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Ulysses Bloodstone (Earth-616)

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A monster hunter and, eventually, also a wealthy mercenary, Ulysses Bloodstone had originally been a caveman kept alive for 10,000 years due to a geometrically perfect fragment of the mystic, alien Bloodgem imbedded in his breastbone. For ten millennia, Bloodstone looked for revenge against the evil extradimensional being, the Hellfire Helix, that had killed his fellow tribespeople and whose protective crystal (necessary for its existence within Earth's continuum) the Bloodgem was, and for the other pieces of the Bloodgem to prevent his enemies from using it in their own evil plans. Although he had failed to understand the real mystery, Bloodstone finally succeeded in his quest for revenge, and died in the 20th Century, leaving behind at least one wife and two children; these were his daughter Elsa and his son Cullen.

History

Prehistoric origins[]

Circa 8,250 BC, in the end of the Hyborian Age,[verification needed] the man later known as Ulysses Bloodstone (his original name was long forgotten in the 20th century) was born in one of the small groups of superstitious humans that were the common social group back then, assembled in an attempt to find security in an unknown world; more specifically, his was a tribe of at least 93 nomads inhabiting an area later known as Scandinavia. This man was amongst the best hunters in his tribe, and became the tribe's master hunter and main provider of food.[11]

During an expedition Bloodstone noticed a falling meteorite that he decided to investigate, while keeping an eye open to find food. The apparent meteorite was really a power object called "The Bloodgem," a blood-red gemstone, three feet in width, that had been created by the evil elders of a different, chaos-based continuum as a weapon to conquer and transform other continuums into copies of theirs, particularly because it would allow them to travel to these other places. The Bloodgem encased an evil non-organic lifeform from another continuum called the Hellfire Helix, which possessed great magical powers, but needed such a protective shell to exist within Earth's continuum, which the Helix also used as a conduit for its own powers. All the magical energies of all the continuums of the Universe, used by wizards and sorcerers, passed through the Bloodgem, making it a priceless magical power object.[12] Either direct action by the creators of the Bloodgem[13] or the interaction with magical energies caused the Helix to develop its own intelligence, later called "The Exo-Mind," as an external mind to shield the more vulnerable core of the Bloodgem against intruders and attacks.[14] The elder gods needed the Helix to create five guardians for the dimension-crossing ritual and ordered the Exo-Mind to create the first of these, Ulluxy'l Kwan Tae Syn. But the Exo-Mind was uninterested in its creators' goals, and it sabotaged the process so that the other guardians would not be created.[13] The Bloodgem had reached Earth's continuum thousands of millions of years before that moment, and had interacted with several other beings before reaching Scandinavia, landing in an underground cavern not long before being discovered by the hunter.

The Hellfire Helix aimed to take over Earth. Its plan required an impartial, native host whom it would use as its agent to analyze the local life forms' evolution. Such a being should be motivated by some obsessive motivation throughout the millennia; that motivation should be something other than mere survival, because that would affect concern and perception, and that single-mindedness would allow the Helix to control him or her and give the subject a disinterest in humanity that would prevent him or her from tampering with the species' evolution. To find such a subject, the Exo-Mind sent Ulluxy'l to Earth, and Ulluxy'l quickly built a complex citadel in the cave around the Bloodgem. It then sent Ulluxy'l to entice the hunter there.[14]

The hunter found a hooded humanoid not far from his tribe's campsite and, driven by his curiosity, followed it to its underground den which was, beyond the aboriginal's understanding, full of light and with advanced architectural elements. Once there, the prey willingly approached the hunter who, in turn, got his spear ready as a caution. Taking out the hood, the stranger revealed himself to be other than human, to the hunter's great surprise and no little fear. Ullux'yl introduced himself as if he was the ruler of the temple in a warm welcome. The hunter decided to strike preemptively, only to discover that Ullux'yl was more powerful and better fighter than himself - partly because Ullux'yl was supported by the gem's power. Ullux'yl, disregarding the aggression, offered the hunter a chance to obtain great powers, advanced knowledge and even eternal life. The Helix even told the hunter about his magic power, stretching the hunter's consciousness to unearthly levels while paralyzing his body. The hunter was irradiated by the Bloodgem and was endowed with superhuman strength, among other powers. Initially confused about Ulluxy'l's goals, the hunter then decided that he had been blessed by the gods. Ulluxy'l then prompted the hunter to bring his whole tribe to the altar, so that they would, too, receive the same power. This would be tempting for the primitive men, whose lives were marked by constant struggle and exertion.[11][14]

As the provider returned to the tribe empty-handed, he was derided by his peers, particularly by the caveman Torg, who coveted the master hunter's position and prestige. Before the hunter could answer the accusations, a huge mammoth (sent by Ulluxy'l) charged in the area. The hunter, understanding Ulluxy'l's test, killed the beast bare-handed, proving his power and silencing now-impressed Torg's critics. The provider explained to the amazed tribe that "wise, ancient gods" had blessed him with such strength, and that the other tribesman could get the same power if they followed him to the god's shrine. At this point, nonetheless, the hunter was unable to understand what Ulluxy'l's motivation was to do so.[11][14]

The hunter guided his tribesmen to the so-called god-jewel's temple. Ulluxy'l instructed them to stand in formation, motionless during the ritual. Still, the primitive tribe shouted their request for power. Then, the tentacle-faced being activated the gem's power, lightening the men with its opaque power. The Hellfire Helix, having no use for the other cavemen except for the main hunter, was using a sonic-based, albeit visual, lethal mystic energy to absorb the humans' minds and life-forces, killing them in a process excruciating both physically and psychologically. Ulluxy'l, pretending to be in charge of the situation, pretended that the hunter was a human with exceptional skills who could resist the consciousness input of the "geometic transformation," while the common folk on Earth were unable to cope with the power; and that Ulluxy'l himself was unaware of that until the ceremony went awry.[11][14]

The ritual was completely interrupted not only because the oppressed population were breaking the formation, but also because the now-horrified hunter, understanding that the situation was unfavorable and that he had probably been tricked, charged against the gem to break it with his bare hands and stop the process, even if Ulluxy'l was trying to stop him. The hunter would only survive because he had already been endowed with some superhuman powers. The hunter caused the gem to explode, breaking it into hundreds of smaller geometrically-perfect fragments that were scattered across the whole planet; however, one of these fragments was imbedded in the hunter's sternum, visible on his chest.[11][14]

Once the hunter's mind stopped being blocked by sheer rage, the pain from the insertion overcame him, and only later he noticed that he had failed to save the villagers' lives; all of them had been killed in the blast. Each of the Bloodgem's pieces, however, had access to some magical energy "wavelengths," thus providing different powers, and the one in the man's chest covered his body with mystical energies that gave him virtual immortality, superhuman strength,[15] and other powers including mystical abilities represented by an invisible "third eye" that he grew on his forehead.[11][14]

Having lost his people, the hunter devoted his long life to chase Ulluxy'l, blaming him, and the evil master he served, for the death of his tribe. As Ulluxy'l was trying to find the fragments of the Bloodgem to rebuild it one day, the hunter made an effort to stop this scheme. However, this was all part of the Helix's evil scheme to obtain mobility through a host and observe mankind's evolution. Even Ulluxy'l's role as his nemesis was an excuse for the hunter acquiring a reason to travel around the world and be knowledgeable with every aspect of civilization and mankind, and as such, Ulluxy'l was tasked to send monsters, both created by the gem and of extra-dimensional origin, against the hunter as a motivation to keep him alive and to prevent the hunter from reaching him. The gem carefully clouded the hunter's mind with an obsession for revenge, limiting his reasoning skills on that aspect while allowing him to learn practical, technological and even mystical skills, so that the hunter would never understand the truth and wrongly believe that Ulluxy'l was the mastermind behind all his problems.[14]

At some point, the hunter had a daughter, Lyra, but he offered her as a sacrifice, alongside a Nullgem that balanced his powers, so that he could defeat the warlord Krakkan.[16]

Across the Ages[]

The hunter eventually started using the name Ulysses Bloodstone.[1]

Ulysses Bloodstone (Earth-616) from Rampaging Hulk Vol 1 8

Some of Ulysses Bloodstone's identities and adventures

For the following 10,000 years, Bloodstone tried to chase down Ulluxy'l while Ulluxy'l did his best to recover the fragments. In their constant confrontations, Ulluxy'l sent monsters to try and kill Bloodstone, but every one of those was defeated. However, Bloodstone himself also failed to find Ulluxy'l more than a few times during such a long time. Also during this time, Ulluxy'l restored to pits of parasitic energy that were theoretically able to disintegrate Bloodstone's body, leaving the gem behind,[17] and led several incarnations of a criminal secret five-person team called the Conspiracy, that tried to obtain extradimensional power from the Bloodgem fragments.[18] Meanwhile, Bloodstone dedicated part of his time to learn new skills and languages or to be efficient in whatever advanced technology, particularly weaponry, was available at that historical moment, and, should he completely lose Ulluxy'l's trail while not being busy otherwise, Bloodstone also induced suspension of his animation upon himself, sometimes maintaining it for as long as up to one century at a given time.[1]

Descending south, out of his homeland and into the Borderlands, Bloodstone went further south, tricked by a merchant to go on a mission to slay a star-spawned sorcerer (the merchant and the merchant being in fact a Skrull stranded there and wishing to take the Bloodgem for himself) who was plaguing towns in the neighborhood of Vanda-Gor, a mount in an grim, mountainous realm. He found the creature, who attacked him and revealed its true form and goals. He defeated the creature by chopping off its head. He then went on endless adventures, from blood-anointed Vanda-Gor to hidden Attilan, from dreaming Wakanda to the spires of K'un-Lun. The warrior often dreamed of his own death and reward, and of Ymir's table.[7]

One millennium ago, Bloodstone defeated the alien invader Orrgo and buried him beneath Earth, there to be trapped for all time.[19] At least 5000 years ago, Bloodstone defeated and caged the Blight Beast of Krakow.[20]

Ulysses Bloodstone settled for a time in Egypt;[21] later, he traveled across to Ancient Greece, which he made his home. He lived there enjoying the local philosophy and ideals, until it was later conquered by the Roman Empire.[22] He then lived among the Romans, whom he saw attempting to aspire to the Hellene ideals. But like all empires, they failed and fell under the rule of Caesar.[14] When the West Roman Empire finally fell, Bloodstone traveled to China, where he fought against Fin Fang Foom.[4] Returning to Europe, he settled in England during the Crusades; he was still dwelling in England when the barons of the land forced King John to share power, forming the English Parliament.[14] In the 17th century, he traveled with the Puritans to the Americas, where he found new threats, including winged creatures.[14][23] In the early 18th century, he sailed to the Caribbean Sea in search of new threats and battled pirates in his travels.[14]

The American Revolutionary War[]

In 1776, the Thirteen Colonies decided to claim independence from Britain, which had, by that time, both declared them in rebellion and been fighting for over a year to crush the rebellion, and the rule of King King George III. A man named Captain Steven Rogers tried to get Bloodstone to join in the fight. However, he refused due to a lifetime of having seen such fights fail.[22] But in 1781, the efforts of the men like Rogers convinced him to change his mind and join the fight; he became a major in the Continental Army.[6] He later saved Rogers's life when the loyalist William Taurey attempted to shoot him in the back.[6] He continued on to victory under the command of General Wallace Worthington.[24]

The 19th Century[]

Taking the name "Ahab"[5] at the beginning of the 19th century, Bloodstone became the captain of the Pequod, as whom he fought against a white Giganto.[3] Herman Melville subsequently fictionalized that confrontation in the novel Moby Dick, Or--The Whale, which needed years to become a classic of American literature. In the late 19th century, during the time of the Wild West, he assumed the alias of "The Redstone Kid," under which alias he went on a mission to track down the alien known as the Living Totem.[4]

The 20th Century[]

By the early 20th century, Ulluxy'l had gathered all of the fragments but four, and Bloodstone had made a fortune with shrewd investments of the profits from his own mercenary work. By the late 20th century, Bloodstone had established six bases in different points on Earth, each with trusted operatives whom he had personally hand-picked, but most of whom did not know each other. His top-secret main headquarters[25] was Bloodstone Island, in the South Seas,[14] in the Tropic of Cancer[17] and near the Caribbean Sea;[2] a very advanced facility with two twin towers presiding over the jungle with advanced technology, including defenses[25] and blast artillery,[13] along with sub-skimmers[14] to travel elsewhere and a sound-proof chamber where Bloodstone could meditate to obtain mystic insight.[13] Other bases including Minibase-6, in the back of Cliff's Pink establishment in Harlem, New York, protected by huge William Brandon "Billy Brand" Montague III[26] and with very advanced technology including Stark Industries computron modules and secret communication with Bloodstone Island; a secret miniature base near Moscow, then-USSR;[26] one mansion in Boston, Massachusetts; and a base under Central Park, New York City. His team would eventually include Philip Leroux, or Lerou,[26] a European news correspondent stationed in Moscow;[26] and SHIELD agent Eric Koenig,[13] who was also Bloodstone's pilot and caretaker of Bloodstone Island.

By the early 20th century, the evil Exo-Mind decided that Bloodstone was no longer necessary for its plans: The 20th-century civilization, it judged, was ideal to be conquered. Bored of experiencing life through Bloodstone's eyes, the Exo-Mind looked for less innocent hosts. The Exo-Mind then ordered Ulluxy'l to ally with other four unethical individuals (surgeon Dr. Juden Bardham, sorcerer Kaballa, exotic dancer Bubbles O'Day, and intelligent dolphin Atlan), to whom he promised power and immortality, creating a new Conspiracy. The five-person team would fulfill the role of the originally-intended five guardians to channel the Hellfire Helix energy on Earth. The Exo-Mind ordered the Conspiracy to kill Bloodstone and rebuild the Bloodgem in exchange for the promised power, but the Exo-Mind, evil to an atrocity, never intended to fulfill its part of the deal.[14] Instead, it deluded the Conspirators with its promise of power, intending instead to use their special natural energies to bond its fragments back together.

Using the Conspiracy's resources, Ulluxy'l escalated the monster assault against Bloodstone, and the other Conspirators focused their attacks against Bloodstone in other fronts, keeping him busy with red herrings and useless activities. This allowed the Helix to keep its evil control over Bloodstone's mind. The Conspiracy also helped Ulluxy'l in gathering the Bloodgem fragments and even recruited the occasional superhuman mercenary to help him in those efforts, but they eventually began to throw covert support to the super-evolved, delusional geneticist Noah "Centurius" Black, to replace Ulluxy'l with him.[2][15]

The 1930s[]

Fat Cobra (Earth-616) from Immortal Weapons Vol 1 1 0007

Working with Fat Cobra

In 1933, Bloodstone teamed up with Fat Cobra, and the two went on adventures across the globe. They sailed to the Savage Land and Monster Island and fought the Moloids, Living Mummies, and Abominable Snowmen; this led Bloodstone into a rematch with Fin Fang Foom, which he won.[27]

In 1934, Bloodstone and Fat Cobra teamed up with the Canadian hero Puck to fight against the Plodex. They were able to detonate dynamite to destroy it.[28]

The 1940s[]

Covenant (Earth-616) from Captain America and Namor Vol 1 635

Joining the Covenant

Bloodstone served during World War II, during which he fought against the Nazis alongside Blonde Phantom.[4] He later joined the Covenant, a band of heroes sent by the Allies to defeat the Thule Society.[29]

The 1950s[]

In 1956,[5] atomic bomb tests in Africa mutated an ant to make it huge and strong, and granted it intelligence. Calling itself Grottu, "King Of All Insects," it started a scheme to take over the world, which included using boats to transport its soldiers. By then, Bloodstone was an adventurer using the name "Frank,"[30] and he met two friends, National History Museum curator Lynn Avery and African native Kasenga (the latter of whom also knew Bloodstone as "Ulysses")[30] to investigate rumors about a giant army ant in Mombasa. Grottu attacked Mombasa, spreading panic and prompting the population to evacuate; but Bloodstone fought the beast, blowing off its antennae with his shotgun (see Weapons, below) and being a living bait to lead Grottu to a narrow street, where Kasenga and other allies threw sugar on the monster. Suddenly covered in sweetness, and unable to communicate without its antennae, Grottu was apparently eaten up by its own soldiers,[31][30] although it was later revealed to have survived.[32] Some of these events were being orchestrated by the Deviant Kro,[30][33] who was being opposed by the Eternal Makkari[4] using several aliases.[3]

In part prompted by Makkari's (as NSA agent Jake Curtiss) suggestion,[31] Bloodstone decided to track Grottu's origins, following its trail back. In a straight canyon, he found a Tyrannosaurus rex and, when he was getting ready to fight it, Wakandan warrior woman Zawadi showed herself, hurting the beast with a spear. They worked together to defeat the animal, then agreed to follow Grottu's trail together. They found only a collapsed cave in Wakanda territory, which they were unable to dig. Their only conclusion was that Grottu was subterranean in origin.[30] Eventually, Bloodstone discovered that Kro had impersonated a Soviet General to direct the tests that would create the monster, because many of Kro's monster minions had been killed by Bloodstone himself, who believed that be was fighting against Ulluxyl's creatures. Bloodstone nonetheless wrote a report on his encounter with Grottu for his journal, which would be later expanded by Jacob Hathaway.[4]

Zawadi accompanied Bloodstone back home and together with Makkari and Dr. Anthony Druid, they formed the Monster Hunters.[30]. One of the Monster Hunters' first adventures as a team was to take down Gorgilla, who had been sent to New York City by the Deviant Kro. They tracked the creature throughout the city and tried to capture him at Yankee Stadium. Though they failed, Gorgilla's trail led them to the Statue of Liberty; there, Doctor Druid used his powers to calm the beast so they could return it to the wild.[34] They traveled to Midnight Mountain to return the creature, only to be attacked by the Lizard Men. But with the help of Gorgilla, they were able to fight off the Lizard Men.[35] Makkari was kidnapped in the fight; following the trail, they encountered Gigantus. Though they were able to fight Gigantus off, their ship was destroyed in the process. The Monster HUnters then traveled deep beneath Earth's surface to find the lair of Kro. They freed their friend Makkari, but Kro escaped when Kro's mutates attacked them, allowing him time to escape.[3]

In 1958, Bloodstone and the Monster Hunters traveled to a Long Island research center, where they meet the newly formed team called the First Line. They then fell victim to attack from a series of mutated humans who had been turned into monsters by a Skrull device.[36]

New Avengers Vol 2 10 Textless

Joining the Avengers

In 1959, Ulysses Bloodstone was recruited into the Avengers, alongside the Silver Sable, by Nick Fury, both due to their hunting skills and prowess.[37] The newly formed team then traveled to Helsingborg, Sweden, in pursuit of the Red Skull's 1950s impostor and his Fourth Reich. The group hijacked a Nazi truck bound for the Skull's castle headquarters, with Bloodstone and the others hiding in the back while the Silver Sable drove. When the truck's doors were opened, the team jumped out and opened fire on the unprepared Nazis.[38] As the Avengers stormed the castle, they found a Nazi Captain America impostor who attacked them. Bloodstone, Sable, Dominic Fortune, and Fury remained in the now burning castle to deal with this threat while the rest of the Avengers searched for the fleeing Red Skull. The heroes soon overpowered and killed the impostor while Namora succeeded in capturing the Red Skull.[39] Nick Fury then took the contents of the Red Skull's briefcase and left, telling the rest of the team that he would meet up with him later before disappearing for over a month.[40] When he resurfaced, he gathered the Avengers together at the Stork Club in New York City to congratulate them on a job well done. After dinner, the members each went their separate ways with Bloodstone convincing Silver Sable to accompany him to the Savage Land with the prospect of doing some "big game hunting."[41]

The 1960s[]

In the 1960s, Bloodstone heard stories about a smoke demon in Veracruz, Mexico, and travelled there.[citation needed] He met Diablo,[5] Monarch of the Fifth Dimension, who had spent centuries on Earth to prepare his conquest because he could only appear in our universe as a smoke creature--and in the process gave rise to legends on him. Bloodstone tricked the alien being using a simple lighter and snuffing it out to show that the Earthling humans had powers to extinguish smoke. Suddenly scared of humans, Diablo escaped back to his own dimension.[42][43] Bloodstone's later entry about Diablo in his journal was read by Hathaway, who in turn contacted the Fantastic Four to discuss about the Fifth Dimension.[4]

In the 1960s, Black Fox and his team of thieves used Bloodstone in their heist to steal from Dracula. They used him as a distraction as they stole from him during a card game.[44]

The 1970s[]

Bloodstone continued his monster hunt into the next decade and defeated Gor-Kill, the Living Demon, logging the full battle in his journal. He worked with author Lewis Conrad, who helped him catalogue all his tales. One such was a fight with Taboo. He went to take down the "Brute That Walks," but learned the truth about the creature's true identity from Howard Avery, and they became friends over drinks.[4]

His offspring[]

At the beginning of the 21st century he met a mortal woman named Elise and together they had two children, Elsa Bloodstone[45] and Cullen Bloodstone.[46] He was a strict parent, to say the least; as a rite of passage, Bloodstone had his daughter Elsa fight against the Blight Beast when she was only a baby,[20] and he tried to remove her weakness as a child by throwing her to a horde of "Great White Sharks" off the coast of South Africa.[47] But his aggression was not limited to his daughter Elsa: Ulysses had her mother committed to a mental hospital by saying the abuse he had committed against Elsa was instead at her hands;[48] and, on Cullen's 10th birthday, Ulysses took him on a mission to the extra-dimensional realm of Klimtor, leaving him there to hunt Greediblix and Soul Beasts. Sadly, as explained below, Cullen's father Ulysses died during that time, and the boy was trapped there for 27 months. He was finally rescued by his sister Elsa.[46]

The Sphinx[]

The Sphinx pulled heroes and villains throughout time to fight in his battle games. He had Bloodstone along with Man-Wolf Moonstone, Gyre and Basilisk fighting against Nova, Namorita, Darkhawk, Mr. Fantastic, and Black Bolt.[49] Bloodstone was pitted against Reed Richards in his (Bloodstone's) own ancient homeland of Vanaheim. Richards defeated him by setting off some of Bloodstone's own time-delayed explosives.[50] The Sphinx was stopped by Nova and Bloodstone, and they and the others were returned home to their original timestreams.[51]

The final confrontation with the Conspiracy[]

By the late 20th century, Ulysses Bloodstone had a certain reputation, his exploits being usual newspaper material even if he himself was elusive.[52] Interpol was aware of Bloodstone's existence, having a dossier on him and, as he worried influential people such as the Conspiracy's members, these convinced Interpol to keep an eye on him, growing closer as time passed. Interpol's dossier on Bloodstone described him as a "globe-trotting independently wealthy adventurer and soldier of fortune;" it did know about his secret Island headquarters, but it misidentified the Bloodgem fragment on his chest as a mere whimsical piercing. SHIELD also had an extensive file on Bloodstone, again detailing Bloodstone Island.[13]

In recent times, Bloodstone was seen in San Francisco, confronting an unidentified giant monster that surfaced on a rampage, breaking the docks of the Bay. Bloodstone confronted the creature, only to be stopped and stunned by a psychic attack--twice. Bloodstone drowned in the river, but recovered and tracked the beast like a hunter, joining the police and the Army against it. Bloodstone then noticed a blind piper he had also seen in the dock and, when he challenged the piper, he discovered that the piper had extraordinary strength and skill because he was possessed by an alien entity. Bloodstone knocked down the piper (but failed to prevent the possessing entity's escape) and took him to the hospital; meanwhile, the monster escaped from the authorities. The police decided not to arrest Bloodstone, as they had only seen him as a man trying to help.[8]

Bloodstone went to the piper's hospital room and, once there, the creature occupying the piper returned to him to emerge afterward. That being, called the Possessor, pushed Bloodstone through the hospital window and once again summoned the monster to attack the city. The Possessor explained that it took over beings to survive, and that he was looking for a powerful host like the monster--but seeing Bloodstone's skills and resources, he considered instead taking him. Bloodstone surveyed the Possessor to discover that the latter was not Ulluxy'l's agent. Then, the Possessor telepathically invaded Bloodstone's mind to know about him, seeing his origin and paralyzing him.[8]

The witnesses of the fight included movie director P.D.Q. Werner and actor Brad Carter, who were filming the horror movie Gagoom, the Thing from Beyond Time in the area and wanted to film part of the disaster. Carter surprised the Possessor with a sudden sound transmission, then helped Bloodstone escape. The Possessor attacked the sound engineers, and Bloodstone tried to help them--but then the Possessor blasted Bloodstone, damaging the gem and knocking him down.[8] Making the most of this chance, the Possessor intensified his telepathic survey to know more about Bloodstone, and kept him imprisoned in an energy field surrounding both of them and nearby Carter. The police were reluctant to act, as no other lives were in danger and they knew no procedure for this case. Carter decided to shoot Bloodstone's shotgun to the floor, so that his own muscles suffered damage, hoping that the pain would force the Possessor to let them free.[12]

Meanwhile, Bloodstone recovered enough to use his own psychic powers and attract the Possessor's essence to the gem's core, where Bloodstone had the upper hand and was invulnerable to the Possessor's powers. Bloodstone told the Possessor the last part of the story, then defeated it and demanded its surrender. When the creature refused,[12] Bloodstone destroyed it in their mind-link, and the Possessor also disappeared in the real world,[12] with a shout and a smoke salvo. Bloodstone recovered, ready to leave, as the police did not press charges. However, the gem convinced Bloodstone not to leave Carter's company for future quests. When Werner offered Bloodstone a top-billed role in his movie,[12] Bloodstone accepted and worked in the film industry with Werner and Carter for a short time.[13] When Bloodstone then returned to his previous work, Carter went to work for Bloodstone as his aide,[52] also becoming his close friend.[52]

Bloodstone eventually decided to approach the United Nations in an attempt to reveal himself and make the world recognize Bloodstone Island as a sovereign nation, even offering them a document for their analysis.[26] The Hellfire Helix, unfortunately, was evilly fogging Bloodstone's mind so that he would be too busy with such irrelevant matters as that one to allow Bloodstone to warn the world about the dangers of his enemies.

Conspiracy ally Centurius had barely survived an encounter with SHIELD and arranged a new secret base in a mid-Atlantic island, from which he launched a new plan: Centurius used his inhuman minions, the Arms-Men and giant monster Goram, along with trained humans, to kidnap great scientists and other privileged minds so he could drain their mental energies with a machine, also using pieces of the Bloodgem to channel that power as a weapon powerful enough to take over the world. Centurius' secret hideout was protected with holographic technology to make it look like a deserted island. Centurius' scheme, however, did not go unnoticed, as the kidnappings of famous people by monsters prompted press articles in the news. SHIELD even suspected that Centurius was the mastermind behind it, but they did not know where he was, and they suspected that industrialist Anthony Stark would be attacked in the near future, so they warned him and his "bodyguard" Iron Man, and worked together with the latter in the case. Bloodstone himself also investigated the case, mostly by reviewing news clippings.[53]

After visiting São Paulo, Brazil, for business along with Carter, Bloodstone went to Rio de Janeiro tracking a Bloodgem fragment to the customs house, but superhuman hit men working for the Conspiracy (not for Ulluxy'l or Centurius) beat him to it: All Bloodstone found was dead customs officers. Bloodstone then, in his way back to Bloodstone Island, took a cruise, where he was recognized by other passengers, including freelance journalist Samantha Eden (who, knowing that Bloodstone was potential news, decided to follow him) and by the murderers--who decided to kill Bloodstone and Carter during the night. Bloodstone defeated his attackers even without light thanks to his Third Eye power, then checked on Carter, who was enjoying Eden's company. Eden photographed Bloodstone while explaining her professional interest on him.[54]

On the high seas, the cruise was attacked by giant monster Goram, sent by Centurius against Ulluxy'l's wishes to steal the hitmen's gem fragment, though not Bloodstone's fragment. As the creature damaged the ship's hull and panicked the crew and passengers, Bloodstone confronted it, jumping on the monster's head and hitting him with his shotgun's butt. Goram submerged to get rid of Bloodstone, but the latter made the most of Goram's impulse, moved, and shot him in the face. While he damaged Goram, this was not enough and, once underwater, Goram recovered the initiative: The monster grabbed huge rocks to throw those at Bloodstone; but the man broke those and reacted with a similar attack. Goram was trying to get a hold on Bloodstone, but got distracted when he identified the fragment in a briefcase that had fallen from the boat. Both Bloodstone and Goram swam to it, but Goram hit Bloodstone and reached the prize. Unable to remain underwater indefinitely, Bloodstone retreated to emerge, so Goram escaped with the gem. Returning to the still-floating boat, Bloodstone met with Eden and Carter. Against his friend's opinion, Bloodstone agreed to let the lady go to the Island with them, hoping that she could help him in his goals.[54]

Goram delivered the gem to Centurius and received new orders from him, basically attacking Bloodstone Island on an attempt to obtain more Bloodstone fragments. The Conspiracy was aware of Goram, although they did not control him, and sent the superhuman mercenary Simon "Killer Shrike" Maddicks to track the monster, thus leading to Shrike stealthily reaching Bloodstone Island. Only then, merely twelve hours after the attack on the liner, Bloodstone reached the Island in a sub-skimmer boat, to see it under the attack of Goram.[54]

Bloodstone ran to fight the monster and activated the Island's automatic defense system, ensnaring Goram. Shrike wanted Goram to escape so he could follow the beast to its lair, so he tried to free Goram without fighting Bloodstone. However, Goram chose not to run, instead staying to destroy the local buildings, damaging the crown section of the island. Bloodstone pinpointed Shirke and intercepted him with a shotgun blast; he then defeated Shrike. When Goram finally left, Carter followed him in a sub-skimmer, only to be captured by Centurius.[54] Bloodstone was not particularly worried about his friend's safety, because Carter was wearing a tracking device that would allow Bloodstone to find him.[21]

After the attack, Bloodstone quickly explained his origin to Eden and asked for her help in the case of the missing scientists, including whatever she could not publish and her contacts. Eden immediately prompted him to contact Anthony Stark, a likely kidnap target,[25] having reason to believe that Stark could lead them to SHIELD, and that SHIELD would have more information on the case.[21]

Bloodstone infiltrated Stark Industries' Long Island plant to meet Stark unannounced. He was stopped by Iron Man, who took Bloodstone for a saboteur; and neither of them listened to the other's reasoning until they almost caused a disaster in their fight, and they had to work together to stop it, thus winning each other's trust. Bloodstone provided Iron Man and SHIELD with details on the last known location of Carter (his tracking device had been disabled at Centurius' HQ, but it gave a close estimate), and Iron Man agreed to raid the island with Bloodstone,[18] to rescue Centurius' victims while SHIELD prepared an air squadron to be used as their reinforcements.[21]

While Iron Man made an air-based attack to attract attention, Bloodstone infiltrated the base by land, fighting Centurius' robots and Arms-Men, not knowing the nature of these beings. Bloodstone also used his power glove to bury Goram, apparently killing him. He then reached Centurius'scommand room, where the latter was meeting Ulluxy'l--just in time to see Centurius murdering Ulluxy'l with his new, powerful weapon, to take over Ulluxy'l's place in the Conspiracy. Centurius then ran away, destroying his base[18] with a ring of warheads. Bloodstone, Iron Man and SHIELD were too busy rescuing the prisoners to chase Centurius.[55]

After the mission, Iron Man asked Bloodstone for a later briefing; but even though his friend was well, Bloodstone was still unhappy because he had too many questions. SHIELD agent and pilot Eric Koenig took Bloodstone to the Island; their craft was attacked by the Island's artillery, operated by Eden, who was too scared after the Shrike's attack. After landing and solving the misunderstanding, Bloodstone asked Eden to leave with Koenig and do Public Relations work for him, because Bloodstone could no longer operate in secret. Bloodstone was infatuated with Eden, something both Carter[13] and the Conspiracy noticed. This was a problem for the latter's plans, because should Bloodstone have stronger feelings for the lady, he would be less obsessed with revenge (particularly after Ulluxy'l's death), which would eventually allow him to understand, and resist, the Exo-Mind's evil influence. Thus the Conspiracy sent an agent, Dominic "Domino" Dusiname, to intercept Eden in Marseille[13] and ensure that whatever time she spent with Bloodstone would be severely limited. But this was overkill, because Eden had never been romantically interested in Bloodstone.[14]

Meditating in the Island, Bloodstone had a vision sent by the Exo-Mind, which introduced itself as the Helix's evil personality. The Exo-Mind talked to Bloodstone about the Conspiracy, who appeared to be five humans, and of its plans to conquer other dimensions, probably to ensnare him more deeply by reinforcing his thirst of revenge.[2] Carter found Bloodstone being attacked by energy bands while in trance; but was unable to release his friend until Bloodstone woke up on his own.[13]

Bloodstone left the Island for New York City to give a speech to the United Nations. The Conspiracy took this chance to attack Bloodstone Island, using a multi-megaton blast to destroy its buildings. They also prepared an elaborate death trap for Bloodstone, with binding cables, tracking guns, impaling spikes and pits of living parasitic energy in the Fifth Avenue hotel (corner with 59th Street) where Bloodstone had booked his stay, aiming to disintegrate Bloodstone's body while leaving the Bloodgem fragment intact. Trapped behind titanium doors, Bloodstone resisted the trap and survived, but they succeeded at angering him. Escaping the room, Bloodstone confronted five Conspiracy agents (not members) who joined hands to create an empathic battery to focus their chaos-power. In a war of wills, Bloodstone defeated them with a mental burst from his own Third Eye, and found a videotape cartridge that he suspected included a vital clue, but it ultimately proved to be nothing more than a diversion to lead him on a wild-goose chase.[56]

Bloodstone then joined Carter and Eden, and took them to his Harlem secret base. There, they found that the tape included the cryptic message "Yesod is in cancer," and that Bloodstone Island was not answering their calls. Bloodstone asked Eden to research the tape while Carter traveled to the Island to check it. In the meanwhile, Bloodstone himself went to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City to address the delegates there. Bloodstone demanded the UN to recognize the sovereignty of Bloodstone Island instead of alerting the world about the threat of the Conspiracy, because the Hellfire Helix evilly controlled his mind specifically to prevent just that.[56]

In any case, his appeal was interrupted by the attack of yet another giant monster, Sharzan, called Sharzan the Elemental, sent by the Conspiracy (and more specifically by Kaballa) specifically to capture Bloodstone. When the building was attacked, Bloodstone, apparently unarmed, challenged the beast by using a miniature version of the power glove. Bloodstone fought Sharzan but was defeated by Sharzan's psionic attack. Sharzan then teleported himself and his prisoner to Conspirator Kaballa's secret cave,[18] approximately one mile under Manhattan's bedrock, with a pool communicating it with Central Park. There, the Exo-Mind dampened Bloodstone's will so he would be emotionally unable to resist. Kaballa could then order Bloodstone to grease his chest with the ebony emollient from a supple, to ease the later removal of the gem fragment; the sorcerer then explained tp Bloodstone that the Hellfire Helix had been manipulating him throughout all those millennia; Bloodstone, outraged at this, recovered control over his body and charged against Kaballa, only to be kept at bay with magic blasts until Sharzan could grapple him again.[55] Finally, Bloodstone threw in the towel.[14]

The endgame and Bloodstone's death[]

The other Conspirators introduced themselves to Bloodstone and explained him the full extent of the Exo-Mind's scheme, as much as they understood it, including both that the Hellfire Helix had deliberately chosen Bloodstone as its host to obtain mobility and to watch the local civilization's evolution, with Ulluxy'l as a reluctant nemesis to motivate his travels, and the fact that the Conspirators hoped to get immortality like Bloodstone's in exchange for their service. The Exo-Mind was no longer interested in experimenting with life through Bloodstone's innocent perspectives, and the latter could only serve the Exo-Mind's plans by allowing it to experience his death. Bloodstone was delivered to Conspirator Dr. Bardham so that the later could surgically remove the gem from Bloodstone's chest.[18] As Bloodstone was unable to resist, the Conspiracy took him as dead already, and thus they told their agents.[14]

In New York City, Domino told Samantha Eden of Bloodstone's death, prompting her to forfeit their common investigation. It is suggested that Domino may have hypnotized Eden so that she would feel indifference at Bloodstone's death. In Bloodstone Island, the Arms-Men found Carter when he was trying to contact any other of Bloodstone's agents, and they murdered Carter after telling him that his friend was already dead.[14]

Meanwhile, Dr. Bardham anesthetized Bloodstone and, in a one-hour surgery,{RH} he successfully removed the gem from Bloodstone's sternum, killing him in the process. However, he did not know that Ulysses Bloodstone's body would retain residual energy from his ten thousand years of symbiosis with the Bloodgem fragment. Bardham joined the other Conspirators and reported that the gem had not resisted the procedure. The Conspiracy then performed a mystic ceremony called ritual of joining to unite the gem's fragments, summon the Exo-Mind, and ask it for power. But evil to an atrocity, the Hellfire Helix reneged on its own promise and instead used the energy to destroy the Conspirators, absorbing their life-forces into it and creating a humanoid giant gem ogre,[18] with the Conspirators' tortured souls trapped inside it, to rampage throughout Manhattan while absorbing the minds of the New Yorkers in its path.[14]

Bloodstone's corpse, that had survived so many deaths through the millennia, still clung to life using the residual power of the gem, but he was barely alive, almost mindless and with concrete memories only of the time until the Bloodgem blast. He did, however, have confusing memories of his later adventures. Having become once again the tribe's master hunter, he instinctively tracked his enemy, the gem creature, identified as "deceitful gods" that had killed his people. Guided by people's panicked shrieks, Bloodstone reached Central Park and then found the crystal creature.[14]

Recognizing Bloodstone, the monster offered him an alliance, but Bloodstone instead challenged the beast instinctively using his by then forgotten mystic Third Eye to understand his enemy and shed his own body, mystically entering the Helix's own consciousness in the astral plane. The gem noticed the intrusion but it arrogantly allowed him in. Bloodstone's essence floated past the tortured souls of the lamenting Conspirators, whom he did not recognize but, sensing they were evil, he chose not to help them. Instead, Bloodstone tracked the Helix itself, fueled by his own obsession for revenge, even generating a psychic "spear" to be used as a weapon. Bloodstone found the Exo-Mind, who was serving as a shield for the Helix, and overcame it, finally reaching the Hellfire Helix. Bloodstone tried to question the Helix about its reasons, but the Helix was not an intelligent part of the gem and it did not answer. Bloodstone then, moved by his thirst of revenge, pierced the Helix with his spear, apparently[57] destroying it with sheer brute psychic strength, from the astral plane at least for a time.[18] The Helix shrieked its death throughout the psychic universe while its connection with Earth was broken as was the gem golem in the real world: The crystalline body it was building for itself shattered into worthless fragments, dust, and pebbles that retained none of the extra-dimensional mystical power the intact Bloodgem had possessed; thereupon, the witnessing pedestrians recovered, some of them with newfound insights in their minds, never to be erased, and the essences of the Conspirators apparently died.[18][14](Centurius was able, however, to transfer his to a new genetic construct elsewhere, and hence he alone survived.)

Having achieved his goal of revenge, and with the Bloodgem fragment removed from his body, Ulysses Bloodstone had no longer a reason to live and was truly dead at last. His body, restored to its true age, collapsed and crumbled into dust and bones on the pavement, with the appearance of a corpse that had died many years before that moment. Strangely, a fragment of the Bloodgem was again stuck in his collarbone. He died having finally exacted his revenge upon the true being who had killed his tribe ten thousand years before.[14]

Bloodstone's Skeleton[]

Bloodstone's skeleton ended in storage in the American Museum of Natural History. The Helix had not been completely destroyed and, years later, recovered enough to subtly coerce mortal minds to make them look for its dispersed fragments. As such, it convinced Baron Helmut Zemo to rebuild several pieces of it, years after Bloodstone's death, with Zemo believing they would give him the power to resurrect his father Baron Heinrich Zemo. Zemo stole Bloodstone's skeleton from the Museum and, along with his minions, used the sternum as a divining rod to track the crucial shards across the world, discarding the rest of the body, but Zemo's enemy Captain America, prompted by his ally and would-be companion Diamondback, followed his trail to stop him, using Bloodstone's skull for a similar purpose until it was lost in Egypt.[58] Eventually, the Bloodgem would summon the Exo-Mind, which possessed Heinrich's corpse in a scheme to take over the world.[57] The gem was soon shattered by Crossbones, an enemy to both Captain America and Zemo, and the gem's consciousness was again dissolved after a brief time of activity.[59] The gem pieces fell into a volcano.[2]

Bloodstone's skeleton was distributed, with its collarbone on Mount Fujiyama, Japan; the skull having been recovered by the Avengers and the bulk of the bones, where Zemo abandoned them, in Kaballa's underground lair under Central Park with the Conspirator's corpses.[15]

Legacy[]

At the point of his death, Bloodstone had accumulated many artifacts, relics, and antiques, which he stored in his curios. Those included embalmed internal organs from the 1st Dynasty, a sarcophagus, a crystal skull, a T-Rex (or similar Dinosaur) skull, a magic lamp (Aladdin's Lamp),[45] an Aleutian Manitou effigy doll, a Nepalese Spirit Bell, a set of Neolithic scrying stones from the Leng Plateau,[60] a Chaldean Penitence Flail, a Micronesian votive idol (possibly Dagon), and three shrunken heads from Papua New Guinea.

Bloodstone's daughter Elsa eventually received a shard of the Bloodgem, and she became a full-fledged monster hunter herself.[2]

Personality

Ulysses' long years of struggle made him dogmatic, obsessive and maniacal. By the time of his final years, he had allowed his single-minded quest to vanquish evil to transform him into a sadistic bully.[61] To Ulysses, no price was too high to pay if it served what he viewed as the greater good. He had no qualms about sacrificing a hostage to kill an evil creature, or having his wife institutionalized when she threatened his ability to train his daughter.[62] [48]

While Ulysses appears to have loved his children on some level, his dim view of the universe as a place that values only strength and power of will prevented him from ever expressing this love.[61] He believed in righteousness and greatness, and thought he was making the world a better place, but his vain obsession blinded him to the ruin he brought to those closest to him.[62] [48]

Attributes

Power Grid[64]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Master: Several Forms of Combat:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/Single Type: Short Range:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Regenerative:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Superhuman:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Superhuman (800 lbs-25 ton):Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Learned

Powers

Ulysses Bloodstone, as he came to be called in the Twentieth Century, possessed a number of super-human powers, most of which came from a shard of a mystical gem embedded in his chest circa 8,250 BC.[9] However, before that moment, when he only had some gifts endowed by Ulluxy'l Kwan Tae Syn to tempt his tribesman, the man later known as Bloodstone had enough super-human strength to lift a woolly mammoth and the ability to shoot destructive blasts from his hands.[12]

  • Immunity To Vampires: Ulysses Bloodstone's Bloodgem fragment was anathematic to vampires, being as potent against them as religious icons were in the hands of the faithful. Since his daughter, Elsa Bloodstone, has demonstrated immunity to vampire bites so great that her blood is pure enough to destroy any vampire who consumes it, her father's Bloodgem fragment is believed to have granted him similar abilities.
  • Psychic skills: Bloodstone could use his skills to identify whether a person was possessed by a external spirit or monster,[8] to communicate telepathically with monsters, and to send his own essence and any other being's to the inside of the gem in his chest--where he could fight their astral forms with an important advantage.[12]
  • Super-Human Agility:[2] Bloodstone can move his body with a coordination and flexibility beyond the natural limits of the a human body.[9]
  • Super-Human Reflexes: Bloodstone's reaction time was enhanced to levels beyond the human body's natural limits. His natural reflexes were about 1.5 times that of even the finest human athlete.[1]
  • Super-Human Speed: Bloodstone could run faster than a common human, reaching up to at least 61 miles per hour.[9]
  • Super-Human Stamina:[2] The gem's mystical energies also greatly increased the overall efficiency of his musculature, causing his muscles to produce less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of a normal human. At his peak, he could physically exert himself for several hours before the build-up of fatigue toxins in his blood began to impair him.[9]
  • Super-Human Strength:[2][15] The mystical energies of the gem suffused Ulysses Bloodstone's musculature, increasing his strength to super-human levels. At his peak, Bloodstone could lift (press) approximately 5 tons.[1] With adrenaline, he was even stronger, able to knock down a solid titanium steel door with titanium holding bolts held by a titanium wall frame, designed to withstand a ground zero detonation of a small nuclear warhead.[17]
  • Super-Humanly Acute Senses:[2] All five of Bloodstone's main physical senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch were all enhanced to super-human levels, being 1.5 times as acute as those of an Olympic athlete.[1]
  • Suspension Of Animation: Ulysses Bloodstone had the ability to induce states of suspension of his animation upon himself and emerge from them unharmed, due to his regenerative skills being boosted when in suspended animation.[1] There appeared to be no limit to how long he could remain in any such state; the longest period of time he ever attempted was in excess of one hundred years.[1][59][2]
  • Telekinesis: Bloodstone had limited telekinetic powers[2] and could use psychokinesis to detonate explosives.[9]
  • Third Eye Power: Bloodstone had mystic skills represented by a third eye that occasionally appeared on his forehead,[15] but remained invisible most of the time.[2][1] The Third Eye gave him extra-sensorial perception[2][1] to see into other beings and understand completely another person (thus knowing how to defeat that person), along with that person's intention--but this was a psychic probe that could be detected by enemies with mind powers.[14] The Third Eye allowed Bloodstone to see auras of people[9][21][52][2][1] and objects,[52][21] thus giving him effective night vision,[21][2][1] and to travel mentally to any one[1] of several distinct astral planes of existence.[9][2] This power was provided by the Bloodgem in his chest.[15]
  • Virtual Immortality:[15] The Bloodgem gave Bloodstone[1] apparent immortality, by making him immune to the effects of aging[2][59] and of conventional[2] illness, neither aging nor contracting any sickness once the gem was infused to his body,[59][2] and he no longer required air, food or water to survive.[2] (He could not, however, remain indefinitely underwater without suffering biological injuries that would later have to be regenerated.)[52] As the gem's energy also allowed Bloodstone to heal fully from almost any type of injury he might sustain,[1] even regenerating lost limbs,[59][1] he was thus able to rebuild his full body after either total molecular disintegration[9] or, at least, the dispersion of a large portion of his molecules,[1] even if it was vital; some have even suggested that he could have completely regenerated from a single surviving cell.[2] The recovery time nonetheless would be longer the more serious his injuries were; in one known instance, Bloodstone regenerated one lost leg, but it took him one decade in self-induced suspended animation.[1]
Bloodstone could heal from injuries that resulted in massive tissue damage and blood loss such as multiple bullet wounds, slashes, puncture wounds, and severe burns within a matter of minutes.{src}
  • Visions: Bloodstone could receive visions telepathically sent by the Exo-Mind[13] and sensations in his head, again sent by the gem, that would force him to make decisions.[12]

Abilities

Ulysses Bloodstone was an expert[1][9][2] in almost any kind of combat[59][1][9][2] and martial art known to humans.[1][9][2] He also had extensive knowledge of the weaponry available in whatever era he inhabited at the time,[9][2] becoming a master in the use of every weapon the human species had ever devised.[1] Bloodstone retained his hunting skills[52] from his time as a primitive caveman, having an instinctive sense of danger whenever an enemy was watching him,[17] jungle-trained stealth[14] and senses that allowed him to track even the impulses of anything, should he know what he was tracking.[26] Lastly, Bloodstone was an acrobatic fighter[8] in excellent shape, flamboyant in his movements: At one time, he jumped from the docks to a leaving cruise, by shooting his shotgun to the water and using the impulse to somersault on board.[52]

Throughout the years, Bloodstone learned other skills, being an excellent soldier and learning about finances to invest his own money. He also learned several languages.[59] In the 19th century, as described above, he served as the captain of a whaling ship.[2]

Weaknesses

Bloostone still needed to sleep, but he was a light sleeper and the Third Eye woke him up in case of danger.[52] Bloodstone was vulnerable to anesthesia and to some psychic attacks,[14] including telepathy.[14] The Exo-Mind had evilly retarded Bloodstone's intellectual development so that--or so it villainously hoped--he would never either become a threat to it[14] or have an IQ over average.[9]

Bloodstone could not die by drowning but, should he spend too long underwater, his lungs would collapse and he would need time to recover and even resurrect.[52]

Bloodstone's greatest weakness was also the source of his power and longevity, namely the Bloodgem itself. An attack damaging the gem shard in his chest could cause Bloodstone severe injury.[8] He would eventually recover, but would stay unconscious in the meanwhile.[8] As it granted him virtual immortality and super-human attributes, the removal of the gem would cause him to lose those powers. In his case, the Bloodgem was also his lifeline.[2][59][14] While he still retained residual energy from the gem after it was removed, enough to permit him some degree of life, the destruction of the gem caused his final, permanent death.[14] Had he recovered the gem before that, however, he would have been able to keep on with his long life.[59]

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Ulysses Bloodstone usually wore a flak jacket with several storage pouches for weapons and ammunition, and tough leather boots.[9] This included such weapons against vampires as a shotgun which fired silver cross buckshot and an ultraviolet flashlight.{src} He tended to bare his chest, exhibiting the Bloodgem fragment,[8] but most people were unaware of the jewel's nature.[13]

Bloodstone used an American Express credit card to pay for his expenses.[17]

Weapons

Ulysses Bloodstone had a veritable arsenal,[9] both edged and shooting, at his call and beck,[2] using different weapons throughout the years. In the 20th century, he tended to use his custom sawed-off shotgun, knives and .45"-caliber semi-automatics,[1] along with his power glove.[21][59]

  • Gas weapons: Bloodstone wore exotic gas pelts on his belt, with different functions including stun gas.[26]
  • Handguns: In the 20th century, Bloodstone tended to carry and use[1] .45"-[1][9]caliber[9] semi-automatic[1][9] pistols.[9]
  • Harpoon: During his time as a nautical captain of a whaling ship, Bloodstone used a traditional harpoon.[3]
  • Knives:
    Ulysses Bloodstone (Earth-616) from Rampaging Hulk Vol 1 3

    Bloodstone's knife

Bloodstone used stainless steel Bowie knives,[9] He also owned specially-designed knives, each of which could shoot, over short ranges, two simultaneous blades, without losing its own blade. Bloodstone could use this with lethal precision.[21]

  • Power Glove:[21][26][59] Bloodstone wore spiked knuckles that could broadcast short-range electric shocks[21][59] through some wires that Bloodstone could shoot to nearby enemies. This weapon had a limited power supply,[21] but it was powerful enough to damage giant monsters. Bloodstone had a portable version of the power glove hidden in his belt.[26] The power glove was designed and built by Ulysses Bloodstone himself.[2]
  • Shotgun: Ulysses Bloodstone's favorite weapon[2] in the 20th century[1] was a specially-designed sawed-off,[9][2] extensible,[21] double-barreled[59] shotgun[9][2][59][1][21] with special ammunition, including explosives, pellets, rockets[59] and an electric shock that could cut through metal and pierce the skin of giant monster Goram.[21] The shotgun could fire five rounds before needing to be reloaded,[2] one shell per barrel and per round.[59]
The explosive shells were powerful enough to destroy advanced machine guns[17] and concussive enough to devastate and stun Iron Man in his armor (model 3).[21] Bloodstone could use his powers to detonate the explosive shells mentally,[25][2][9] thus using it without the shotgun (but with a far shorter range).[25] At one point, Mister Fantastic defeated Bloodstone by detonating all of the later's shells simultaneously.{src}
Bloodstone had also used the shotgun's recoil to impulse him and jump higher.[25] Being his weapon of choice, Bloodstone instinctively drew the shotgun whenever he felt threatened.[21]
  • Spear: In prehistoric ages, he enjoyed the use of a primitive spear.[12] When returning to that state, Bloodstone used his willpower to create a mental image of that trusted original weapon, to be used against the essences of his enemies.[14]
  • Vampire Hunting Weapons: Bloodstone has several weapons specifically designed to hunt vampires.[2]

Transportation

Bloodstone owned a number of transports to be used as needed through the time, including:[9]

  • Danger lamp: Bloodstone owned a lamp that sensed danger and had the ability to transport him toward that danger.[2]
  • The Pequod: A whaling ship he captained during the 19th century.[2]
  • Sub-skimmers: High-tech sailing vehicles[14] he used to travel to and from Bloodstone Island.[25]

Notes

  • As explained in a text article in Marvel Presents #2, the original idea of a monster-fighting man as a character was defined by Len Wein and Marv Wolfman; who later hired writer John Warner to develop ten pages on the concept, initially intended for Where Monsters Dwell. Warner wanted an epic where the scope of the story grew in every chapter; but the series Where Monsters Dwell was cancelled in 1975, and Warner was offered a two-issue scope in Marvel Presents #1 and #2. Warner did want his job to be read, but then he had to tie up loose ends in a second issue, and found two important changes: Firstly, three artists moving through two issues in two weeks; and secondly, Warner's ideas themselves about the character had changed, and he was unable to explain the Hellfire Helix as he had wanted. Eventually, Warner had a chance to continue the story through six issues of Rampaging Hulk, and the end was scripted by another writer, Steve Gerber, in 8.
  • There are several inconsistencies and open issues in the published story, including the following ones:
    • In Marvel Presents #2, the master hunter attacks the crystal bare-handed. The description in Gamer's Handbook of the Marvel Universe #6 says he did so with his spear.
    • In Rampaging Hulk #4, Samantha Eden leaves Bloodstone Island and Ulysses says they would meet in New York in two days. Sam is next seen in Marseille Airport, having landed from New York City. It makes little sense for Sam to travel from Bloodstone Island to New York, then to Marseille (a New York-Marseille flight would take at least 12 hours even today), if she is expected in New York two days later. It would make sense for her to travel from Bloodstone Island to her home in Marseille, to prepare for their encounter in New York later.
    • Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #13 says that Ulluxy'l was killed by Centurius while attacking Bloodstone Island. This is wrong: In Rampaging Hulk #3, Ulluxy'l is killed in Centurius's island, not in Bloodstone's.
    • In Rampaging Hulk #5, Bloodstone has booked a hotel, alerting at least the staff, and also says that the special committee of the United Nations knows about his arrival. However, he later says that only Brad and Sam knew he was coming.
    • The narrator in Rampaging Hulk #8 says that Bloodstone has lived for 3,650,000 days - but that would not consider leap years, which would add some six more years to that figure.
    • Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #13 says that Bloodstone's reflexes are explicitly 1.5 faster than those of an Olympic athlete. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #2 says that his reflexes are comparable to those of an Olympic athlete.
    • The text in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Book of the Dead 2004 #1 says that Bloodstone had exactly six bases throughout the Earth. It then identifies four of these, and adds "and at least two others," meaning that it should have first said that he had "at least" six bases.
    • Gamer's Handbook of the Marvel Universe #6 says that, after Heinrich Zemo's failed resurrection, Ulysses Bloodstone's skull ended in hands of the Avengers. However, Captain America had lost the skull in Egypt in Captain America #361. In an attempt to reconcile both sources, this article assumes that the Avengers recovered the skull, off-screen, after the end of that story.
  • Gamer's Handbook of the Marvel Universe #6 talks about Bloodstone's network of operatives, including Eric Koenig (a SHIELD agent who was seen taking him to the island in Rampaging Hulk #4, but was not otherwise related to Bloodstone in comic), and also a Philip Leroux, European correspondent stationed in Moscow. In Rampaging Hulk #5, we saw a Philip Lerou, European correspondent stationed in Moscow, who saw how the KGB arrested a man, then picked up a small item the man had dropped. This plot was discontinued, and Lerou was never seen again, nor was his connection with Bloodstone ever explained except in Gamer's Handbook.
  • The one-paragraph recap of Bloodstone's origin in History of the Marvel Universe (Vol. 2) #1 simply says that "a hunter tried to save his tribe from a fragment of unearthly crystal by absorbing it into his chest, becoming Ulysses Bloodstone."

Trivia

  • Bloodstone sometimes talked to himself out loud when escaping from death traps.[17]
  • A flamboyant athlete,[52] Bloodstone tended to not sleep two nights in a row in the same place.[26]

See Also

Links and References

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #13
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 2.32 2.33 2.34 2.35 2.36 2.37 2.38 2.39 2.40 2.41 2.42 2.43 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Book of the Dead 2004 #1
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Marvel Universe #7
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone (and the Monster Hunters) #1
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #2 ; Ulysses Bloodstone's profile
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #7
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Bizarre Adventures (Vol. 2) #1
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 Marvel Presents #1
  9. ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13 9.14 9.15 9.16 9.17 9.18 9.19 9.20 9.21 9.22 9.23 9.24 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #2
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #2 , appendix
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 Marvel Presents #1–2
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 12.8 Marvel Presents #2
  13. ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 13.11 Rampaging Hulk #4
  14. ↑ 14.00 14.01 14.02 14.03 14.04 14.05 14.06 14.07 14.08 14.09 14.10 14.11 14.12 14.13 14.14 14.15 14.16 14.17 14.18 14.19 14.20 14.21 14.22 14.23 14.24 14.25 14.26 14.27 14.28 14.29 14.30 14.31 Rampaging Hulk #8
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #2 ; Conspiracy's profile
  16. ↑ Death of Doctor Strange: Bloodstone #1
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 Rampaging Hulk #5
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 18.6 18.7 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #2 ; Centurius' profile
  19. ↑ Defenders (Vol. 2) #9
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Nextwave #8
  21. ↑ 21.00 21.01 21.02 21.03 21.04 21.05 21.06 21.07 21.08 21.09 21.10 21.11 21.12 21.13 21.14 21.15 21.16 Rampaging Hulk #3
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #6
  23. ↑ Captain America #357
  24. ↑ X-Men: Hellfire Club #2
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 25.5 25.6 Rampaging Hulk #2
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 26.5 26.6 26.7 26.8 26.9 Rampaging Hulk #6
  27. ↑ Immortal Weapons #1
  28. ↑ Alpha Flight: True North #1
  29. ↑ Captain America and Namor #635.1
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 30.4 30.5 Marvel Universe #4
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Strange Tales #73 ; Grottu, King of the Insects!
  32. ↑ Marvel Monsters: Monsters on the Prowl #1
  33. ↑ Marvel Universe #6–7
  34. ↑ Marvel Universe #5
  35. ↑ Marvel Universe #6
  36. ↑ Marvel: The Lost Generation #2
  37. ↑ New Avengers (Vol. 2) #10
  38. ↑ New Avengers (Vol. 2) #11
  39. ↑ New Avengers (Vol. 2) #12
  40. ↑ New Avengers (Vol. 2) #13
  41. ↑ Avengers 1959 #1
  42. ↑ Tales of Suspense #9 ; I saw Diablo! The Demon from the 5th Dimension!
  43. ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #14 , Diablo profile
  44. ↑ Black Cat #1 ; Leaving Miami
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 Bloodstone #1
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 Avengers Arena #14
  47. ↑ Astonishing Tales: Boom Boom and Elsa #1
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 Marvel Zombies (Vol. 2) #4
  49. ↑ Nova (Vol. 4) #33
  50. ↑ Nova (Vol. 4) #34
  51. ↑ Nova (Vol. 4) #35
  52. ↑ 52.00 52.01 52.02 52.03 52.04 52.05 52.06 52.07 52.08 52.09 52.10 Rampaging Hulk #1
  53. ↑ Rampaging Hulk #2–3
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 54.2 54.3 Rampaging Hulk #1–2
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 Rampaging Hulk #3–4
  56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 Rampaging Hulk #5–6
  57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 Captain America #362
  58. ↑ Captain America #357–361
  59. ↑ 59.00 59.01 59.02 59.03 59.04 59.05 59.06 59.07 59.08 59.09 59.10 59.11 59.12 59.13 59.14 59.15 Gamer's Handbook of the Marvel Universe #6
  60. ↑ Bloodstone #3
  61. ↑ 61.0 61.1 Marvel Zombies (Vol. 2) #1
  62. ↑ 62.0 62.1 Marvel Zombies (Vol. 2) #3
  63. ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #2
  64. ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Book of the Dead 2004 Vol 1 1
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