| The Blue Morpho | |
|---|---|
| The Venture Bros. character | |
 The Blue Morpho saving the Original Team Venture | |
| First appearance |
"Dr. Quymn, Medicine Woman" (flashback cameo) |
| Last appearance |
"Arrears in Science" |
| Voiced by |
Paul F. Tompkins |
| Information | |
| Full name | Don Fitzcarraldo |
| Nickname(s) |
B.M. Morpho |
| Aliases |
The Blue Morpho See also: Vendata |
| Occupation |
Superhero Vigilante |
| Relatives |
Mrs. Fitzcarraldo (wife; deceased) The Monarch (son) Dr. Mrs. The Monarch (daughter-in-law) |
| Notable Characteristics |
Gas gun Tranquilizer dart gun Loose sense of ethics |
| Prior Alliances |
Kano (sidekick) See also: Vendata |
| Enemies |
L. Ron Killer Drone Scaramantula Jonas Venture, Sr. (ally/blackmailer) |
| Cause of Death |
Plane crash (original body; revived as Venturion) |
The Blue Morpho (real name: Don Fitzcarraldo) was a famous superhero that once saved the lives of the Original Team Venture, later becoming one of their most trusted allies. He was legally the Monarch's father, although his legitimate patronage was later called into question.
Following his apparent death in a plane crash he was resurrected as the cyborg Venturion, then rebuilt and reprogrammed as Vendata, ultimately becoming Councilman 1 on The Guild of Calamitous Intent's Council of 13.
History
The Blue Morpho first appeared briefly during a flashback sequence from Dr. Quymn, Medicine Woman, standing next to The Action Man. He is later seen with his wife and Dr. Jonas Venture Sr. in an old photo of the Monarch as a child playing with Rusty at the Venture Compound.
His first appearance as the Blue Morpho was in Faking Miracles. After the Monarch finds the Blue Morpho's lair under his family home, he is told by Henchman 21 that his father was a famous superhero. Henchman 21 tells the Monarch that his father had saved the lives of the original Team Venture from the villain Scaramantula, but was met with hostility from Jonas Venture Sr. At first, the Monarch does not believe nor accept that his father was ever a hero due to him being commonly perceived as a villain, but Henchman 21 makes him see that his father was a famous hero.
In Rapacity in Blue, The Monarch is shown a video clip on The Blue Morpho's computer by Henchman 21. In the video, the Blue Morpho and Jonas Venture Sr. are shown discussing the Blue Morpho's latest project, an early version of the videotape camera and player. Blue Morpho and Jonas then laugh about the general public's misconception of the Blue Morpho as a dangerous unhinged vigilante (even though he is actually an ally of the seemingly heroic Dr. Venture). The Blue Morpho jokingly declares himself as a bad guy, a revelation which surprises the Monarch. The video then shows Jonas and Blue Morpho preparing to engage in sexual activity with two young women (actresses Stella Stevens and Jill St. John), neither of whom were The Monarch's mother.
In A Party for Tarzan it is revealed that Venture Industries supplied Blue Morpho with some of his weapons, specifically his grappling gun. As a vigilante, The Blue Morpho never registered with the Guild of Calamitous Intent as a protagonist, which resulted in the guild placing a bounty on his head. The bounty was claimed in 1976 by an unknown person. It is also revealed that The Blue Morpho performed covert operations for Jonas Venture Sr., even going so far as to impersonate tennis great Billie Jean King and have sex with Dr. Z to secure a jade dragon.
During The Rorqual Affair, a person dressed up as him appears while driving the Morphomobile.
In Arrears in Science, it is revealed that he is not really dead but really the cyborg Vendata who regained his human memories from Brock's attack in Bot Seeks Bot. After regaining some of his memories and walks on foot all the way to his house, now inhabited by his son Malcom. While there he recalls more of his past memories, such as his identity as the Blue Morpho and changes into costume as well as taking the Morphomobile. He then goes to Venture home to confront Jonas Venture, to find him connected to the machine. It is there that he uses his own robotics to talk to him.
In their own minds, they reminisce and talk on how Jonas was stuck in the PROBLEM machine and how he was found by Jonas Venture Jr. But it is also during this time that it's revealed that Blue Morpho quickly regretted the orgy he participated in with Jonas in 1967. While Jonas only shrugged off his friend's feelings, Blue Morpho was guilt-stricken for cheating on his wife. During which its revealed they were having troubles conceiving a baby and he fretted that he was the problem.
Jonas, once again saw it more as an opportunity to exploit him. He promised his friend that "science" could help his wife with fertility treatments and that his science was "potent". This either hints that he artificially inseminated her, without telling he was using his own sperm or given Jonas' lack of loyalty, he seduced his wife into an affair to conceive a child. Though even then, Jonas never did let it go.
Jonas stated they had a child a year later, in 1968. According to the Blue Morpho, he took Kano as "payment" for his "services". He also held the "tape" over his friend's head to blackmail him to do his dirty work. And he often didn't care what it was, something that even as Vendata, he vaguely remembered.
Death and Resurrection
Blue Morpho rebuilt as Venturion.
The Blue Morpho, along with his wife Mrs. Fitzcarraldo, allegedly died in 1976 when his plane crashed in the New Jersey Pine Barrens a few minutes after departing from Newark Airport. Though apparently a villain collected the bounty for that crash, it has not been stated who took the bounty. Their son Malcom (later The Monarch) was supposedly the only survivor of the crash.
It is revealed in Arrears in Science that The Blue Morpho was rebuilt by Jonas Venture as the cyborg Venturion on September 30, 1976, an act that was met with disgust from the original Team Venture. It didn't take long for Jonas to lose interest in him, resulting in the man who had saved Venture's life on at least one occasion becoming little more than a nanny for Rusty. Eventually, the boy awoke a bit of Blue Morpho's memories locked within Venturion. Watching the boy made him remember his crying son and parts of the plane crash, causing him to lash out and attempt to strangle the child on June 23, 1977. This forced Kano to snap Venturion's head off. This event traumatized Rusty and resulted in Kano taking a vow of silence.
Dr. Z reprograms Venturion, creating Vendata.
Venturion was trashed and thrown in a dumpster outside the Venture compound. In the summer of 1977, Dr. Z, and two other villains called Shrill Spector and Scary Nilsson, were partying and decided to go out looking for kicks. He suggested they go arch Dr Venture, but found him to not be home at the time. The group decided to throw garbage on his lawn and call it an "arch". Dr. Z then found the broken cyborg inside a dumpster just outside the Venture compound. While rebuilding him, Dr. Z discovered he had a preserved human brain inside his head. He considered putting him out of his misery but later admitted to enjoying using Venture's inventions against him and couldn't resist reprogramming Venturion. He seemingly erased all traces of his old life as a human, however, soon after his reprogramming was complete, Dr. Z was taken in police custody for drug possession. By the time he escaped prison, Vendata was already gone, but after his reprogram he went out on his own as the newly dubbed Vendata.
On his own, he became associated with other members of the Guild such as Red Death, Stab Girl, Laugh Riot, Mr. Fahrenheit the Supersonic man, and Hate-Bit. One night, Laugh Riot, at first jokingly, suggested they all arch Dr. Venture on Gargantua 1. Red Death reminded him that The Sovereign basically said no. Red Death revealed that Vendata was the "tactical genius" who planned for them to sneak onto Gargantua 1. The plan was for the group of villains to hijack the crew during "Movie Night" on April 9, 1987.
Only Vendata, Red Death, and Hate-Bit would survive the incident. During the hijacking, the pod bay doors were opened, though the identity of the one responsible remained a mystery. Jonas, Gargantua's crew and most of the hijackers were pulled into space and suffocated, thus earning the attack the name "Movie Night massacre." Despite the insubordination, the Sovereign didn't punish the survivors, but instead used the calamity to strengthen the Guild's position. Masquerading as S.P.H.I.N.X. Commander, he contacted OSI to claim responsibility for the attack. OSI quickly and mistakenly retaliated upon S.P.H.I.N.X., triggering The Pyramid Wars of 1987 which ultimately wiped out the Guild's main rival. Over time, Vendata rose up the ranks to become Councilman 1.
Though no one knows who opened the doors, Red Death admitted he had his theories, hinting that he believed it was Vendata. Blue Morpho claimed to not remember or believe he would do it, only recalling that while his friends were planning their hijack, Vendata separated from the group to confront Jonas. He attempted to blackmail Jonas with the same tape with Jill St. John and Stella Stevens, the same way Jonas used to blackmail him.
Unfortunately, Jonas didn't take the threat seriously and even laughed it off, believing he had control of the whole situation. When he attempted to reprogram Vendata, Vendata threatened to open the doors. Jonas once more failed to take the threat seriously, merely giving a small speech about believing that Vendata was the Blue Morpho, and still had his memories, and would therefore do the right thing. He then put in the movie tape for Sharky's Machine and, right before exiting, told Vendata that if he chose not to come to movie night, "he knew the way out". Wether or not Vendata did open the doors was never revealed.
Personality
The Blue Morpho's true face.
The Blue Morpho was apparently self-centered, egotistical and vainglorious, much in the same way that Jonas Venture Sr. was. Unlike Jonas, Blue Morpho did not want to be perceived as a hero, preferring to cultivate a public persona as an unpredictable vigilante, though it is hinted his friendship with Jonas may have been a bad influence on him, as he engaged in extra-marital trysts with seemingly no remorse. However, this was far from true as he felt guilty about the act and stated his love for his wife. He was also angry at Jonas deceiving him to most likely to sleep with his wife, which led to the birth of his son Malcom (later The Monarch). However questionable the parentage, Morpho still loved the child as his own son, which was made clear when he--as Venturion--strangled a young Rusty, either mistaking him for Malcom or remembering how Rusty made Malcom cry by taking his toy truck. When confronted by The Monarch, Morpho recognized his now adult son and called out to him. He also smiled at the latter before being shutdown. He was described by Dr. Z as a fast and loyal friend of Doctor Venture who was willing to do anything Jonas asked of him, no matter how dirty or underhanded. However, this was due to Jonas blackmailing him into taking care of matters no matter how sordid or obscene.
After regaining his memories as Blue Morpho/Vendata, he sought out Jonas (in the PROBLEM machine) to help with his memory fragmentation issues. When he saw memories of Jonas blackmailing him, he let out his resentment to Jonas while realizing he was himself again. Morpho was livid at having to be a lackey but still possessed a degree of care for Jonas since the latter did try to resurrect him, but again given how Jonas did use people, he quickly discared him when he grew bored with him. Whether he was guilty of killing Jonas isn't entirely stated, only hinted since even Vendata/Morpho can't remember. All that is remembered is that he loved his son and his need to protect him was still evident.
The New Blue Morpho
The moniker of the Blue Morpho was later adopted by his son, The Monarch, after discovering the Morpho Cave under his childhood home. Unlike his father, however, the Monarch merely used this new identity to get rid of all the villains in line to arch Dr. Rusty Venture so he again can become his official arch-nemesis. Following the death of his competition, The Monarch abandoned the Blue Morpho identity.
Paraphernalia
The Blue Morpho's headquarters was the Morpho Cave, which is located in a cavern beneath his home in New Jersey. Though originally equipped with start of the art computers and equipment, these have long since become obsolete by the time The Monarch discovered the Cave.
The Blue Morpho used several vehicles, including the Morphomobile and the aquatic Morpho Scooters.
The Blue Morpho and Kano had guns that could fire grappling hooks and tranquilizer darts. However, they were not averse to using deadly force, such as machine guns (hidden behind the Morphomobile's headlamps) and explosives.
Episode Appearances
Season 3
- Dr. Quymn, Medicine Woman (flashback cameo)
Season 5
- SPHINX Rising (photo)
- Spanakopita! (flashback cameo)
- The Devil's Grip (photo)
Season 6
- Faking Miracles (flashback)
- Rapacity in Blue (flashback)
- A Party For Tarzan (flashback)
Season 7
Trivia
- In his original life, The Blue Morpho was voiced by Paul F. Tompkins. In all of his appearances as a cyborg, however, he is voiced by Doc Hammer, as Hammer had been voicing Vendata long before he became a more prominent character within the show.
- The Blue Morpho and Kano are based on The Green Hornet and Kato, two of the oldest comic book heroes in radio and publication.
- It is shown that Kano served as his partner, meaning Kano worked for him before joining Team Venture.
- According to Henchman 21, The Blue Morpho first appeared in a November 1963 Doctor Venture comic book rescuing original Team Venture from Scaramantula on Spider-Skull Island.[1]
- The Blue Morpho returned in issue 36 of the comic when Team Venture fought L. Ron. These events are partially chronicled in the 1968 flashback sequence in the Spanakopita! episode.[1][2]
- According to Henchman 21, The Blue Morpho had his own comic book that was canceled after six issues and was implied to have been written and illustrated by legendary comic-artist Jack Kirby.[1]
- The Green Hornet's original comic book run (Green Hornet Comics, published by Helnit/Holyoke) started in December 1940 and similarly lasted only six issues.
- As Venturion/Vendata, the only parts of Fitzcarraldo's original body left were his brain, face and neck, similar to Robocop, whose face and brain were the only organic parts of his original body remaining.
- The Fitzcarraldo home is based on a real mansion in Newark, New Jersey, the Krueger-Scott Mansion.
- The surname "Fitzcarraldo" is a reference to the 1982 Werner Herzog film Fitzcarraldo. It portrays would-be rubber baron Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, an Irishman known in Peru as Fitzcarraldo, who is determined to transport a steamship over a steep hill in order to access a rich rubber territory in the Amazon Basin. The film is derived from the historic events of Peruvian rubber baron Carlos Fitzcarrald.
Gallery
