Bloodscream
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| Bloodscream | |
 Bloodscream from Wolverine (vol. 2) #4. Art by John Buscema. |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Wolverine Vol. 2 #4 (February, 1989) |
| Created by | Chris Claremont John Buscema |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Zachariah Ravenscraft |
| Notable aliases | Bloodsport |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility and reflexes Regnerative healing factor Limited shape-shifting Ability to drain blood from victims by touching their skin with hand, |
Bloodscream (Zachariah Ravenscraft) is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and an enemy of Wolverine. The character's first appearance was in Wolverine vol. 2 #4 (February, 1989).
[edit] Fictional character biography
Bloodscream is a Pseudo-Vampire, a creature with vampiric powers but not an actual vampire. He was born in the Kingdom of England during the 16th century, and was an apprentice of an unknown doctor before adulthood, in the manner typical of the Tudor period. He served in Sir Francis Drake's pirate fleet as a naval surgeon from 1577 till 1580.
However, Ravenscraft was mortally wounded while the fleet was attacking a Spanish galleon, and Drake personally directed him to be treated by a Native American shaman named Dagoo. The shaman was secretly a necromancer and was only able to save Ravenscraft's life by turning him into a pseudo-vampire. Enraged by his new condition, Ravenscraft forced Dagoo to reveal the ingredients of the potion that had saved him, in case it were to weaken or fail, and then killed him.
Despite his vast powers, Bloodscream longs to be human once again. His activities for the following four centuries are unknown, except that he continuously fought in any war he could partake in, searching for an immortal man that he could take blood from(as the blood of an immortal was one ingredient of the potion) He most recently surfaced in the 20th century as a soldier in the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. He served during World War II and first encounterd Wolverine during the Battle of Normandy (June 6 - August 25, 1944), when Wolverine was serving as a corporal of the Canadian Forces.
Bloodscream met Wolverine again decades later in Madripoor, and saw that he had not aged a bit. He realized that Wolverine was an immortal, which is why Bloodscream repeatedly hounded Wolverine from that point on.
He properly introduced himself to Wolverine while working in Madripoor as a criminal enforcer with his partner, Roughhouse. He often came into conflict with Wolverine (who was at the time in his alter-ego as "Patch"). He almost killed one of Patch's close friends, Archie Corrigan, actually managing to scar his chest with a handprint before being interrupted.
After Roughhouse retired, Bloodscream partnered with Cylla Markham of the Reavers, who at that point was tracking Wolverine for reasons of her own. He let her track Wolverine all throughout the high Canadian wilderness, then drank her blood when they finally found him, so his powers would be at their peak. Bloodscream and Wolverine fought, but Wolverine was armed with the Clan Yashida honor sword, a katana forged by demon blacksmiths from a fallen meteorite. Bloodscream was unaware of this, although Dagoo had warned him centuries prior that his one weakness was "metal not made by man". Wolverine struck Bloodscream with the sword, seemingly killing him and returning him to his human form.
However, Bloodscream later reappeared, apparently having turned over a new leaf; he worked with Albert and Elsie-Dee for a while. This reform was short-lived, though, and Bloodscream reverted to villainy, eventually teaming again with Roughhouse.
When Bloodscream first appeared in Madripoor, he was using the name Bloodsport.
[edit] 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 in the Marvel Universe. He suffers no harm from sunlight, silver, or any other traditional weakness from folklore. However, he also does not have any of the mental abilities that a true vampire of his age would most likely possess.
Like true vampires, however, Bloodscream possesses superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility, and reaction time. The full limits of Bloodscream's physical capabilities aren't known.
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.
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.
Bloodscream also possesses limited shape-shifting powers, able to transform from his 'normal' pale-skinned vampire likeness into a more monsterous form. While in this form, Bloodscream possesses rows of bone spines down his back and a sleek tail that can impale as well as constrict. 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. The fingernails are apparently tipped with a toxin capable of affecting Wolverine to some degree, despite his healing factor. In this state, Bloodscream is little more than an animal and his craving for blood reaches frenzied levels.
[edit] 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.
