Bud Flud, better known as the Liquidator, is a supervillain in Darkwing Duck. He was an anthropomorphic dog turned into a being made entirely of water, who has the ability to control and alter liquids.
Although a relatively popular villain, Liquidator only made major appearances in six episodes, with five of them alongside his fellow members of the Fearsome Five. In fact, his origin episode, and the only episode where he appears solo ("Dry Hard", the 23rd episode in production order) was aired after the character had already appeared as part of the Fearsome Five in the "Just Us Justice Ducks" 2-parter and "Life, the Negaverse and Everything". Similarly, his first appearance in the comics, "Liquid Diet" (published in the January 1992 issue of Disney Adventures), would mark his only solo appearance in that medium, as almost all of his subsequent comic book appearances again had him appearing alongside other villains.
Background[]
Bud Flud was a crooked businessman who owned the Sparkling Crystal Pure Flud Water, a bottled water company based in St. Canard. During a heatwave in St. Canard, Flud contaminated the water of competing drinks, leaving only his own brand (Sparkling Crystal Pure Flud Water) and Koo Koo Fizzy Water. He was assisted by two women early on, as well. He acquired his powers trying to poison his competitors’ supply of water in an effort to monopolize the market during the heat wave. When Flud was caught in the act by Darkwing Duck, he took a tumble into one of the tainted vats and seemed to melt away and die. The volatile chemicals Flud had used instead altered his molecular structure, transforming him into a being made entirely of living water. Now rather deranged, the Liquidator blamed Darkwing for throwing him into the vat. Since he could now control all liquids, he turned all the water in St. Canard into a rubbery substance, and now had an absolute stranglehold on the water business in the city. Darkwing was able to defeat the Liquidator by pouring powdered cement on him, restoring the city's water to normal.
After escaping (exactly how he did it is a mystery, but it is possible he escaped by making his water molecules move through the solidification materials downwards until he became a puddle under them and thus escaped), the Liquidator joined Negaduck's Fearsome Five, taking over St. Canard until they were defeated by the Justice Ducks. The Liquidator remained with that team thereafter in their various schemes.
The Liquidator is possibly based on the Marvel Comics character Hydro-Man, and his accident is reminiscent of the Joker's.
Because he was once a businessman, much of the Liquidator's dialogue was based on advertising slogans. It is believed that the Liquidator only had one episode on his own because the writers found his dialogue too hard to write.
Powers and abilities[]
After his mutation, Liquidator could manipulate and control water. He could even make it solid, heat it up and create watery beings from it. As a being of water himself, he can travel through water pipes, and become one with water itself. Even after being frozen, he was still able to move his body.
Trivia[]
- Of all the Fearsome Five members, Liquidator seems to be the most mentally stable. However, considering the characteristics of his teammates (a sadistic egomaniac, a dangerously irreverent toymaker, a cowardly plant/duck hybrid, and a super-charged delinquent who believes light bulbs are alive), that's not saying very much.
- A kinder, gentler version of the Liquidator was part of the Friendly Four in the Negaverse.
- In "Jail Bird," when Negaduck steals all of his powers, Liquidator kept his altered appearance, similarly to Bushroot. It is unknown why he didn't revert to his original form.
Gallery[]
External links[]
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