Pure Evil Wiki

Disclaimer: Ban of all proposals on fanon characters from this point forward.

To vote for the Pure Evil Proposals of the day, see:

None at the moment.

To vote for the Pure Evil Removals of the day, see:

None at the moment.

READ MORE

Pure Evil Wiki
Advertisement

I'm Count Vertigo and I approve this high!
~ Count Vertigo.

Cecil Adams, also known as Count Vertigo and formerly as the Count, is a supporting antagonist in the TV series Arrow, serving as a major antagonist in Season 1, a minor antagonist in Season 2 and a posthumous antagonist in Season 3.

He is a notorious drug lord who earned his nicknamed after leaving a mark on his victims' necks with his double-syringe injection needle. Count Vertigo is also known for developing his drug Vertigo. Its effects left users in disorientation and affects their thalamus, the part of the brain where all information from the pain receptors are collected. It makes the users think they are in excruciating pain which lasts for days until the heart stops beating, killing them.

He was portrayed by Seth Gabel.

What Makes Him Pure Evil?[]

  • Kidnapped over 56 prostitutes and vagrants, using them as guinea pigs to develop Vertigo before leaving their bodies on street with vampiric puncture marks in their necks. The Count viewed this as a measure of its value, showing no remorse for their deaths.
  • Distributed Vertigo to people in Starling City, which killed countless users, making him responsible for Thea Queen nearly getting imprisoned for driving under the drug’s influence. This also gives him personal villainy to Oliver.
  • He injected pure Vertigo into a dealer for telling the Hood about his name, subjecting him to extremely high levels of pain, then giving him the choice of either killing himself to end his misery or kill him out of revenge. The dealer ultimately is unable to bear the pain and commits suicide. He does this to other criminals to use them as examples in displaying fear.
  • After a deal with Oliver Queen goes South, he injects Oliver with pure Vertigo in the hopes that he would die of an overdose, just because Oliver was a witness to his crimes.
  • While him getting injected with Vertigo by Queen was horrible, it was richly deserved as he was subjected to the same torture he inflicted on his victims.
  • He showed no remorse when Oliver Queen informed him that a woman died from Vertigo, saying people die for “lots of reasons”.
  • He’s indirectly responsible for Dr. Webb using the Vertigo in his kidneys to create his own version and sell it out on the streets, which wouldn’t have been possible if it Weren’t for Count Vertigo.
  • As he escaped from Iron Heights during the Undertaking, he released a serial killer known as the Dollmaker, a fellow Pure Evil villain, while leaving all the other inmates to die, just because he was a "fan" of the Dollmaker's work.
    • Because of this act, the Dollmaker began killing two more women and attempted to kill Laurel Lance, which led to her PTSD and being addicted to alcoholism and drugs.
  • Used flu vaccination vans to poison the entire city with a newly modified Vertigo that would cause the victims to suffer from withdrawals months later. He would go on to use this plot in blackmailing the city to take Vertigo and "end the pain", all the while profiting from it. He used ADA Adam Donner, who was poisoned, as an example to the city. He even killed one of his associates after he requested extra money to keep quiet, though The Count likely would’ve killed him anyway.
  • He tries to goad the Arrow into killing him to get him to break his code, since killing is “one of life’s greatest pleasures”, at least, according to him.
  • Kidnapping Felicity Smoak after catching her finding Vertigo in one of the vans, using her to lure Oliver Queen so he could kill him.
  • After being backed into a corner by Oliver Queen, He threatened to inject Felicity with vertigo to coerce Oliver into dropping his bow. Even after Oliver complied with his demand, The Count still tried to inject her regardless just to spite him, forcing Oliver to kill him to save her.
  • Despite his death, his drug would go on to continue causing pain and death through various other dealers, including his successor Werner Zytle, Derek Sampson (who used it to manufacture "Stardust") and Ricardo Diaz.
  • Though he claims he provides Vertigo as a service to everyone in Starling City, this is merely an excuse for him to make money through terror. He showed no remorse for the many people his drug has killed and hesitate to torture anyone to use them as examples.
  • Though he is clearly deranged, Count Vertigo clearly has moral agency over his actions due to being intelligent enough to figure out Oliver’s dual identity and the massive amount of sadism he takes in killing and torturing people. He even admits that “killing is one of life’s greatest pleasures”, showing he knows his actions are wrong, but simply doesn’t care.
  • Despite the high heinous standards of the Arrowverse, Count Vertigo stands out for his cruelty and being the first villain in the series to pass the standards. His actions have continued to have a lasting effect on innocent people even after his death. He also has way less resources than more heinous villains such as Zoom or Diaz.

Trivia[]

  • He is first Pure Evil villain in the TV series and in fact the entire Arrowverse.
  • He is the only version of Count Veritgo to be Pure evil.

External links[]

Navigation[]

           Arrowverse Pure Evils

Arrow
Count Vertigo | The Dollmaker | Werner Zytle | Matthew Shrieve | Lonnie Machin

The Flash
CBS
Nicholas Pike | Dr. Carl Tanner | Beaugarde Lesko | The Trickster

The CW
Eobard Thawne | The Trickster | Zoom | Negative Speed Force

Vixen
Benatu Eshu

Supergirl
Indigo | Roulette | Queen Rhea | Morgan Edge

DC's Legends of Tomorrow
Valentina Vostok | Quentin Turnbull | Atropos

Lucifer
Michael | The Sinnerman | Julian McCaffrey | Dromos | Pete Daily

Black Lightning
Martin Proctor

Stargirl
Dragon King

Superman & Lois
Zeta-Rho

Crossovers
Eobard Thawne | Anti-Monitor

           WBLogo Pure Evils

Animated Features
Saruman | Jenner | Ommadon | Bryagh | Joker (Mask of the Phantasm and Return of the Joker | The Batman vs. Dracula | Under the Red Hood | The Dark Knight Returns | Assault on Arkham) | Jacques | Thrax | Brainiac | General Aguila | Toyman | Eon | Emperor Palpatine | King Malbert | Black Wolf | Lex Luthor | Owlman | Superwoman | Grings Kodai | Volcazar | Madame Lorraine | Surtr | Solaris | Rough Cut | Atomic Skull | Professor Zoom | Darkseid | Harlequin | Talia al Ghul | Alva | Destiny | Jack the Ripper | Philip Eberfroe | Shredder | Ra's al Ghul | Trigon

Live-Action Features
Harry Potter
Lord Voldemort | Peter Pettigrew | Barty Crouch Jr. | Dolores Umbridge

Middle-earth
Azog | Smaug | Sauron | Saruman | Gothmog | Mouth of Sauron

DC Extended Universe
Erich Ludendorff | Steppenwolf | Black Mask | Victor Zsasz | Darkseid | The Thinker | Mateo Suarez | Sabbac | Ahk-Ton | Kordax

Other
Ernst Stavro Blofeld | Ramón Rojo | Auric Goldfinger | Emilio Largo | Angel Eyes | Harry Roat, Jr. | The Bastard | Scorpio | Vincent Amafi | Pazuzu | The Tall Man | Hugo Drax | Overlook Hotel | Sador | Burke | Reverend Henry Kane | Maximillian Largo | Ernst Stavro Blofeld | Mick | Gmork | Freddy Krueger | Max Zorin | Bob Barnes | Bunny | Door Gunner | Richard Jones | Clarence Boddicker | Alien | Chucky | Joker (1989 | Nolanverse) | Arjen Rudd | Pieter Vorstedt | Grand High Witch | Richie Madano | Sheriff of Nottingham | Funekei Yoshida | Earl Talbot Blake | Jaapie Botha | William Strannix | Killer BOB | Doc Hawkins | Shang Tsung | Peter Krill | Charles Rane | Simon Phoenix | Samuel Norton | Bogs Diamond | Ned Trent | Bobby Earl Ferguson | Donald McClintock | Archibald Cunningham | John Doe | Travis Dane | Miguel Bain | Peter Foley | Daryll Lee Cullum | Xenia Onatopp | Gaear Grimsrud | Daniel Harper | Robert Deguerin | Donald Cunningham | Sean Nokes | Captain Dudley Smith | Pierce Patchett | Elizar Kane | Azazello | Shinnok | Poison Ivy | Dr. Jonas | Nathaniel Burke | John Milton | Elliot Carver | Azazel | Spider Smith | King Louis XIV | Deacon Frost | Dr. Arliss Loveless | Cypher Reagan | William Wharton | General Roth'h'ar Sarris | Commodus | Terl | Jack Shepard | Mason Verger | Cyrus Kriticos | Akasha | Alistair Pratt | Jack Ferriman | Alex | Mr. Gray | Dr. Douglas Grey | Sheriff Bob Ryan | Martin Asher | Laurel Hedare | Dr. Bernard Merrick | Leland Jones and Billy Orser | Scarecrow | Bill Cox | Adam Sutler | Peter Creedy | Lewis Prothero | Captain Vidal | Le Chiffre | Captain Poison | Eddie Kim | Vladis Grutas | Assef | Judge Turpin | Agent 23 | Dominic Greene | General Medrano | Skynet | Lord Ozunu | Lord Henry Blackwood | Carnegie | Freddy Krueger | Burke | Jonah King | James Moriarty | Ares | Mickey Cohen | Lord Roderick | Bathsheba Sherman | Annabelle the Doll | Ernst Stavro Blofeld | Immortan Joe | Valak | John Boy | Diana Walter | Pennywise/It | Niander Wallace | Leonard Dekkom | Duncan Taylor | Claire Wyden | King Ghidorah | Holda | Andrei Sator | Sub-Zero | Isla the Occultist | Gabriel | Baron Vladimir Harkonnen | Rabban Harkonnen | The Analyst | Frank | Skar King | Scabrous Scrotus | Kurt Barlow

Animated Television
Teen Titans
Slade | Trigon | Brain | Professor Chang

Other
Smaug | Witch-king of Angmar | Joker (DC Animated Universe | The Batman) | Grant Walker | Dark Kat | Dr. Viper | Mutilor | Brainiac | Darkseid | Granny Goodness | Karkull | Reverend Amos Howell | Vangus | Dick Hardly | David Wheeler | Katz | Queen of the Black Puddle | Fusilli | Stitch Sisters | Aku | The Leader of the Chritchellites | High Priestess | The Dominator | Imperium | Lord Orm | Mongul | Doctor Destiny | Hugo Strange | Cecil Creepler | Vilgax | Zs'Skayr | Eon | Mr. Salacia | Brainiac 1.0 | V.V. Argost | Ragnarok | General Grievous | Emperor Palpatine | Dr. Nuvo Vindi | Wat Tambor | Grand Moff Tarkin | Riff Tamson | Pong Krell | Keeper Agruss | Twin Masters | The Lich (Farmworld) | Dr. Gross | Van Kleiss | Dr. Branden Moses | Aggregor | Evil Entity | General Modula | Galalunan Commander | Black Beetle | Anti-Monitor | Maltruant | Anarky | The Beast | Cecil Creepler | High Override | Harlequin | Ape Shaman | Night Feeder | Mad-Man | Queen Ima | Agent Trout | Benatu Eshu | Dr. Caledonius | Invictus | Lord Commander | Werthrent | Kraken | Parasite | Brainiac | Penguin | Arnold Flass

Live-Action Television
Supernatural
God | Lucifer | Lilith | Alastair | Abaddon | Dick Roman | Terrence Clegg | Michael | The Shadow

Other
Kurt Barlow | Richard Straker | Richard Straker | Nicholas Pike | Dr. Carl Tanner | Beaugarde Lesko | It | The Trickster | Antono Refa | Anubis | Kai Parker | Arcadius | Joffrey Baratheon | Gregor Clegane | Walder Frey | Craster | Ramsay Bolton | Karl Tanner | Lorne Malvo | Count Vertigo | The Dollmaker | Werner Zytle | Matthew Shrieve | Lonnie Machin | Jerome Valeska | The Dollmaker | Hugo Strange | Professor Pyg | The Trickster | Zoom | Indigo | Queen Rhea | Selena | Valentina Vostok | Quentin Turnbull | Julian McCaffrey | Dromos | Michael | Pete Daily | Henderson | Bartel | Anti-Monitor

Literature
Scarecrow | Lex Luthor

Video Games
Arhamverse
Joker | Scarecrow | Hugo Strange | Riddler | Calendar Man | Simon Stagg

Other
Hammond Litte | Rafael Drake | Scarecrow | Scabrous Scrotus

Fanon
Sargon | Aggregor | Rose the Hat | Overlook Hotel | Bizarre | Jonathan Gavrilovic | Zolkoff | Sawyer (Lost and Found) | The Man In The Woods | Katz (The Bagges Take Ostania)

Scripts
Vlad Tepsch | Esther Coleman

See Also
A Song of Ice and Fire Pure Evils | Amblin Entertainment Pure Evils | Arkhamverse Pure Evils | Arrowverse Pure Evils | Batman Pure Evils | Ben 10 Pure Evils | Cartoon Network Pure Evils | Castle Rock Entertainment Pure Evils | Courage the Cowardly Dog Pure Evils | DC Animated Universe Pure Evils | DC Extended Universe Pure Evils | DC Universe Animated Original Movies Pure Evils | DreamWorks Pure Evils | Godzilla Pure Evils | Gotham Pure Evils | Hanna-Barbera Pure Evils | Harry Potter Pure Evils | Justice League Pure Evils | Legendary Entertainment Pure Evils | Middle-earth Pure Evils | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pure Evils | MonsterVerse Pure Evils | Mortal Kombat Pure Evils | New Line Cinema Pure Evils | Rankin/Bass Pure Evils | Roald Dahl Pure Evils | RWBY Pure Evils | Star Wars Pure Evils | Stephen King Pure Evils | Supernatural Pure Evils | Superman Pure Evils | The Conjuring Pure Evils | Teen Titans Pure Evils | Terminator Pure Evils | V for Vendetta Pure Evils | Paramount Pure Evils | Village Roadshow Pictures Pure Evils | WingNut Films Pure Evils | Yu-Gi-Oh! Pure Evils

Advertisement