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Mercenary

File Name: Sebastian Bludd

Birthplace: Sydney, Australia

Rank: Major

Primary Military Specialty: Terrorist

Secondary Military Specialty: Weapons and Tactics

Status: At large

First Appearance: G.I. JOE #15 (September 1983)

- "Tell me, Sebastian... How badly do you want your freedom?" - "Who do you want me to kill?" — The Baroness and Major Bludd

     Sebastian Bludd is one of the most infamous mercenaries in the world. He has worked as a terrorist, assassin and soldier-for-hire. His only loyalty is to money, and he has been known to turn on his employers if he finds a better opportunity. Bludd's expertise (and rank of Major) comes from his initial military training from the Australian Special Air Service. He later joined the French Foreign Legion, and finally became a freelance military advisor. He soon discovered that there was more money to be made in using his skills in the service of criminals, terrorists and revolutionaries, and his life as a mercenary began. Over the years, Bludd has also been known for writing poetry...bad poetry. (Though the Baroness once described his poetry as "quite beautiful".) He is possibly the only poet ever to use the word "Uzi".

    By 1983, Bludd was wanted for crimes in Rhodesia and Libya. That same year, Major Bludd was hired by Cobra Commander to join his organization. The Commander kept his true agenda a secret: he had hired Bludd to kill Destro, fearing he could and would usurp his command. Shortly afterward, Bludd participated in a battle against the G.I. Joe team in Washington, DC. He manned the turret of the HISS tank that was being driven by the Baroness. In the midst of the battle, Cobra Commander ordered Bludd to kill Destro. The Major took aim at Destro, but the Baroness realized what he was about to do and swerved, ruining Bludd's shot. The out-of-control tank crashed, and Bludd ran from the burning wreck, leaving the Baroness trapped inside as it exploded. The Baroness survived, but was badly burned by the blast. In the aftermath of the battle, Bludd made his escape, realizing Destro knew he had tried to kill him. Cobra Commander insisted that Bludd acted alone to keep the Baroness for himself. Bludd meanwhile made his way to a bus terminal where he hijacked a bus filled with passengers, including another fleeing Cobra agent, Scar-face. The Joes Stalker and Grand Slam caught up with the bus on motorcycle, as Bludd fired upon them. Bludd was taken by surprise when Grand Slam climbed atop the bus and smashed through the windshield, swinging inside. Bludd was momentarily distracted when he recognized Scar-face on the bus, allowing Grand Slam to subdue him. Once in custody, Bludd was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. There, he learned the Baroness had survived the explosion the night before. He attempted to escape but was stopped by a patient -- Hawk. The Joes' leader had been shot during the battle and was being treated there. He had refused to give up his sidearm, and was able to recapture Bludd.

    The Major was later brought to Joe headquarters along with Scar-face and an unconscious Baroness. While they were in custody, Cobra staged a massive attack on the Joes' base. During the confusion of the battle, Bludd knocked out Doc while still handcuffed to the bars. Taking the keys from the Joes' medic, Bludd unlocked his own cuffs, and planned to escape with the Baroness in a Cobra FANG helicopter that had landed on the roof. It's pilot set explosives to destroy the fortress perched atop the Pit. He also decides to leave Scar-face in his cell. Bludd was stopped in his tracks, held at gunpoint by General Flagg. Scar-face then kicked the pistol from Flagg's hands, allowing Bludd to pick up the gun and fire on Flagg, killing him. Despite Scar-face's help, Bludd still left him behind and took off with the Baroness (though he promised to write a poem about him). Scar-face was later killed by the explosion that destroyed the fortress. Eventually, Major Bludd made his way to Switzerland with the Baroness. He brought her to the Bern Institute of Reconstructive Surgery, where Dr. Hundtkinder restored her badly burnt face. While the Baroness recovered, Bludd made a phone call to Cobra Commander and demanded a ransom for the Baroness, threatening to tell Destro that he had been hired to kill him. The Commander was enraged, but had little choice but to pay him. The Commander made his way to Switzerland, allowing Destro to still believe the Baroness was dead. Once the Commander arrived, the Joes appeared, having been keeping Bludd under surveillance. In the fight that followed, Bludd and the Baroness escaped with the Commander's bodyguard, Storm Shadow. The Commander was captured by the Joes.

    Bludd and the Baroness returned to Springfield, where Destro was ready to kill Bludd for the attempt on his life. Fortunately for Bludd, Destro was taken aback by learning the Baroness was alive. Using the Commander's treachery and his feelings for the Baroness to manipulate Destro, she and Bludd planned to take control of Cobra in the Commander's absence. Their only stumbling block was Storm Shadow, who freed the Commander from the Joes. After the Commander returned to Springfield, Bludd was thrown into a jail cell for his treachery. The Baroness soon offered Bludd his freedom, in exchange for his help in planning the assassination of Cobra Commander. They sought out a boy named Billy, working in Springfield's anti-Cobra underground resistance. The brutal Bludd turned Billy into an assassin and provided him with the weapon to kill the Commander. The stage was set, and at a Cobra rally, Billy approached the Commander as a Cobra youth, holding a bouquet of flowers. The Commander was about to be gunned down when Destro stopped the boy from firing. His explanation was more surprising than his actions. He had recognized the boy -- he was Cobra Commander's son. In the inquest that followed, Bludd was pleased that the boy refused to give up his accomplices. After the inquest, Major Bludd eventually stopped working for Cobra altogether since the Commander knew he could no longer trust him. He contined his career as a mercenary, and was not seen by Cobra or G.I. Joe for years.

    After the apparent deaths of Destro and the Commander, Bludd was hired by Serpentor to pose as Destro in order to infiltrate his castle in Scotland and steal his copy of the plans to Cobra's Terror-Drome launch bases. The real Destro arrived home to discover the imposter, and with the Joes help, he overcame his castle's defenses and beat Bludd in a fistfight. It's not known what Destro decided to do with Major Bludd, but the mercenary returned to his career some time after his defeat in Scotland. He had no contact with Cobra for the next several years.

    Major Bludd resurfaced in the Eastern European country of Borovia amidst the chaos that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. Snake-Eyes had been sent into the nation to rescue George Strawhacker, a member of the state department who was being held in a Borovian gulag. General Thurston Crowther, head of the committee of generals known as the Jugglers, sent Snake-Eyes on that mission, but he also secretly hired Major Bludd to kill Snake-Eyes. Strawhacker had been leaking false information to the Soviets, and if he returned to the United States, the false information would have been suspect. At the same time, Snake-Eyes' rescue attempt was staged so it would appear someone had tried to rescue Strawhacker. As the he arrived in the midst of ritoing Borovians, Bludd assured Metz, the man who hoped to be leader of the new Borovia, that his mission was for the good of the people of his country. When Strawhacker was killed anyway, Bludd opted not to kill Snake-Eyes, since Strawhacker's death made it unnecessary. He then sold out Metz by telling the people his plans. Bludd's actions could be perceived as honorable, but Snake-Eyes was becoming a hero to the Borovians and if Bludd killed him, he probably wouldn't have made it out of the country alive.

    Years after the incident in Borovia, Cobra Commander called upon Bludd to work for Cobra, but Cobra forces in Europe fell to a unified attack by regular military forces soon afterward. In the wake of this conflict, most of Cobra's "high command" disappeared. Bludd himself was captured and thrown into prison at Fort Leavenworth for two years until he escaped during a prison riot he himself incited. G.I. Joe, meanwhile, was disbanded, as well. Back in business, Bludd continued his mercenary work over the next few years. In 2001, Bludd was working for the former KGB agent, Colonel Nikita. Duke, the former Joe now working for a secret government agency, tracked Bludd down on orders to arrest him for various crimes including the murder of General Flagg. After Bludd sold weapons to a group of men in Italy, Duke arrived to arrest him. After a long chase, Bludd escaped by diving into the water from a high cliff. Duke didn't expect anyone could survive the fall, but Bludd managed to. While searching the house the Major had rented while in Italy, Duke came upon a surprising message that Cobra Commander was arriving in America. The Commander had reemerged and called a meeting of his former lieutenants, including Major Bludd. Bludd was surprised when Destro forcibly took control of Cobra from the Commander, but as long as he was paid well, he was willing to fight on the side of Cobra, whoever was in charge. Eventually, "Destro" was revealed to actually be the arms dealer's son, Alexander, and his forces were eventually defeated by G.I. Joe. Bludd evaded capture like many other Cobra agents, but received a message to meet whom he thought was a potential client at a warehouse. Once there, he was surprised to find other Cobra agents, and learned that the Commander had summoned them, determined to force them to pay off their debt for betraying him and working for Destro (no matter who he had really been). Storm Shadow was used as a threat for them to stay with Cobra and never betray him again. He continued worked on many Cobra operations, including the recent invasion of Cobra Island, fighting the forces of a revived Serpentor alongside the G.I. Joe team.

    In the wake of the battle on Cobra Island, both Bludd and Scrap-Iron were captured by the Joes and held in Blackwater prison. They were both surprised when the mercenary Wraith, working for Destro, broke them out of Blackwater, escaping a team of Joes guarding the prison. Despite his past differences with Bludd, Destro made him part of his Iron Grendadier army. A short time later, Destro took control of Cobra and placed Mistress Armada and Major Bludd in command of a segment of Cobra's forces fighting in Europe. During a battle in Turkey with an anti-Cobra task force led by U.S. Army General Philip Rey, Bludd fought the General one-on-one until Rey cut off his hand. He and Armada were defeated but escaped, but Bludd has since vowed to get revenge against General Rey. A short time later, Cobra Commander, recently revealed to have escaped government incarceration, made his way to Cobra Island with troops loyal to him. He arrived and passed through the island's defenses with little difficulty, since Major Bludd, Tomax, Xamot and others had remained loyal to him even as they worked alongside Destro. The Commander took control of the weapon known as the Tempest, a device that could seed the clouds to make it rain. With Dr. Mindbender's help, it was used to make the flesh-eating Death Angel virus rain down upon a chosen area. The brutality of the device led even Major Bludd to have misgivings about its use. At the same time, the Joes and Cobra faced a new threat in the group called the Red Shadows, who had begun targeting and murdering agents of both groups. The Joes eventually defeated the schemes of Cobra and the Red Shadows, and Cobra was once again left in disarray.

    Major Bludd's whereabouts immediately following the fight against the Red Shadows was unknown to the Joes for some time. When the Joes were tracking down former Cobra agents to find out if they were responsible for a series of terrorist attacks, Storm Shadow found Major Bludd in Australia, in the midst of carrying out an assassination. During their brief fight Bludd mentioned that he had recently killed a member of G.I. Joe. He escaped before he revealed who he was talking about, but his admission concerned the Joes, since many members were currently on reserve status around the world. One missing Joe was Recondo, and his friend Sparks tried to find him at a Tucaro village in Sierra Gordo. The native Tucaros told Sparks that Recondo had been there when Major Bludd arrived in the village, and after a brutal fight, Bludd stabbed Recondo in the back and kicked him off a ledge into a waterfall below. Sparks reported his death to the Joes, but later received a message from Recondo that he had survived the fall, and asked he be officially listed as dead. Bludd presumably has no knowledge of his survival. Currently, Sebastian Bludd remains at large.

Artwork: G.I. JOE: Order of Battle trade paperback collection by Herb Trimpe; G.I. JOE #106 (cover) by Lee Weeks