Baron Blood

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(Redirected from
Baron Blood (comics)
)
For the 1972 Italian horror film, see Baron Blood (film).
Baron Blood
Super-Axis
Hydra
Notable aliasesFalsworth:
John Falsworth, Jr.
Dr. Jacob Cromwell
AbilitiesAll:
  • Superhuman strength and durability
  • Animal mental control
  • Weather control
  • Hypnosis
  • Flight

Baron Blood is the name of several

Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme
vol. 3 #10 (December 1989). The third incarnation, Kenneth Crichton, made his first appearance in Captain America #253 (October, 1980).

Publication history

Created by

Union Jack #1-3 (December 1998 – February 1999), based on characters originally created by Roger Stern and John Byrne for Captain America
#253 (January 1981).

1970s publications

Baron Blood, in his debut, battles World War II superhero team the Invaders on the cover of Invaders #7 (July 1976). Art by Jack Kirby.

Lord Falsworth, until he is killed by Captain America.[2]

1980s publications

Captain America and the new Union Jack Joey Chapman. Falsworth made a brief reappearance in Tom DeFalco's The Avengers
Annual #16 (1987); in the story he is one of a group of villains brought back from the dead to battle the Avengers.

1990s publications

Kenneth Crichton made a brief appearance in

Lady Jacqueline, to allow Joey Chapman to continue as Union Jack. Dan Slott and Rita Fagiani featured Crichton and his mother again in "Young Blood" for Marvel Comics Presents #89 (November 1991); in the story, he is kidnapped in an attempt to steal the secret of youth from the recently rejuvenated Lady Jacqueline. While Ron Marz and Ron Lim featured Falsworth in the World War II-era story "The Gift" for Namor the Sub-Mariner Annual #2 (1992); in the story Falsworth wins over the affections of Namor
's love interest.

Falsworth appears as a supporting character in Nicholas Vince and Mark Buckingham's four-issue Mortigan Goth: Immortalis (September 1993 – October 1994) miniseries for Marvel UK; the story reveals in flashback that while staying at Falworth Manor during World War II under his original assumed identity, he turned the spurned lover of the titular anti-hero into a vampire.

Crichton and Cromwell appeared as supporting characters in

Sgt. Fury
back-up story for Captain America vol. 3 #20–21 (August – September 1999); in which he threatens to turn Fury and his team into vampires.

2000s publications

Cromwell appeared as the principal antagonist in Allan Jacobsen and C.P. Smith's New Invaders #4-5 (January – February 2005); in which in she traps Lady Jacqueline using an image of Crichton and feeds her blood to their newborn vampiric son, while Falsworth made a brief appearance in Steve Niles and Rafael Garres's story "Self-Made Monster" for Amazing Fantasy #17 (March 2006); in which a flashback shows him taking revenge against biochemist Michael Morbius for polluting the vampire bloodline.

2010s publications

Mike Benson and Paul Grist featured Falsworth in the World War II flashback story Operation: Tooth Fairy for the 70th Anniversary Issue Captain America #616 (May 2011); in the story Captain America is temporarily turned into a vampire by Baron Blood.

Fictional character biography

John Falsworth

John Falsworth first appears in the title

Union Jack.[5] Blood is wounded by Jack with a silver dagger, and flees to recover.[3]

The character reappears during

Spitfire. Blood captures Spitfire and takes her to a cavern below Falsworth Manor, and cripples his brother by breaking his legs with a boulder. Blood is then impaled through the back and chest by a silver-laced stalactite.[3]

Baron Blood reappears when

Namor the Sub-Mariner.[6]

In Captain America #253-254, a servant of Dracula, Dr. Jacob Cromwell, is sent to revive Blood, whose bones are stored in the

decapitated with Captain America's shield. The character's body is burned to ashes, with the ashes scattered in the morning breeze.[7]

Baron Blood returns in the Avengers: Standoff! storyline as an inmate of Pleasant Hill, a gated community established by S.H.I.E.L.D.[8]

Baron Blood was seen at the Bar with No Name. He was having a drink with Count Nefaria.[9]

During the "Opening Salvo" part of the "Secret Empire" storyline, Baron Blood is recruited by Baron Helmut Zemo to join the Army of Evil. Zemo found him inside a cave.[10] As part of HYDRA's rise to power, Baron Blood assisted the Army of Evil in their attack on New York City.[11] Then he assisted the Army of Evil in their attack on Washington, D.C. to complete HYDRA's conquest of the United States.[12]

Victor Strange

The storyline "The

vigilante called "Khiron". He attempts to only prey on criminals,[14] and when criminals are not available, Victor utilizes his willing girlfriend, Morgana. However, his heroic impulses are used against him; Victor is preyed upon by Cagliostro, an ancient entity that needs vampire blood to live. Victor barely escapes this situation.[15] The bloodlust, however, forces the character to kill innocents and he eventually commits suicide.[16]

Kenneth Crichton

The final version of Baron Blood features in the miniseries Union Jack. Kenneth Crichton, the son of Jacqueline Falsworth and a sufferer of the medical condition anemia, is estranged from his family after refusing to adopt the identity of Union Jack, deeming his close friend Joey Chapman to be a better choice.[7] Crichton encounters Baroness Blood, who offers to cure his anemia. The character accepts and is turned into a vampire, becoming the third Baron Blood. Baroness Blood then directs Crichton to steal the Holy Grail from a museum, and uses the artifact to become immune to all vampire weaknesses. The Baroness then betrays Crichton and her vampire servants, leaving them to die when exposed to sunlight.[17]

Powers and abilities

The first Baron Blood possessed all the powers of a

hypnotism and the ability to command bats; wolves; dogs; rats and mice. Weaknesses included vulnerability to sunlight, garlic, and silver
; the presence of religious symbols; decapitation and a wooden stake through the heart.

Courtesy of Nazi science, Blood received treatment that allowed him activity in sunlight, at least for some length of time, although this also prevented a vampire's traditional shapechanging powers (into a bat or wolf) from working. His transformation into a vampire also somehow activated an apparently latent psionic ability of self-levitation, which enabled Blood to fly without having to change into a bat.

Reception

Accolades

  • In 2021, Screen Rant included John Falsworth's Baron Blood persona in their "Marvel: 10 Most Powerful Vampires" list.[18]
  • In 2022,
    CBR.com ranked John Falsworth's Baron Blood persona 4th in their "10 Most Important Marvel Vampires" list[19] and 5th in their "Scariest Comic Book Vampires" list.[20]

Other versions

Earth-3931

In this universe where everyone is a vampire, the Kenneth Crichton version of Baron Blood was the last Union Jack before he became Brother Blood.[21]

Earth-65

In the Spider-Gwen universe, Baron Blood is a vampire based on the musician Prince. He was active in the 1940s and was both an antagonist and lover of the Earth-65 Captain America.[22]

Marvel Apes

Set in an

alternate universe, the miniseries Marvel Apes depicts Earth's heroes as intelligent apes with Baron Blood posing as hero Captain America in the Ape-Vengers (a distorted version of the superhero team the Avengers). The villain is eventually opposed and defeated by the true Captain America.[23]

Old Man Logan

In the pages of

Spiral, and Whirlwind were standing over the dead bodies of the superheroes on the day when the villains rose and the heroes fell.[24]

In other media

Baron Blood appears in Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers, voiced by Kazunari Tanaka.[25]

References

  1. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0
    .
  2. ^ Smith, Jerry (October 2019). "Born to Snivel: The History of Baron Blood". Back Issue (#116). TwoMorrows Publishing: 38–42.
  3. ^ a b c The Invaders #7-9 (July – October 1976). Marvel Comics.
  4. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.[1]
  5. ISBN 978-1465455505
    .
  6. ^ The Invaders #39-40 (April – May 1979); #41 (August 1979). Marvel Comics.
  7. ^ a b Captain America #253-254 (January – February 1981). Marvel Comics.
  8. ^ Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Omega #1. Marvel Comics.
  9. ^ Daredevil vol. 6 #15. Marvel Comics.
  10. ^ Captain America: Steve Rogers #13. Marvel Comics.
  11. ^ Captain America: Steve Rogers #16. Marvel Comics.
  12. ^ Free Comic Book Day 2017. Marvel Comics.
  13. ^ Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #10-11 (December 1989 – January 1990)
  14. ^ Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #14-18 (February – June 1990)
  15. ^ Dr. Strange Annual #2 (1992)
  16. ^ Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #56 (August 1993)
  17. ^ Union Jack #1-3 (December 1998 – February 1999)
  18. ^ Taggers, C. M. (2021-07-26). "Marvel: 10 Most Powerful Vampires". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  19. ^ Saffle, Ben (2022-02-10). "The 10 Most Important Marvel Vampires, Ranked". CBR. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  20. ^ Allan, Scoot (2022-02-25). "The Scariest Comic Book Vampires, Ranked". CBR. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  21. ^ Exiles #31
  22. ^ Spider-Gwen Annual #1
  23. ^ Marvel Apes #0 (January 2008); #1-2 (November 2008); #3-4 (December 2008)
  24. ^ Old Man Logan vol. 2 #1
  25. ^ "Baron Blood". Behind The Voice Actors.

External links

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