Vlad Plasmius
Encyclopedia
Vlad Plasmius, the evil alter ego to Vladmir "Vlad" Masters is a fictional character, a supervillain
from the television show Danny Phantom
, created by Butch Hartman
, Shannon Tendell, and Stephen Silver
. He is the main antagonist of the series and serves as Danny's arch-enemy but he also fits the description of a tragic villain. Vlad's primary goal is to kill his former friend, Jack Fenton because he blames him for ruining his life and "stealing" his wife, Maddie, whom he's madly in love with. Because of his formal manners, Vlad sometimes calls Danny "my boy," "Daniel," "child," and once, "Little Badger." He also battles for Danny's affection, trying to persuade him to be his apprentice and son.
" of the Danny Phantom franchise series. He serves as a contrast to Danny where he is older, more experienced, and richer; purposely meant to give Danny a formidable opponent.
Originally devised as a vampire before declaring it "too occult", Vlad's current resemblance shares much in common with vampiric traits. His ghost surname, "Plasmius" is devised from "plasma" which doubly can be a reference to "blood
" or ectoplasm
- underlining both the former vampire element and the current 'ghost' connection. Regardless of its influence, it is a surname that stayed in the final production. However, writer Steve Marmel
declared the name "Vlad Plasmius" was from a brick he bought in Lambeau Field.
Vlad's love for the Green Bay Packers
is attributed and added due to Marmel's fondness for them. Their team color is a reverse gold and green to avoid copyright infringement with the actual team. An original running gag would be that Vlad would lose his manor due to unfortunate luck every other episode.
Vlad's exterior portrays him as a well-to-do man; rich, debonair, and suave. But inside, he is diabolically twisted, clever, manipulative, intelligent, and mysterious. Though his motivation is love, Vlad's goals are often forceful and selfish, devising numerous long term plans to get what he wants, when he wants. He isn't above using others as his pawn in an allegorical reference to Chess
.
Though he has no problems handling his own mission, Vlad frequently employs several ghosts to assist him when needed and at one point, Valerie, who at the time, was unaware he was half ghost.
His villainous acts are usually as a means to fill the painful loneliness and empty void in his life and feels his actions are justified. Danny often uses this weakness against him during battle. His methods and actions towards Danny gets more vile during the last season.
When stressed, he frequently shouts out snack names ("Oh, fudge buckets!"). He is also a devoted Green Bay Packers fan and has spent years trying to obtain them. He commemorates his obsession with Packers merchandises, football statues, and a football stadium in his backyard. Like the Fentons, he is a keen inventor and has created numerous gadgets and Anti-ghost gears of his own.
As a young man, Vlad attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison
alongside his best friend Jack Fenton, and love interest, Maddie. All three were heavily involved in paranormal activities, managing to build a portable ghost portal. An accident from Jack's end renders the portal to blast ectoplasmic energy on his face, giving him the deadly Ecto-Acne. Hospitalized for years and gaining ghost powers, Vlad swore vengeance on his former friend. He spent the next twenty years honing his powers and gaining vast wealth through the use (and abuse) of his powers.
His first couple of attacks were sent in secret to test Jack's skills. He makes his full appearance by inviting the Fentons to their twentieth college reunion, held in his manor. There he plots to kill Jack. He discovers Danny Phantom is Jack's son and attempts to force him to join his side with no success.
He has met substantial rejection from both Maddie and Jazz throughout the series as well. In a bitter irony, only Jack has ever continued to warm up to him, though he has combated and beaten Plasmius without figuring out the two are the same.
Vlad's plan stretches throughout the run of the show. One of his major plans involves tracking the elusive Skeleton Key in order to obtain the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire, both worn by the once King Pariah Dark, the ghost King. His actions brought forth the powerful ghost who briefly ruled over both Earth and the Ghost Zone until Danny defeated him. Vlad made off with the Crown of Fire, a potential ally in the Fright Knight, and the Fenton Ecto Suit, the last of which he loses later on.
His other major plan is trying to gain Danny as a son. Predicting his numerous failures to get him, Vlad gave Valerie Gray her ghost hunting suit in secret, revealing himself to her later on, much to her respect and awe. She is unaware that it is equipped with hidden spy cameras designed to spy on Danny's ghost powers of which Vlad studied to create a series of Danny clones. The one before the perfect clone is the free-willed Dani Phantom whom sides with Danny when she finds out the harsh truth that Vlad views her not as a daughter, but as a tool for his personal agenda. They both destroy the clone lab, causing Vlad to briefly lose his sanity and retaliate, only to lose when Danny's friends intervene.
The end results forced Vlad to give up on Danny's affection and instead turned to malice. He successfully runs for mayor (by overshadowing the voters) and spends the remainder of the series tormenting Danny. His final plans involves creating a trio of ghost hunting teenagers named the "Masters' Blasters" to create superior competition against Danny. He wins and gains the favor of Amity Park, but loses it once he reveals himself as Plasmius demanding money and the world in exchange for his service to save the planet from an oncoming Ecto-Asteroid. Impossible for ghosts to touch, Vlad is abandoned in space by Jack after the latter realized his best friend was "lost" twenty years ago. In his final scene he is seen pondering about the benefits of being a "free roaming space nomad" until he is struck by the Ecto-Asteroid.
Vlad has had two alternate versions of himself. An old man in an alternate dark future where he accidentally took part in Dark Danny's creation. Powerless, Vlad spends the ten years in solitude, reflecting and guilty on his past evil deeds. The other alternate is Vlad of a different present timeline, accidentally created by Danny. There, he is married to Maddie, but remains forceful, vindictive, and as jealous as his canon counterpart.
Vlad gains new and stronger powers later on, least of all an Ecto tornado. During this season his duplication extends from four to dozens. He is able to create a duplicate of his human or ghost half despite whatever form he possess. Vlad's Ecto Rays often take on a disk-like shape during this time as well. It is thought widely due to the character development, that Vlad did not gain new powers, but was simply holding back.
The only abilities he does not have or isn't shown with are the Ghostly Wail, a ghost sense, and ice powers.
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
from the television show Danny Phantom
Danny Phantom
Danny Phantom is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon, produced by Billionfold Studios. The show was about a teenage half-ghost boy, who frequently saves his town and the world from ghost attacks, while attempting to keep his ghost half a secret...
, created by Butch Hartman
Butch Hartman
Elmer Earl "Butch" Hartman IV is an American animator, executive producer, animation director, storyboard artist, voice actor, occasional singer, producer, and creator of the animated series The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom and T.U.F.F. Puppy.-Childhood:Hartman was born in Highland Park,...
, Shannon Tendell, and Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is a professional artist, cartoonist and character designer. He is best known as the lead character designer for animated series such as Kim Possible and Danny Phantom.-History:...
. He is the main antagonist of the series and serves as Danny's arch-enemy but he also fits the description of a tragic villain. Vlad's primary goal is to kill his former friend, Jack Fenton because he blames him for ruining his life and "stealing" his wife, Maddie, whom he's madly in love with. Because of his formal manners, Vlad sometimes calls Danny "my boy," "Daniel," "child," and once, "Little Badger." He also battles for Danny's affection, trying to persuade him to be his apprentice and son.
Creation and Conception
Vlad was created to be the "Lex LuthorLex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
" of the Danny Phantom franchise series. He serves as a contrast to Danny where he is older, more experienced, and richer; purposely meant to give Danny a formidable opponent.
Originally devised as a vampire before declaring it "too occult", Vlad's current resemblance shares much in common with vampiric traits. His ghost surname, "Plasmius" is devised from "plasma" which doubly can be a reference to "blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
" or ectoplasm
Ectoplasm (paranormal)
Ectoplasm is a term coined by Charles Richet to denote a substance or spiritual energy "exteriorized" by physical mediums...
- underlining both the former vampire element and the current 'ghost' connection. Regardless of its influence, it is a surname that stayed in the final production. However, writer Steve Marmel
Steve Marmel
Steve Marmel is an American Television writer and Producer who has worked on many animated TV series, among which are The Fairly Odd Parents, I Am Weasel, Danny Phantom, Family Guy and Yin Yang Yo!. During his work on The Fairly Odd Parents he frequently co-wrote episodes with Butch Hartman...
declared the name "Vlad Plasmius" was from a brick he bought in Lambeau Field.
Vlad's love for the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
is attributed and added due to Marmel's fondness for them. Their team color is a reverse gold and green to avoid copyright infringement with the actual team. An original running gag would be that Vlad would lose his manor due to unfortunate luck every other episode.
Character
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
.
Though he has no problems handling his own mission, Vlad frequently employs several ghosts to assist him when needed and at one point, Valerie, who at the time, was unaware he was half ghost.
His villainous acts are usually as a means to fill the painful loneliness and empty void in his life and feels his actions are justified. Danny often uses this weakness against him during battle. His methods and actions towards Danny gets more vile during the last season.
When stressed, he frequently shouts out snack names ("Oh, fudge buckets!"). He is also a devoted Green Bay Packers fan and has spent years trying to obtain them. He commemorates his obsession with Packers merchandises, football statues, and a football stadium in his backyard. Like the Fentons, he is a keen inventor and has created numerous gadgets and Anti-ghost gears of his own.
Plot Overview
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
alongside his best friend Jack Fenton, and love interest, Maddie. All three were heavily involved in paranormal activities, managing to build a portable ghost portal. An accident from Jack's end renders the portal to blast ectoplasmic energy on his face, giving him the deadly Ecto-Acne. Hospitalized for years and gaining ghost powers, Vlad swore vengeance on his former friend. He spent the next twenty years honing his powers and gaining vast wealth through the use (and abuse) of his powers.
His first couple of attacks were sent in secret to test Jack's skills. He makes his full appearance by inviting the Fentons to their twentieth college reunion, held in his manor. There he plots to kill Jack. He discovers Danny Phantom is Jack's son and attempts to force him to join his side with no success.
He has met substantial rejection from both Maddie and Jazz throughout the series as well. In a bitter irony, only Jack has ever continued to warm up to him, though he has combated and beaten Plasmius without figuring out the two are the same.
Vlad's plan stretches throughout the run of the show. One of his major plans involves tracking the elusive Skeleton Key in order to obtain the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire, both worn by the once King Pariah Dark, the ghost King. His actions brought forth the powerful ghost who briefly ruled over both Earth and the Ghost Zone until Danny defeated him. Vlad made off with the Crown of Fire, a potential ally in the Fright Knight, and the Fenton Ecto Suit, the last of which he loses later on.
His other major plan is trying to gain Danny as a son. Predicting his numerous failures to get him, Vlad gave Valerie Gray her ghost hunting suit in secret, revealing himself to her later on, much to her respect and awe. She is unaware that it is equipped with hidden spy cameras designed to spy on Danny's ghost powers of which Vlad studied to create a series of Danny clones. The one before the perfect clone is the free-willed Dani Phantom whom sides with Danny when she finds out the harsh truth that Vlad views her not as a daughter, but as a tool for his personal agenda. They both destroy the clone lab, causing Vlad to briefly lose his sanity and retaliate, only to lose when Danny's friends intervene.
Vlad has had two alternate versions of himself. An old man in an alternate dark future where he accidentally took part in Dark Danny's creation. Powerless, Vlad spends the ten years in solitude, reflecting and guilty on his past evil deeds. The other alternate is Vlad of a different present timeline, accidentally created by Danny. There, he is married to Maddie, but remains forceful, vindictive, and as jealous as his canon counterpart.
Powers
Having twenty years more experience, Vlad starts off the series as Danny's superior. He possess all the abilities Danny has (flight, Ghost Rays, intangibility/invisibility, overshadowing) and has mastered powers Danny has not—the most prominent being duplication of which he easily splits in four. He is also able to construct various shapes from his ectoplasm, from a rope to a swatter with ease. Vlad has mastered the ability to teleport. Like Danny, he gains super strength and enhanced agility his human self does not possess. When he transforms, two black rings intersect his body, opposed to Danny's white rings.Vlad gains new and stronger powers later on, least of all an Ecto tornado. During this season his duplication extends from four to dozens. He is able to create a duplicate of his human or ghost half despite whatever form he possess. Vlad's Ecto Rays often take on a disk-like shape during this time as well. It is thought widely due to the character development, that Vlad did not gain new powers, but was simply holding back.
The only abilities he does not have or isn't shown with are the Ghostly Wail, a ghost sense, and ice powers.