Vlad Plasmius

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Vladimir "Vlad" Masters (Vlad Plasmius)
Vlad Plasmius (Vlad Masters's alter ego)
Publisher Nickelodeon First appearance "Bitter Reunions" Created by Butch Hartman
Characteristics Alter ego Vlad Masters Species Human-Ghost Hybrid (Halfa) Team affiliations Himself, though he has enough influence to sway both ghosts and humans to serve him Notable aliases Vladdy, V-Man, Wisconsin Ghost, Cheesehead, One Seriously Crazed-Up Fruit Loop Abilities Has all the same powers as Danny (possibly excluding the Ghostly Wail and Cryokinesis) and more

Vladimir "Vlad" Masters (also known as Vlad Plasmius) is a fictional character, a supervillain from the television show Danny Phantom. He serves as the main antagonist for a majority of the series, mostly as an enemy to Danny (whom he refers to as "Daniel" or rarely, the more affectionate "little badger"--possible originated from his college football team which, indeed, was a badger).^[1][2] Vlad's primary goal is to kill Jack Fenton, for both the accident and for "stealing" Maddie, and win over Danny Phantom and mold him into his son and possible successor. He is also a devoted Packers fan, going as far as decorating the entrance hall of his castle in the Packers, having a football stadium outside his home, and trying to buy the team itself.^[3] He is voiced by Martin Mull. Vlad may take his name from Vlad III, the man that inspired Count Dracula. His ghost form resembles that of a Dracula-esque vampire, in both skin tone and costume, an idea that was almost ultitized during production before it was nixed, considering it too "occult". ^[4]

Contents 1 Appearances/History 1.1 Origin 1.2 Mysterious Occurrence 1.3 Arch Nemesis 1.4 Alternate Repentance 1.5 Desperation 1.6 Politics and New Grounds 1.7 Final Fall 2 Personality and Weakness 3 Relationships 3.1 Danny Phantom (Daniel Fenton) 3.2 Dani Phantom 3.3 Maddie Fenton 3.4 Jack Fenton 3.5 Valerie Gray 3.6 Skulker and Other Henchmen 3.7 Dark Danny 4 Powers 5 References

Appearances/History

Origin

His past life unknown; Vlad attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison alongside his best friend Jack Fenton and love interest Maddie. Vlad's friendship with Jack ended during an experiment with a portable ghost portal in the works when he was blasted in the face after Jack accidentally poured diet soda in the main engine, (an accident he was apparently too proud to admit that he was wrong), after which he was forced to stay in the hospital for years, ruining his social life after his face was covered in "ecto-acne." Having gained white hair and developed ghost-like powers.^[1][5] He spent the next 20 years honing and taking advantage of his newfound powers, eventually using it to become rich and famous, currently owning his own company, "VladCo" (which would buy out Axion Labs later on).^[6] having possessed wealthy tycoons and appearing in a variety of magazines (proclaimed "Man of the Year" in 1997, apparently overtook Microsoft, etc).^[7]

Mysterious Occurrence

Though his presence were felt as early as the first episode when he sent the Ectopusses to test Jack (and potentially Skulker as well), Vlad made his first appearance in "Bitter Reunions". There, he sent three ghost vultures to kill Jack Fenton, only to be thwarted by Danny upon first encounter after learning what they had planned to do. Despite their failure, he invites the Fentons to a college reunion at his mansion in Wisconsin. However, it was really just part of a plot to humiliate Jack and to get his wife Maddie, the woman of his dreams. Danny (as well as his sister Jazz) are dragged along where he immediately has decidedly mixed feelings about the well-off man. He later confronts the ghost named Vlad Plasmius when his ghost sense lets off that night, and although as much as Danny fought valiantly, he is easily outmatched by this ghost. After their fight (which leaves an unconscious Danny), Vlad discovers that Danny Phantom is Jack Fenton's son, but remained tight-lipped until the reunion. At the night of the reunion, Vlad casually asks Danny to go to the lab to get a present for Jack, but is deceived when Skulker captures him with the ghost-neutralizer. Vlad enters and reveals to Danny who he is, ultimately giving Danny the chance to join his side and help him further train and hone his powers--Danny declines, leaving Vlad to put the next phase of his plan into action. He possesses Jack, makes him cause chaos to the reunion to ruin his reputation, then captures Maddie Fenton. Danny (eventually freed by a friendly ghost) uses the Fenton RV to stop him. Danny ironically blackmails Vlad by threatening to expose the both of them to the Fentons unless they call a truce, one which Vlad agrees, though he vowed to return.^[1]

Arch Nemesis

Vlad appears shortly as secret provider for Valerie's infamous ghost hunting suit and weapons, much to her joy, unaware of his true intentions behind it.^[8] Vlad made a full return when he staged a plan that involved the inconspicuous "DALV" group ("Vlad" spelled backwards) inviting Maddie and Danny to a mother/son convention. Taking a reluctant Danny along as an attempt to bond with him, the two are both tricked into parachuting out of their plane, conveniently finding themselves at Vlad's Rocky Mountain retreat. There Vlad attempts to convince them both to stay with him by confessing his undying love for Maddie. When they refuse and storm off, Vlad attempts to chase them both back by means of his mutated ghost animals. While Maddie attempts to find a way out of the wilderness, Danny confronts Vlad, who shorts out his powers and leaves him at the mercy of his ghost animals. He is saved by his mother and with little choice, is forced to return to Vlad's to find a means to get out, using her charm to find a phone to call. Danny - left alone with Vlad - falsely declares him his "new dad" to let his guard down. Successfully tricking Vlad by setting back his clock (which shows how much time is left until Danny's powers return), he wraps the Specter Deflector around Vlad, which weakens him considerably for a fairer battle--Danny ultimately defeating Vlad by tricking the ghosts of animals that Vlad killed to rebel against him (as well as disabling his powers with the Plasmius Maximus).^[9] Vlad's next plan has him traveling into the Ghost Zone in search of the Skeleton Key, an item that enables him to open "any door, travel to any realm, and free any prisoner". When Behemoth (the guardian of the key) appears, Vlad shows considerable power and easily overpowers him, but this is only an initial success and Vlad is soon defeated as Behemoth whacks him out of the Ghost Zone and back into his manor without the key. Having accidentally blown up his castle mansion when he forgot to change the "Ecto-Filtrator" on his ghost portal, Vlad plans to steal the Fentons' ghost portal. Needing to distract Danny so he can have the time to dismantle it, he offers a million dollar bounty on the ghost boy to distract him. Ghost hunters from all over gather to capture him, which doesn't bother Danny due to their incompetence. However, when Danny spots the ghost vultures making off with Sam and Tucker, he races after him, only to be brutally beaten by Plasmius, who reveals his intention to humiliate Jack before leaving. Danny feels pity for his father and his ineptitude, so he allows himself to be caught to boost his terrible reputation. But when Jack leaves to claim his reward, the two are both captured by Vlad who then proceeds to steal their ghost portal. Working together, Jack and Danny escape their cage and head for the Portal, where Vlad brutually insults Jack. In a moment of rarity, Jack successfully uses the ghost gauntlets to beat Vlad and throws him into the Ghost Zone. A humiliated Vlad turns gleeful when he obtains the key.^[10] The skeleton key would be put to use when Vlad winds up releasing the ghost king Pariah Dark when he tries to steal the king's treasures: the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage. To combat the king, Vlad and Danny call a temporary truce and fight off Pariah's forces. Vlad ultimately saves the day by locking up Pariah Dark back into his sarcophagus prison just as an Ecto-Skeleton (The Fenton's latest invention) armed Danny passes out while fighting him. Taking advantage of the situation, Vlad steals the Ecto-Skeleton, and claims to Maddie and Jack that he rescued Danny to worm his way back into the former's good graces.^[2]

Alternate Repentance

In an alternate future, Danny, orphaned upon the death of his family and friends, moves in with Vlad, seeing as he was "the only person left on the planet who could possibly hope to understand his situation". He takes Danny in with open arms and honors his wishes when a desperate Danny begs Vlad to remove his ghost half from him. During the process, Danny's ghost form turns on Vlad, tears Vlad's ghost half away and merges himself with it. With evil having completely consumed him, Danny's ghost half then proceeds to kill his human half, destroy Vlad's mansion, and begin a 10-year long rampage of world destruction. When the present-day Danny, trapped in the future due to future-Danny fusing a Clockwork medallion within him, arrives in what's left of Vlad's mansion, he finds Vlad, now reduced to a miserable old hermit. The only advantage of this, he says, is that it's given him time to realize what a fool he's been. In a rare moment for both characters, Vlad shows repentance for his misdeeds while Danny, in a way, forgives him, "Maybe that's all anybody needs, a second chance". Vlad ultimately played a part in returning present-day Danny back to the past to correct his mistake by removing the time medallion.^[11]

Vlad's next big plan has him hiring Skulker to steal various materials to improve the stolen Ecto-Skeleton's power. When Danny's sister, Jazz, arrives with the intent to move in with him, Vlad wastes no time in convincing Jack and Maddie to let her stay. However, he doesn't realize that Jazz's true motive is to investigate him in secret (whom Jazz knows has a ghost form after hacking into Danny's secret files) and his possible connection to Skulker's thefts. Vlad starts getting suspicious when Jazz recognizes a captured Danny Phantom, and orders Jazz to prove her loyalty by putting on the ecto-skeleton and destroying her brother, lest she be destroyed herself. Danny and Jazz, however, get the last laugh by outsmarting Vlad's trap by means of a mock battle, escaping while he's in confusion, and setting the ecto-skeleton to self-destruct.^[12]

Desperation

Vlad receives another outbreak of lethal ecto-acne. Infecting Sam and Tucker with the same disease, he blackmails Danny into helping him. Taking a different route, Danny convinced Clockwork to send him to the past to save Vlad from getting hit by the porto-portal blast to ensure a future without Vlad Plasmius. However, this causes Jack to receive the ecto-acne and ultimately become Jack Plasmius. In this "alternate present", Vlad (ironically still possessing his white hair) is married to Maddie, has become the new Wisconsin Dairy King, and supposedly lives as a simple dairy farmer. However, he is still a very controlling individual, as he forbids his wife Maddie from continuing her ghost research (although she still continues it in secret) and further possess her in his grasp by lying that Jack blames her for the accident. When Vlad eventually discovers Maddie's lab, he's shocked to see Jack still alive and thoroughly in love with Maddie. He blasts him out of jealousy, apparently killing him, angering Maddie who quickly disposes him into the Ghost Zone. Danny returns to Clockwork's lair afterwards where he changes the past back to the way it originally was. Gaining knowledge of a cure, Vlad, Tucker, and Sam are cured afterwards, the former knocked into the air by Danny whilst still weakened from Ecto-Acne.^[5] Vlad eventually takes drastic and desperate measures when he tries to create the primary clone of Danny (getting various sources of Danny's ghost power through hidden cameras installed in Valerie's old ghost hunting suit). He managed to spawn a few imperfections (due to the lack of a mid-morph sample from Danny) copies, including Dani Phantom, a female version of Danny. He eventually uses her in helping capture Danny himself. However, Danielle betrays Vlad after seeing who her "father" truly was, one who didn't care at all for her as nothing but a tool. Siding with her "cousin" Danny, the two attack Vlad, causing him to collide with the perfect clone, destroying him. Gravely upset over the lost of his creation, Vlad nearly kills Danielle if not for Danny's ghostly wail, the Specter Speeder, and eventually Danielle herself. ^[13]

Politics and New Grounds

After a series of pranks between Vlad and Danny, the former runs for mayor of Amity Park, winning by overshadowing the voters into choosing. He then makes life miserable for Danny by cancelling technology, banning Danny Phantom, school uniforms, and tearing down Nasty Burger to make way for his teenage-banned hangout, McMasters. Danny eventually apologizes, but Vlad refuses, leading Danny to try and announce to the public that Masters and Plasmius are the same. This fails when a Plasmius clone appears in front of Danny, the public, and Vlad Masters. While the duplicate and Danny fight, Vlad, trying to make himself look good in public, attempts to kill his Plasmius clone until Danny overshadows it and flies him to Vlad's limo just as the mayor opens fire. Pulled from the wreckage is an injured Danny Fenton, for which the public blames Vlad for hurting an innocent child. As a result he goes into damage-control mode and turns everything back to normal; his battle with Danny far from over.^[14] Vlad later steals the famed Infi-Map that takes the user to any parts of the Ghost Zone from Danny and friends so as to find his destiny. Danny and friends get involved in a wild goose chase to bring the map back, which they eventually do when Vlad ends up landing in the Far Frozen, there frozen by Frostbite and his people. He also owns a cat fittingly named Maddie at that point, a suggestion Danny made in an earlier episode. The cat increasingly grows bigger and nastier over the course of the show.^[15] To further his appeal as mayor, Vlad disguises a barometer that controls the weather ghost Vortex as his "rain machine" to bring about rain upon Amity Park's recent drought. The plan later backfires when Vortex rebels and the barometer breaks, causing him to go on a rampage on Earth and accidentally give Danny his own set of weather powers caused by his emotions. Vlad tries to keep Danny calm and pleased at all times while Sam and Tucker scope Vortex out and bring him back to Amity Park, where he is defeated by Danny. He blames the whole mess on Danny Phantom in public.^[16] He made a cameo in both when the Fentons served as next door neighbors of Vlad when the family was briefly rich^[17] and as one of the ghostly villain Nocturne's sleeping victims.^[18]

Final Fall

Upon Danielle's return, Vlad hires Valerie to capture her for him. With her under his possession once again, he planned to dissolve her entire body to study her remains in order to create a better, more functional clone. Danny, managing to gain help from a hesitant Valerie, stopped him in time, sparing Dani's life and warning Vlad to leave her be.^[19] Planning to end Danny Phantom once and for all, Vlad hired a new team of Ghost Catchers--Vid, Thrash, and Download--also known as Masters' Blasters to replace and humiliate Danny causing the boy to regain his humanity through what he assumes to be for the good of everyone. When an asteroid was knocked towards Earth by Vlad's satellite (having exploded accidentally), he revealed his dual identity to the world and promised to stop the asteroid from destroying Earth by making it intangible in exchange for over $500 billion and complete control over the entire world. However, the asteroid was composed of an anti-Ghost substance called ectoranium, making it so he (and any other ghosts) couldn't touch it and therefore could not make it intangible. Unable to save the planet and return home (due to the angry Jack taking the ship and the fact that he would be forever hunted now that he had revealed his secret), he remained guilt-ridden and stranded in space. Although the same asteroid struck him by end, his final fate is unknown.^[20]

Personality and Weakness

Vlad's general outer appearance showcase him as a well to do man; rich, debonair, suave, clever, manipulative, intelligent, and mysterious. He plans out his well strategize ideas to get what he wants, when he wants it, showcasing patience as well as a slick side. He isn't above using others as his pawn in his well played game of chess to reach further into his goals, never giving up when he is down and going into another phase of his multi-plans. To compensate for his losses, Vlad savors the small personal victories (such as in "Bitter Reunions" where he lost the battle, but pointed out Danny's blackmailing before leaving). When under stress, he frequently shouts out snack names ("Oh, butter biscuits", "Oh, sugar cookies", etc). He usually works alone, but has required help from Skulker several times, as well as the vulture ghosts, ectopusses, and the failed clones. It is also probable that he struck a deal with the Fright Knight.^[21] He's a complicated soul however, often a double edged sword as he uses the wrong methods (killing, stealing, etc.) to gain the right, namely his painful loneliness and wanting acceptance of love which he frequently shares with Maddie and especially Danny or to try and gain the things he can't have (Maddie and Danny).^[22] Unfortunately this is also used to his disadvantage when his emotions were often used to trick him into losing a battle. However, the fact that he retains such emotions shows that he is not above redemption. Though he is powerful, (having more than 20 years of ghost experience as compared to Danny), Vlad is not invincible. Like other ghosts (and half ghosts), Vlad is vulnerable to the various (Fenton) ghost gadgets. Danny's Ghostly Wail (a sonic scream) and Ghostly Ice (Cryokinesis) are also clear advantages, seeing as these are powers that Vlad seems to lack, giving Danny a substantial edge, while Vlad's powers have remained consistent throughout the series. He (like all ghosts) is also powerless against the anti-ghost element Ectoranium, which ultimately leads to his downfall. Unlike Danny, Vlad seems to act a bit more 'serious' with his ghost powers--Season 1 Danny usually entered dramatic poses all the time before shooting ecto-blasts or punching/kicking while Vlad right out attacks his foes, Vlad doesn't ever make his transformations dramatic, minus two of his transformations in "Phantom Planet".

Relationships

Danny Phantom (Daniel Fenton)

Quite possibly the one whom he desires the most, Vlad's first meeting with Danny was nothing up until he discovered the boy was half ghost like him. With that knowledge, Vlad has since pursued after Danny, trying to convince him to be his son and successor, even going as desperate to create a clone Danny. Half the time he often uses Danny to get another phase of his plans moving and isn't above being manipulative towards him, yet the other half often shows off an antagonistic paternal bond towards him, giving him advices and gestures to indicate the two were a lot more alike then Danny cares to admit. By the time of "Eye for an Eye", Vlad now sees Danny as a full time rival rather than the son he yearns for out of frustration towards the boy.

Dani Phantom

Born as one of Vlad's many failed attempts to clone Danny, Dani was blessed with an actual mind and personality (as opposed to the other dim-minded clones, whose only coherent thoughts are to "obey father"). As a result, Vlad treated Danielle as if she were his actual daughter in order to keep her trust. In truth, Vlad intended to dispose of her once he had succeeded in perfecting his ultimate Danny clone. When Danielle found the truth about her "father", she turned on him and left. When she returned, he made Valerie fetch her in order for him to melt her so as to study her remains to see what was exactly needed for the perfect clone.

Maddie Fenton

The woman Vlad desires; he has repeatedly declared that he is in love with her and will do anything to get her, mostly killing Jack who serves as an obstacle. Obsessed with her (even to create a AI computerized program of her), his alternate self owned and controlled her like an object rather than love.^[5] Maddie is indifferent to Vlad due to his confession that he loved her and continues to harbor mixed feelings towards him even after he apparently rescued Danny in "Reign Storm". By the last episode, she considers him as deplorable when he reveals his true nature and blackmails the nations of the world.

Jack Fenton

Once the former best friend of Vlad, Jack's accidental mistake and marriage to Maddie has left a strain in his heart. While Jack is oblivious to Vlad's hatred, Vlad has taken it upon himself to try and humiliate and kill Jack when the opportunity rises. Eventually, Vlad reveals himself as a ghost to the entire city to save the earth from an approaching asteroid, and Jack is overwhelmed by shock. Despite his first wishes to hold a strong friendship again, Vlad denies his pleads, and coldly flies off. Unable to stop the Asteroid, Vlad begs Jack to let him board ship, to which he denies, their relationship tragically ended.^[23] After that Vlad showed remorse for what he has caused and apparently he realized he lost the one true friend he had.

Valerie Gray

She was given her ghost hunting gears by Vlad and has since used them to her fullest ability until "Flirting with Disaster" (in which the suit was destroyed). Unbeknownst to her, Valerie's suit served to spy on Danny and his ghosts powers which Vlad would then use to create the perfect clone. It seems Valerie is impressed and respectful towards Vlad, obviously not knowing of his true intentions. She eventually finds out he is half-ghost; angry by his deception she vows to hunt him down.^[19] He referred to Valerie's ghost hunter persona as a "Crack pot" on a news broadcast in the last episode, hinting that Valerie may have already made moves against him.

Skulker and Other Henchmen

One of the ghosts he primarily employs to do various odds and ends for him (stealing, kidnapping, etc.) is Skulker, which he does willingly in exchange for (presumably) money, or perhaps better equipment. The Vulture ghosts also frequent as Vlad's henchghosts, weak, but usually reliable. It may be possible that there are other ghosts that work for Vlad. Vlad has apparently hired the Fright Knight to serve him and at one point, obtained the services of a weather-controlling ghost named Vortex briefly.

Dark Danny

Vlad accidentally helped in the birth of Danny's alternate evil carnation, ultimately causing him to live as a reclused hermit, powerless when Dark Danny stripped it away from him. Dark Danny ultimately seeks Vlad's ghost portal in order to destroy it and presumably him as well.

Powers

Vlad has all the same powers that Danny has, but his powers are far more developed. He is able to perform techniques that Danny has yet to learn (like duplication, until the episode Torrent of Terror), and for all the feats that Danny can perform, Vlad can perform them better, possibly due to the 20 year experience in which he has had more time to develop new abilities, improve his existing ones, and patch up any weaknesses he might have, although it seems Danny is slowly catching up to him. Furthermore, it's been shown that Vlad lacks Danny's Ghostly Wail ability. He also doesn't seem to have a ghost sense, and, by extension, hasn't developed ice powers like Danny recently did. Vlad's powers eventually grew (creating more duplicates of himself, an Ecto-Tornado, etc.)^[14] It is possible Vlad increased in power a bit through the series is because he never really had to battle anybody until he became Danny's arch-nemesis. His powers include (but possibly not limited to) the following :

1. Transformation- Vlad's rings are black, as opposed to Danny's, which are white.
2. Vampiric Ghost Form- Vlad's ghost form is similar to a vampire, unlike Danny who just has a "negative image" of himself. The reason for this is that Vlad Dracula from Romania was thought to be a "vampire" for his blood lust, therefore, when they're names crossed the makers decided him to be a vampire.
3. Intangibility and Invisibility- Able to phase through solid objects and not be seen. He has used this often to steal money before the start of the series.
4. Flying, Floating, and Hovering- Able to fly, float, and hover, presumably with the same speed as Danny's.
5. Paranormal Speed, Strength, Agility, and Durability- Standard ghost powers.
6. Overshadowing/Possession- Able to overshadow and possess any human. He has used this ability to get rich tycoons to give their companies to him.
7. Ectoplasmic Energy Blast ("Ghost Ray")- His blast consists of pink ectoplasm. In "Maternal Instincts" he could fire two beams, one from each of his eyes (without transformation).In the same episode one blast was light blue.
8. Ectoplasmic Energy Shield ("Ghost Shield")- His shield consists of pink ectoplasm; it forms a wall and can form a Mirror Shield to attack as well.
9. Duplication- He can split into 4 duplicates. In Eye for an Eye Vlad Masters manages to create several shadows of himself that possessed many people to make them vote for him in the city mayor elections. Creating that many copies of himself seems to indicate that there might not be a limit to the number of duplicates that he or possibly Danny would be able to create.
10. Ectoplasmic Absorption & Redirection- Vlad can absorb attacks and use them as his own. Though it may be likely he was only blocking the attack and firing one of his own.
11. Ectoplasmic Energy Constructs - Vlad can shape ectoplasmic energy into solid objects; from shields to nooses, even a sword in Infinite Realms.
12. Teleportation- Vlad can disappear from one location and reappear elsewhere by wrapping his cape around him and vanishing in a cloud of mist.
13. Ghost Stinger- Vlad uses this electricity attack.
14. Ghost Twister- Vlad spins like a tornado, deflecting any ectoplasmic energy and causing huge wind gusts.

References

•  • e Danny Phantom
Main characters	Danny Fenton/Phantom • Tucker Foley • Sam Manson • Jazz Fenton • Jack and Maddie Fenton • Vlad Masters/Plasmius
Recurring humans	Mr. Lancer • Dash • Paulina • Valerie Gray • Dani Phantom • Guys in White • Freakshow
Recurring ghosts	Lunch Lady Ghost • Box Ghost • Skulker • Technus • Desiree • Walker • Spectra • Ember • Johnny 13 • Fright Knight • Wulf • Lydia • Youngblood • Pariah Dark • Dark Danny • Clockwork • The Observants • Prince Aragon • Frostbite • Vortex • Undergrowth • Nocturne
Video games	Ultimate Enemy • Urban Jungle • Nicktoons Unite! • Volcano Island • Freeze Frame Frenzy • Attack of the Toybots
Episodes • Characters • Villains and Ghosts • Amity Park • Ghost Zone