Count Bleck

"Count Bleck does not care about any world! They are all meaningless. Better that I destroy them! Better yet, I shall make it as if they never existed at all!"

- Count Bleck

Count Bleck (in Japanese: ノワール伯爵, Nowāru Hakushaku, translated as Count Noir), true name Lord Blumiere, is the central antagonist of the 2007 Nintendo Wii video game Super Paper Mario. He is a mysterious figure who wanted to end all worlds with the power of the Chaos Heart by summoning the Void supposedly so he can create new worlds in their place, when in fact he intends to keep them in ruin. He leads a group of evil-doers that includes Nastasia, Mimi, O'Chunks, and Dimentio, the latter of whom would later betray him and take the Chaos Heart for himself.

He appears in the post-Chapter flashbacks, which reveals how he, once a kind man, turned into the nihilistic villain due to the tragic loss of his fiancée. He is one of the few (if not the only) villains in Super Mario Bros. history that is not driven by greed or jealousy, but rather, love and emotional struggles, making him one of the most tragic villains in the Mario franchise.

Prologue
"I do not care, Father! A world without her is empty. A LIFE without her is empty. Speak, Dark Prognosticus! Teach your dark history! I await your command! BLEH HEH HEH! BLECK! [...] Silence! The first prophecy beckons. I will erase every inch...of this blasted world! [...] Blumiere is no more! I am Count Bleck! And no one shall stand in my way!"

- Lord Blumiere opening the Dark Prognosticus, transforming into Count Bleck in the process.

It is slowly revealed in vague flashbacks that Count Bleck (when he was only known as Blumiere) was originally a member of the Tribe of Darkness, a group that broke from the Tribe of Ancients after stealing the Dark Prognosticus to keep its powers from being abused. One day, Blumiere was found injured at the base of a cliff by a human girl named Timpani and nursed back to health. Blumiere ignored his father's warnings of humanity and continued to visit Timpani; eventually, the pair fell in love, breaking his tribe's taboo against marriage outside of them (which was made to keep their magical powers from weakening) in the process. Before the plans for marriage were able to work, Timpani vanished, leaving Blumiere gravely heartbroken. Soon afterward, his father revealed that he had teleported Timpani out of their dimension, explaining that their kind could never mix with humans. During the search for his lost love, Blumiere saved a bat that would be Nastasia from a trap, as revealed by Carson in Flopside. However, his efforts to find Timpani was in vain. Inconsolable, Blumiere turned to the pages of the Dark Prognosticus. He sought to destroy everything that took Timpani away from him and follow her to the grave. Renaming himself Count Bleck, he gathered a troop to help to put his plans into motion after destroying his home dimension.

Revelation
When Count Bleck learned about Tippi and her similar descriptions to Lady Timpani, he suddenly felt regretful for opening the Void, for he realized that he had found her. But still, Count Bleck could not close the Void for he was still in control of the Chaos Heart, which he believed would be destroyed only if its owner perished.

Fight
When Mario and Tippi confronted Count Bleck at his namesake Castle, the count attempted to destroy them using his magic. However, the power of the Chaos Heart was negated using the power of the Pure Hearts, allowing him to be defeated and left weak, frail, and hopeless. Wanting to die because of his evil deeds for opening the Void and putting his love in serious danger, he asked Mario and Tippi to kill him. But Tippi forgave him for she still loved him, and could not do it.

The End
It was here that Dimentio tried to shoot Count Bleck, but Nastasia sacrificed herself to save Count Bleck. Then, Dimentio mocked of Nastasia's sacrifice, took control of the Chaos Heart, brainwashed Luigi, imprisoned Tippi, Count Bleck, and Nastasia in Dimension D and tried to destroy the universe himself. Tippi and Count Bleck re-established their love, and with the help of O'Chunks and Mimi, the Pure Hearts were restored, and Dimentio, who mixed himself with Luigi and the Chaos Heart to create Super Dimentio, was defeated. In order to banish the Chaos Heart and close the Void, Count Bleck and Tippi demonstrated the true love they possessed and married.

The process caused the Chaos Heart, the Pure Hearts, Count Bleck, and Timpani to vanish, never to be seen again. Some have speculated that they are dead, but Nastasia and Merlon are both convinced that they are alive and living together in happiness. After the credits the silhouettes of Blumiere and Timpani in their original forms are seen in a paradise dimension, looking up at a sunny sky from a hill. It is unknown whether this is The Overthere or not.‎

Quotes
"Bleh heh heh heh! BLECK!"

- Count Bleck

"By me... Count Bleck! The chosen executor of the Dark Prognosticus... is Count Bleck! The fine fellow prophesied to come to this dimension... is also Count Bleck!"

- Count Bleck

"Open your mouth, darkness! Consume everything and destroy all worlds as told in the prophecy!"

- Count Bleck

"It's strange... Nobody ever, um, cherished the universe the way you once did... And yet, you've been made to destroy it..."

- Nastasia about how Blumiere became his own antithesis.

"She cannot be replaced. You could never hope to do so, Nastasia. To be sure... She is gone... Gone from all worlds, never to return..."

- Count Bleck to Nastasia when the latter says she wishes she could replace Timpani.

"Count Bleck: BLEH HEH HEH HEH! BLECK! The prophecy unfolds smoothly, thanks to the Chaos Heart. The light of each world will be snuffed out one by one... Tippi: Why would you want to do something so...unspeakable? Count Bleck: You QUESTION Count Bleck?! This worthless world's destruction matters not! Far better for Count Bleck to wipe it out of existence than let it remain! Tippi: How can you say that? That's...horrible! Count Bleck: Count Bleck scoffs at you! An insignificant Pixl lectures Count Bleck on what is right and wrong? Tippi: This is not up for discussion! You're wrong...and sick! All living things have a heart. They're all priceless. You can't just...erase them! Count Bleck: Of all things, you defend the heart? Nothing could be more worthless..."

- Count Bleck and Tippi.

"All things...are meaningless... Aside from Timpani, no treasure mattered in the least to me..."

- Count Bleck

"Bleh heh heh heh heh... The man known as Blumiere died a long time ago. Now there is only Bleck! The Dark Prognosticus's choice to fulfill the prophecy! Nothing more!"

- Count Bleck declaring his true self dead.

"I do not care, Father! A world without her is empty. A LIFE without her is empty. Speak, Dark Prognosticus! Teach your dark history! I await your command! BLEH HEH HEH! BLECK! [...] Silence! The first prophecy beckons. I will erase every inch...of this blasted world! [...] Blumiere is no more! I am Count Bleck! And no one shall stand in my way!"

- Lord Blumiere opening the Dark Prognosticus, transforming into Count Bleck in the process.

"But you are far too late to stop the Dark Prognosticus, and me... Count Bleck! All worlds will soon end. Come into grips for that now, for you cannot stop it. I suggest you make yourselves comfortable and enjoy this one, final spectacle!"

- Count Bleck

"Count Bleck does not care about any world! They are all meaningless."

- Count Bleck

"You know the answer, dear Timpani. Count Bleck does not have to tell you. The hour has grown too late... You should know that by now."

- Count Bleck to Tippi.

"Count Bleck is the deleter of worlds! My fate is written in the Dark Prognosticus! ALL NOW ENDS!"

- Count Bleck

"Are you prepared, hero? Our duel will be worthy of the last clash this world will ever see!"

- Count Bleck

"Bleck! I expected more potency from the Hero of Prophecy! And now, I will watch your game end, and then your precious worlds will end soon after!"

- Count Bleck

"Timpani... After you vanished, I searched long for you. I never stopped looking. I searched and searched, but I never found you. Without you, the world held no meaning or joy. So I used the forbidden prophecy of the Tribe of Ancients to end all worlds. I wanted to destroy everything that had taken you away from me..."

- Count Bleck explaining his motives to Tippi.

"So be it... says Count Bleck! But your precious worlds aren't safe until my last breath. Let us finally end this! Now, the TRUE battle begins... with Count Bleck!"

- Count Bleck

"Ex...Excellent... You have won... Now finish Count Bleck. The Chaos Heart will disappear, and the prophecy will be undone..."

- Count Bleck

"It's too late. Count Bleck has done so much evil... it must end. Just knowing that you are alive, and the world you live in will continue... it gives me peace. I do not have long to live... you must end my game before The Void destroys all..."

- Count Bleck

"It was no lie. But without the power of the Pure Hearts, there is no way to counter the Chaos Heart. What can we do?"

- Count Bleck to Tippi.

"So, it seems the end of all worlds is really upon us..."

- Count Bleck

"I thought the Chaos Heart would disappear if the person controlling it fell. Dimentio... must have left behind a shadow of his power to continue controlling it. It won't last long, but it'll be enough to ensure the end of every world."

- Count Bleck

"We will use the Pure Hearts again this time, to banish the Chaos Heart. All we need is true love, and that's something I am lucky enough to possess."

- Count Bleck

"But you, Timpani... It pains me to know that this may cut your game short, as well. Still... there is no other way to stop this."

- Count Bleck

"Blumiere: There were so many things I wanted to say to you, but I could not find the words. Tippi: Oh, Blumiere... Only one thing matters to me now. I never had the chance to return your question... Blumiere... Do you still love me, as well? Blumiere: Of course. I thought about you every moment since you disappeared. But I have caused you so much suffering... Tippi: Perhaps...my life would have been more carefree without you, that is true. Blumiere: But I had to be with you, Timpani. I will never apologize for that. Tippi: I know, Blumiere. And I love you... Blumiere: And I love you, Timpani. Hundreds of thousands of years from now, that fact will not have changed."

- Blumiere and Tippi.

"Blumiere: Timpani...do you remember the promise we made to each other that day? Timpani: Yes, I remember... If there was a place where we could be happy together, we would find it. Blumiere: Will you come with me to that place now? Timpani: Blumiere... Of course... I will always be with you..."

- Blumiere and Timpani.

Trivia

 * Count Bleck had a tendency to speak in third-person, sometimes as though he is reading what he's saying in a book. For instance: "WHAT?! ... Spat Count Bleck in utter disbelief." This happened directly after reading from the Dark Prognosticus. However, after reconciling with Tippi, he speaks in a normal first-person, implying that he was released from the insanity caused by reading the Dark Prognosticus.
 * It is heavily implied that the people of Flopside are the descendants of the Tribe of Darkness that Bleck was from.