomerate called The Ramus Corporation. They had their fingers in many venures around the world, including defense contracting, international security, a number of humanitarian branches and ownership of a number of fortune 500 companies. Ramus's office is in the company headquarters - an imposing building with an Atlas-like statue in NYC [1].

Bludd was one of several periphery players sought out by Violator to join his scheme of fighting against both Heaven and Hell. Bludd agreed to join the Violator, but never entirely trusted the demon and continued to manipulate events to his benefit.

At one point, Bludd approached Jim Downing claiming to have secrets of Jim's forgotten past, but he promised that he would only reveal the secrets to Jim if he followed orders from Bludd. The first secret Bludd revealed was the photograph showing that Downing was at one time married [2].

Without Violator's knowledge, Bludd hired the services of the Old Guard to test Downing and find out if he was indeed as powerful as the Violator believed. The Violator found out about the tests of course, and actually he approved. Together they discovered Downing may be their ace-in-the-hole against Malebolgia [3].

In a moment of supreme confidence, Downing returned to speak with Ramus and explained that he knew he was being used by him and the Violator but would only allow the situation to continue if Ramus funded his new Jim Downing Foundation - Bludd was forced to submit [4]. But continued to test Downing's powers and patience by manipulating Jim's public celebrity status and creating obstacles for Spawn to confront.

One such obstacle was the man Bludd hired to shoot Downing on live TV [5]. Downing survived of course, but his celebrity status increased tenfold which increased the pressure on him and his firends, and Bludd learned more about the limits of Jim's powers [6]. Bludd also began building the headquarters for Jim's foundation in Rat City on the site of the Dead Zone [7]. Bludd had discovered the location of the Dead Zone thanks to Jim, and it fit perfectly into his secret plans.

Bludd yearned to storm the gates of Heaven and attack God himself. He blames God for an extended period of time in which he was trapped in Limbo, and he wants revenge [8]. To achieve his goal, Bludd has been slowly acquiring power through the centuries both through earthly means such as money and political influence, as well as through his vampire army.

Bludd was born in the time of the Garden of Eden and if he had a name then, it has been forgotten. What is known is that he had a lust for power. After he learned of Lilith, Eve's sister and the first vampire, he began stalking the woman like prey. He watched, waited and learned while Lilith drank the life from others. When the time was right, Bludd made his move. He allowed himself to fall victim to Lilith. But while she drank his blood, he managed to transfer his soul to her body and "push her aside".

Thirsty for power, Bludd feasted on all the other vampires until he believed they had all been destroyed, save for Lilith's soul who had gone missing. He then began repopulating the vampire race with his own bloodline. It was then that he bagan scheming to get into Heaven - so that he could find Lilith, the one vampire outside his influence, and destroy her once and for all [9].

Little did Bludd know, Lilith's soul was not in Heaven, but rather in The White. There she has been safely hidden for eons, but some fear that if Bludd gains control of Downing's symbiote he'll also gain access to The White and discover Lilith.

Bludd did indeed seek Downing's symbiote, believing it key to his plan of attack on Heaven. To aid his quest, he made uneasy alliances with the likes of the Violator, the angel Victoria, the Old Guard, the mysterious Mr. Gibbons, Solomon Pure and Downing himself. But with Downing, Bludd may have bitten off more than he cold chew.

Feeling helpless due to Sara Johnston's coma, Downing attacked Bludd and pinned him to the top of a bridge. There he forced his symbiote to leave him and join with Bludd so that he could interrogate them both. K7-Leetha used the opportunity to tease and taunt Downing, but when Downing offered Bludd-Leetha the opportunity to kill him, the symbiote relented and rejoined with Jim. Bludd admitted that he did indeed try to kill Downing, but the suit wouldn't let him. Spawn corrected him by saying that they couldn't kill Downing as he no longer existed [10].

After Downing's final confrontation with Leetha, he fell into a coma once again. Though Ramus publicly promised to continue the Jim Downing foundation and he financed Jim's healthcare, construction of the headquarters was halted [11]

Eventually, Bludd was confronted by Al Simmons, who was seeking info on Jim's whereabouts and the person responsible for Wanda's death. Bludd was tortured but ultimately allowed to live [12]

Attributes

Powers

Weaknesses

  • Vulnerability to Sunlight: Being a vampire Bludd has a natural vulnerability to sunlight, although it won't kill him but it will weaken him.

See Also

Links and References

References

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