Doctor Strange, but one mystic hero often gets left out of that conversation thanks to his awful name. That would be Bloodwynd, a nineties hero who could have been a contender, if only he had a better superhero name.
Created by Dan Jurgens in 1993, Bloodwynd is a mystic hero. He derives his powers from the “Blood Gem,” an amulet created by his enslaved ancestors, who rose up and killed their owner in a magic ritual. Able to summon the spirits of the dead and draw power from their energy, Bloodwynd was positioned to be the most powerful necromancer of the DCU. The mystic hero was a regular member of the Justice League for much of the early nineties, but practically disappeared from DC Comics after the turn of the new millennium.
Recently, superstar writer Grant Morrison has been annotating the seminal crossover series The Multiversity via their DC heroes, such as Kyle Rayner, Connor Hawke and - of course - Bloodwynd. Morrison was especially interested in covering Bloodwynd, saying that the hero “was otherwise an interesting character who deserved better.” The only thing holding Bloodwynd back? According to Morrison, it all boils down to his name, calling it “one of the most uninspired, undignified and ugly hero names of the ‘90s...” Morrison further elaborates on the hero’s potential, if only he didn’t have such a ridiculous moniker: “As DC’s ‘Multimage’ he represented an opportunity to give DC its own black Dr. Strange – but no… it had to be ‘Bloodwynd’…”
Coming at a time when “blood” was a popular starting point for many superhero titles, Morrison goes on to describe the naming practices of the "extreme" 1990s rather hilariously: “(It) was common to create names from a list of various interchangeable qualities – in one column ‘blood’ in the other ‘storm’ ‘fire’ ‘wind’ ‘stone’ ‘fist’ ‘star’ etc.” Yet in spite of his name, there is untapped potential in Bloodwynd. He has an ittedly cool costume, with his striking combination of red, white and black making the hero immediately stand out in a crowd. Bloodwynd’s powers as a necromancer also raise an infinite number of story possibilities, allowing him access to the darker side of the DCU’s magic-wielding characters.
In a time when more heroes of color are still needed in mainstream comics, Bloodwynd is definitely due for some kind of reappraisal or exciting new take. Perhaps DC Comics will give Bloodwynd his due at some point in the future. Just give him a better name this time, guys.
Source: Grant Morrison’s Substack
