Bluebeard (Fables)

Your constant "or elses" have grown tedious. Hasn't anyone told you that threats lose their impact when so often repeated, without ever actually acting on one of them?

— Bluebeard ^src

Bluebeard is an unscrupulous businessman in Fabletown, making him unpopular with upstanding Fables, particularly Bigby and Snow White.

History

Because he was the primary source of Fabletown's government funding, which relied mainly on donations from citizens since there was no way to levy taxes, many of his shadier activities were overlooked if not outright ignored.

Bluebeard was also one of the few Fables who managed to escape the Homelands with his entire fortune intact, including his castle, which rested inside an apartment that's magically bigger on the inside.

The Homelands

In his past, Bluebeard was a nobleman who often courted women who were less fortunate. Once married, he would give them a life of riches and comfort in his castle, though it was always short-lived as he'd kill them for even the smallest violation of the rules he set down.

When the Adversary started siezing territory, Bluebeard was one of the few remaining refugees that defended the final portal to the Mundane World. It was his ship that would deliver the evacuees to their new life in Fabletown.

Fabletown

Bluebeard became a victim of a scheme cooked up by Jack and Rose Red. In order to score some cash to fund his dot-com scam, Jack had Rose, who he was dating at the time, fake an engagement to Bluebeard on the condition that he pay her a considerable dowry. Bluebeard had his eyes on Rose for some time, so he was happy to oblige as long as she'd sign a contract to repay him once they are married. Per her request, he promised to keep their engagement secret for one year, which was exactly how long Jack would need to make his fortune. However, as is often the case, Jack's scheme fell apart and Rose found herself with no way to repay Bluebeard. Bigby soon paid a visit to Bluebeard, surprising him with the news that Rose had been murdered. Upon hearing that Jack was the prime suspect, Bluebeard attacked him in his cell with a knife, but was stopped short of killing him by Bigby and Snow White.

Later, at the Remembrance Day gala, Bluebeard was one of the Fables in attendance as Bigby revealed the ruse as well as Rose's faking her own death to escape him. Due to some crafty bureacratic maneuvering by Snow White, Bluebeard was given back his money on the promise that he wouldn't seek retribution for the double-cross. He reluctantly complied.

The Farm Revolt

Bluebeard was part of the posse Bigby sent to rescue Snow White and quell the creatures who were part of the Farm revolt, but Snow already had everything back under control by the time they arrived. He spent the rest of his time there assisting in the trial process for each animal, reading off their names while Prince Charming doled out the punishment, from imprisonment to beheading.

The Reporter

A Mundy reporter, Thomas Sharp, had been investigating the Fables and their community for some time, noting their seeming immortality, and finally confronted Bigby with his belief that that they all are, in fact, vampires. Though his deduction was flawed, when Bluebeard heard it from Bigby, he was convinced that the best way to continue to live in secret was to kill Sharp and make it look like a suicide. Bigby immediatly rebuked the idea, they were living in the information age, and their were better ways to deal with some nosy reporter.

A plan was formed to bring Briar Rose, the sleeping beauty, into Sharp's apartment complex and having her prick her finger, putting herself and everyone inside into a deep sleep, allowing Bigby, Jack, and Boy Blue to rumage through his files and desroy them. But once in the apartment, Bluebeard disobeyed orders and pulled a gun on the sleeping figure of Sharp. As usual, he was talked down by Bigby, who called him a coward that "could kill new brides without a thought but couldn't stand up to people like him." As a result, Bluebeard would always end up backing down.

Bigby's taunt would eventually put him in Bluebeard's crosshairs.

Though he put on the facade of going along with Bigby's plan, one night later he called Sharp to a meeting in Central Park. When Sharp showed up, Bluebeard shot him dead.

Death

The entire Fable community was still on high alert for the capture of Goldilocks when the lilliputian mounted police, Sergeant Wilfred and Corporal Rex discovered her hiding out in Bluebeard's estate. He was helping her to get out of the state in exchange for a large cash payment (and a few sexual favors on his request). Sergeant Wilfred escaped the castle with the information and his life, but his mount and partner Corporal Rex, wasn't so lucky. This was the excuse Bluebeard had been waiting for to get his revenge on Bigby. An hour later, he called Snow White and Bigby up to the business office, where he tricked them with a flask of trance powder. He ordered the two of them to take a trip far out to the Cascade Mountains for a few days. Then, back at his castle, Bluebeard arranged for Goldilocks, who had a personal vendetta against Snow, to hunt and kill them both.

It was Prince Charming that paid Bluebeard a late-night visit. He challenged Bluebeard to a duel to the death, offering the Bigby murder plot as a reason. After a few moment of swordplay, with Bluebeard begging for his life, Charming ended it with one swift thrust through his chest.

To ensure he didn't come back to hassle anyone ever again, Charming threw Bluebeards body down the Witching Well.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Immortality: As a fable, Bluebeard is effectively immortal with a lifespan going back several hundred years.

Abilities

Fencing: Bluebeard is a master of swordsmanship in addition to his proficiency in a variety of other weaponry. He was a Fabletown fencing instructor of some merit, teaching notable fables such as Cinderella.

Notes

This character or object is an adaptation of Bluebeard, a character or object in traditional stories. These include, but may not be limited to religious texts, myth, and/or folk lore. More information on the original can be found at Wikipedia.org.

Appearances in Other Media

Bluebeard appeared in the licensed video game The Wolf Among Us, voiced by Dave Fennoy.