Bram Velsing (Earth-616)

Dreadknight
Name	Bram Velsing
Current Alias	Dreadknight
Affiliation and Relationships
Affiliation	Formerly Frightful Four
Marital Status	Single
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Male
Height	5′8″ (1.73 m)
Weight	160 lbs (72.57 kg)
Eyes	Eyeballs: Red (as Dreadknight) Irises: Blue No Visible (as Dreadknight)
Hair	Blond, No Hair At All (as Dreadknight)
Unusual Features	Dreadknight's mask is permanently fused to his face.
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Human
Living Status	Alive
Reality	Earth-616
Place of Birth	Schonstadt, Latveria
Personal Information
Identity	Secret
Citizenship	Latverian
Occupation	Criminal Formerly engineer, scientist
Education	Advanced degree in engineering
Base of Operations	Latveria
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Bill Mantlo, George Tuska
First	Iron Man #101 (May, 1977)
First	Iron Man #101 (May, 1977)

 You either serve me -- or die!! For none dares defy -- the Dreadknight! 

—Dreadknight

History

Early Life

Bram Velsing was a brilliant scientist in Latveria, who was not content to simply execute the technological schemes of his evil monarch, Doctor Doom. Learning of Velsing's rebellious ambitions, Doom had a mask permanently fused to Velsing's face so that, like Doom's, his features were hidden for all time. Anguished and humiliated, Velsing fled Latveria.

Frankenstein

Bram eventually fell under the care of the Children, the genetic creations of Dr. Victor Frankenstein, tended by Frankenstein's great-granddaughter, Victoria. While being nursed back to health at her castle, Velsing encountered the winged horse of the criminal Black Knight, which Victoria Frankenstein had tried to restore to normal, but had only succeeded in further mutating it.

Bram Velsing decided to use the horse, his scientific intellect, and terrifying visage to seek revenge against Doom, under a new identity, the Dreadknight. When Velsing sought to steal the secret notebooks of Victor Frankenstein, Victoria Frankenstein thwarted his plan with the aid of Frankenstein's Monster and the hero Iron Man, who had landed in Yugoslavia en route to America. Velsing was left in the care of the Children after his defeat.

Black Knight

Velsing remained at the castle for many long months, kept alive but unconscious by Frankenstein's creatures. He stayed in this condition until the sorceress Morgan Le Fey and her son Mordred revived him to fight the hero Black Knight for them. For this service Velsing was promised he would rule at their sides when they had conquered the world. In northern Ireland, Velsing fought the Black Knight, who at the time was possessed by the original Black Knight, Sir Percy of Scandia. Velsing's lance was shattered during the battle and he was defeated.

Back to Latveria

Velsing returned to Eastern Europe, biding his time for an opportunity to take over Latveria. When Doctor Doom had been apparently killed by absorbing the energies of the being known as Onslaught, Latveria was thrown into civil war. Velsing tried to assume power, but was defeated by Spider-Man, Silver Sable and her Wild Pack.

Quasimodo later researched the information about Dreadknight for Norman Osborn and considered him to be a poor pitiful creature.

Dreadknight later appeared fighting Iron Man, apparently still serving but resenting Doctor Doom. Iron Man defeated Dreadknight when his Hellhorse took off without him.

Attributes

Power Grid

Paraphernalia

Equipment

• Dreadknight Armor: Velsing wears a suit of full-body armor that provides him with considerable protection against most forms of harm.

Weapons

• Lance: He wields a specially designed lance that contains a number of offensive technological devices built into it, including a pair of twin force-blast pods, an electrical entanglement cable, two "penetro-shells" armor-piercing bullets. Velsing also carries a pistol which fires a blast of knockout gas.

Transportation

• Hellhorse: Velsing rides a mutated black stallion named Hellhorse, who possesses bat-like wings and claws.

Notes

• According to Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (Vol. 2) #4, Dreadknight was a member of the fourth Masters of Evil, but he never actually appeared with the team. He also was not listed in the Masters' own entry.

Trivia

• Dreadknight's civilian name is a double reference to the novel Dracula. His name comes from the novel's author, Bram Stoker, and his last name is a portmanteau of the surname of the novel's protagonist, Abraham Van Helsing.
• In order to approach the reformed super villain team of the Thunderbolts to offer them his mentorship while they were on the run, Hawkeye once impersonated Dreadknight so not to immediately raise suspicions if he appeared as a super hero.

See Also

• 9 appearance(s) of Bram Velsing (Earth-616)
• 10 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Bram Velsing (Earth-616)
• 1 mention(s) of Bram Velsing (Earth-616)
• 5 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Bram Velsing (Earth-616)
• 8 image(s) of Bram Velsing (Earth-616)
• 2 quotation(s) by or about Bram Velsing (Earth-616)

Links and References

• Bram Velsing on Marvel.com
• Bram Velsing on Wikipedia.org
• Unofficial Handbook of the Marvel Universe