Character of the Week #19

Metal Mario · 11-21-2009, 03:51 PM

Count Bleck

First Appearance: Super Paper Mario (Wii, 2007)
Latest Appearance: Same

[*Warning: Super Paper Mario spoilers ahead!]

The arch-nemesis of Super Paper Mario, Count Bleck is one of the deepest characters in the Mario universe, and certainly the most tragic. He is unique amongst Mario's gallery of rogues in that he was not spurred to his evil actions by greed or lust for power, but by an all-consuming sorrow and despair.

The story of Count Bleck is actually the story of Lord Blumiere, a member of the mysterious Tribe of Darkness in a dimension set far apart from our own. He loved a human woman named Lady Timpani, and planned to leave the Tribe to marry her. Blumiere's cruel father, however, would not hear of it, and used black magic to exile Timpani from her physical form and curse her to forever wander the void between dimensions. Driven to insanity by rage and grief, Blumiere stole an apocalyptic tome called the Dark Prognosticus and used its terrible power to kill his father and wipe out his entire dimension. (Cripes, are you sure this guy is a Mario character?)

Convinced that all life was meaningless without his beloved Timpani, Blumiere changed his name to Count Bleck and made plans to use the Dark Prognosticus to end all of reality. This involved opening an inter-dimensional Void that would eventually grow wide enough to consume all existing worlds. When it is ultimately revealed to Bleck, however, that Lady Timpani still exists in the form of Mario's sidekick Tippi, Bleck regrets his actions and even assists Mario in closing the Void.

Tippi and Count Bleck disappear from the world after the cataclysm is averted, and their exact fate is unknown. However, in a post-credits scene, we see the silhouettes of a man and woman standing side-by-side in a sunny, picturesque meadow. Obviously we are meant to infer that these are Lord Blumiere and Lady Timpani, and that they are at last content.

**Valigarmander** · 11-21-2009, 03:54 PM

Best one-off Mario villain.

PK FIRE! · 11-21-2009, 03:57 PM

Mario characters in geniral need deeper backgrounds if you ask me. As for Bleck I think he's quite intresting also got to love his verble tick.

- You stupid dog.

Metal Mario · 11-21-2009, 03:58 PM

^"Bleck! said Count Bleck!"

PK FIRE! · 11-21-2009, 04:08 PM

Also I'm digging the whole Classy villian thing he's got going tophat, cape, monicel, and cane I wonder if any other Mario villians could pull that look off? Hmm wow Bowser in black tie and tail is an odd mental image.

- You stupid dog.

Dark Seraphim · 11-21-2009, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PK FIRE!

Also I'm digging the whole Classy villian thing he's got going tophat, cape, monicel, and cane I wonder if any other Mario villians could pull that look off? Hmm wow Bowser in black tie and tail is an odd mental image.

- You stupid dog.

Wasn't Bowser in a tux at the wedding?

I only admittedly played through half of Paper Mario at a friend's house, and then didn't wanna pony up the 50 dollars for a game that was 2 years old (older now) so I missed out on the full story.

It seems this may have been the start to Mario characters having deeper and more tragic backstories, after Count Bleck we soon after got Rosaline, who has quite a bittersweet backstory herself as well. I think Nintendo is trying to gently age the franchise from its normal "He's evil, kill him" and giving villains and characters more depth that we're used to.

Count Bleck really seems like the first to really do this, so good for him, hopefully the pattern will continue into newer Mario games to come.

**X-3** · 11-21-2009, 05:35 PM

^He was in a very dashing white tux.

Bleck was pretty cool.

Dizzy · 11-21-2009, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PK FIRE!

Also I'm digging the whole Classy villian thing he's got going tophat, cape, monicel, and cane I wonder if any other Mario villians could pull that look off?

- You stupid dog.

Waluigi.

PK FIRE! · 11-21-2009, 10:52 PM

Would you mind elaberating on that a bit please?

- You stupid dog.

Dizzy · 11-21-2009, 11:15 PM

I don't know, ask Mushman.

Dark Seraphim · 11-21-2009, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PK FIRE!

Would you mind elaberating on that a bit please

Quote:

Plus I think there's a nostalgia involved with his character type. I mean look at him, who doesn't see Waluigi and instantly think of the old, over the top bad guys from the days of silent pictures who would kidnap the damsel and tie her to the railroad trap while twiddling his mustache?

PK FIRE! · 11-21-2009, 11:42 PM

Point, and I'll admit that I could see Waluigi filling in for Snidely Whiplash or Dick Dasteredly should either need a sick day.

- You stupid dog.

Dark Seraphim · 11-22-2009, 03:26 PM

Count Bleck was a good and interesting character, with a tragic backstory, but he did have a plot flaw that happens in games and stories sometimes. He was evil because the person he loved disappeared, and only became good again when he found her again. Its a classic story niche where the character seems to resolve their issues but didn't. Bleck didn't learn to be good, he didn't feel bad about what he did, and if anything happened to his love again he'd probabaly go back to destroying the universe in a second. In the end he is kind of transparently evil where his motives are very similiar to a 3 year old that does get his way, someone took away his something special so he throws a tantrum until he gets it back. Of course does he feel bad about all the millions of lives he destroyed when he nixed his own universe out of existence? Probably not, he's just satisfied he has his love back.

I'm not saying he's a bad character because of this, it happens a lot in games and stories where the bad guy is only bad because he didn't get his way, then he gets his way and only then realizes maybe what he's doing was wrong. In the end there is no allusion Bleck really is a good guy, if anything it kind of takes away that he was a bad guy, he was really just mourning. He's still a cool character but the whole "bad guy turns good because he gets what he wanted all along" is a bit of a tired plot device.

PK FIRE! · 11-22-2009, 04:23 PM

Given that mankind's been writing stories of one kind or another for well over 3000 years it't hard to find a plot device that isn't tired out in one way or another the best one can hope for is to use said tropes and plot devices in intresting new patterns.

- You stupid dog.

11-21-2009, 05:35 PM	#7
X-3 Useful as an Owl Join Date: Jan 2004 Gender: Posts: 15,947 Thanks: 753 Thanked 1,213 Times in 790 Posts Blog Entries: 10	^He was in a very dashing white tux. Bleck was pretty cool. Last edited by X-3; 11-21-2009 at 10:51 PM.

11-21-2009, 03:51 PM	#1
Metal Mario Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 1999 Gender: Posts: 16,435 Thanks: 72 Thanked 190 Times in 127 Posts	Character of the Week #19 Count Bleck First Appearance: Super Paper Mario (Wii, 2007) Latest Appearance: Same *[Warning: Super Paper Mario spoilers ahead!]** The arch-nemesis of Super Paper Mario, Count Bleck is one of the deepest characters in the Mario universe, and certainly the most tragic. He is unique amongst Mario's gallery of rogues in that he was not spurred to his evil actions by greed or lust for power, but by an all-consuming sorrow and despair. The story of Count Bleck is actually the story of Lord Blumiere, a member of the mysterious Tribe of Darkness in a dimension set far apart from our own. He loved a human woman named Lady Timpani, and planned to leave the Tribe to marry her. Blumiere's cruel father, however, would not hear of it, and used black magic to exile Timpani from her physical form and curse her to forever wander the void between dimensions. Driven to insanity by rage and grief, Blumiere stole an apocalyptic tome called the Dark Prognosticus and used its terrible power to kill his father and wipe out his entire dimension. (Cripes, are you sure this guy is a Mario character?) Convinced that all life was meaningless without his beloved Timpani, Blumiere changed his name to Count Bleck and made plans to use the Dark Prognosticus to end all of reality. This involved opening an inter-dimensional Void that would eventually grow wide enough to consume all existing worlds. When it is ultimately revealed to Bleck, however, that Lady Timpani still exists in the form of Mario's sidekick Tippi, Bleck regrets his actions and even assists Mario in closing the Void. Tippi and Count Bleck disappear from the world after the cataclysm is averted, and their exact fate is unknown. However, in a post-credits scene, we see the silhouettes of a man and woman standing side-by-side in a sunny, picturesque meadow. Obviously we are meant to infer that these are Lord Blumiere and Lady Timpani, and that they are at last content.

11-21-2009, 03:54 PM	#2
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,701 Times in 2,581 Posts Blog Entries: 20	Best one-off Mario villain.

11-21-2009, 03:57 PM	#3
PK FIRE! Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: On the run. Gender: Posts: 9,544 Thanks: 175 Thanked 150 Times in 120 Posts	Mario characters in geniral need deeper backgrounds if you ask me. As for Bleck I think he's quite intresting also got to love his verble tick. - You stupid dog.

11-21-2009, 03:58 PM	#4
Metal Mario Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 1999 Gender: Posts: 16,435 Thanks: 72 Thanked 190 Times in 127 Posts	^"Bleck! said Count Bleck!"

11-21-2009, 04:08 PM	#5
PK FIRE! Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: On the run. Gender: Posts: 9,544 Thanks: 175 Thanked 150 Times in 120 Posts	Also I'm digging the whole Classy villian thing he's got going tophat, cape, monicel, and cane I wonder if any other Mario villians could pull that look off? Hmm wow Bowser in black tie and tail is an odd mental image. - You stupid dog.

11-21-2009, 10:52 PM	#9
PK FIRE! Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: On the run. Gender: Posts: 9,544 Thanks: 175 Thanked 150 Times in 120 Posts	Would you mind elaberating on that a bit please? - You stupid dog.

11-21-2009, 11:15 PM	#10
Dizzy Podiaphobe Join Date: Oct 2007 Gender: Posts: 19,359 Thanks: 1,764 Thanked 1,162 Times in 805 Posts Blog Entries: 116	I don't know, ask Mushman.

11-21-2009, 11:42 PM	#12
PK FIRE! Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: On the run. Gender: Posts: 9,544 Thanks: 175 Thanked 150 Times in 120 Posts	Point, and I'll admit that I could see Waluigi filling in for Snidely Whiplash or Dick Dasteredly should either need a sick day. - You stupid dog.

11-22-2009, 03:26 PM	#13
Dark Seraphim Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Gender: Posts: 431 Thanks: 4 Thanked 20 Times in 15 Posts	Count Bleck was a good and interesting character, with a tragic backstory, but he did have a plot flaw that happens in games and stories sometimes. He was evil because the person he loved disappeared, and only became good again when he found her again. Its a classic story niche where the character seems to resolve their issues but didn't. Bleck didn't learn to be good, he didn't feel bad about what he did, and if anything happened to his love again he'd probabaly go back to destroying the universe in a second. In the end he is kind of transparently evil where his motives are very similiar to a 3 year old that does get his way, someone took away his something special so he throws a tantrum until he gets it back. Of course does he feel bad about all the millions of lives he destroyed when he nixed his own universe out of existence? Probably not, he's just satisfied he has his love back. I'm not saying he's a bad character because of this, it happens a lot in games and stories where the bad guy is only bad because he didn't get his way, then he gets his way and only then realizes maybe what he's doing was wrong. In the end there is no allusion Bleck really is a good guy, if anything it kind of takes away that he was a bad guy, he was really just mourning. He's still a cool character but the whole "bad guy turns good because he gets what he wanted all along" is a bit of a tired plot device.

11-22-2009, 04:23 PM	#14
PK FIRE! Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: On the run. Gender: Posts: 9,544 Thanks: 175 Thanked 150 Times in 120 Posts	Given that mankind's been writing stories of one kind or another for well over 3000 years it't hard to find a plot device that isn't tired out in one way or another the best one can hope for is to use said tropes and plot devices in intresting new patterns. - You stupid dog.