Drago Bludvist (2024)

Drago Bludvist is the main antagonist of How to Train Your Dragon 2. He was a cruel, ruthless and twisted warlord whose main goal was to conquer the world with his enormous army of both humans and dragons. He was feared by all and destroyed anyone who got in his way.

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What is the main goal of Drago Bludvist in How to Train Your Dragon 2?

In 'How to Train Your Dragon 2', Drago Bludvist's main goal is to conquer the world. He presents himself as a man of the people, claiming to be the only one who can control dragons and keep humanity safe. However, his true intentions are revealed to be more sinister, as he seeks to use his control over dragons to establish his rule.

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What is the origin of Drago Bludvist's character design in How to Train Your Dragon 2?

Drago Bludvist's character design in How to Train Your Dragon 2 was carefully crafted to make him stand out. The creators aimed to make him look as racially ambiguous as possible, originating from a land far from the Vikings of Berk. His clothing and general features were inspired by Slavic and Asian cultures, contributing to his unique and intimidating appearance. This design choice enhances his role as a formidable antagonist in the movie.

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What does Drago Bludvist's name signify in the How to Train Your Dragon series?

In the context of the How to Train Your Dragon series, the name Drago Bludvist carries a significant weight. Drago, a name of Slavic origin, translates to 'dragon', which is fitting for a character who seeks to control dragons. The surname Bludvist, on the other hand, could be interpreted as a play on the words 'blood' and 'fist', symbolizing his ruthless and violent nature. This combination of 'dragon' and 'blood fist' encapsulates Drago's character as a cruel, ruthless warlord who aims to conquer the world with his dragon army.

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See Also

Night FuryElexionThunder-FuryToothless (Franchise)

What is the nature of Drago Bludvist's army in How to Train Your Dragon 2?

In 'How to Train Your Dragon 2', Drago Bludvist's army is primarily composed of dragons, which he claims to control. These dragons, known as Defender Dragons, were initially enslaved and used as soldiers. Drago also had a group of Dragon Trappers who supplied these dragons for his army. However, it's important to note that Drago's control over the dragons was enforced through fear and domination, rather than mutual respect and understanding.

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What is the fate of Drago Bludvist at the end of How to Train Your Dragon 2?

Drago Bludvist's fate at the end of How to Train Your Dragon 2 is left somewhat ambiguous. However, it was confirmed in an interview that Drago's death occurred underwater between the second and third films. This means that while his demise isn't explicitly shown in the movie, it is confirmed by the creators of the series.

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Official Description[]

Development[]

According to The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2, Drago was designed to look as racially ambiguous as possible and from a land far from the Vikings of Berk. His clothing and general features were based on Slavic and Asian origin, while still retaining a Mediterranean and Northern African influence.

Biography[]

Early Life[]

When confronting Hiccup during their initial battle, Drago claimed that as a child, his village was attacked by dragons and his family was killed. He lost his left arm in the attack and constantly lived in fear of another assault by the creatures. An illustration of this encounter was set to appear in the unreleased graphic novel The Fire Tides, showing a scarred and wounded Night Fury being perused by Drago's village, and in a panic, attacked the young boy. Despite his tragedies, he vowed to rise above his fear and conquer the beasts that had hurt him, becoming a tyrannical warlord with a lust for power over all dragons. He found a Bewilderbeast hatchling during one of his earliest conquests, which he abused and trained^[2] to become as cruel as him, and to help him overpower the Alpha. With this new power, he wished to conquer all of the world's dragons and then, the world itself.

At some point during the continuous dragon raids on the Isle of Berk and its neighboring villages, Drago came before a great gathering of chieftains that had met to discuss the problem. Stoick the Vast was among those who were attending. Drago promised them that he could bring peace and finally end the Viking people's war with the dragons, but only if they chose to bow down and follow him. The chieftains took this for a joke and rejected his offer by laughing at him. Enraged and humiliated, Drago stormed off, calling back to the chiefs, "Then see how well you do without me!" Moments later, two of Drago's armored dragons crashed into the hall through the roof and burned everything in sight. All of the chieftains in attendance were killed, save for Stoick. According to "The Wings of War, Part 1", he left the scene on the back of a Rumblehorn. However, this is an inconsistency with the films and should not have happened as portrayed.

Soon after making his way into the Archipelago, Drago also encountered Valka several times. While trying to get rid of this extra nuisance, he came across Eret and his father before hiring them as his Dragon Trappers.

Destroying Bayana's Village[]

While making his way up to the North, recruiting villagers into his army, Drago came across an African tribe, home to Bayana and many others, who refused to join him. Not taking 'no' as an answer to his offers, Drago burned their village and forced them to search for a new home. The tribe kept having to leave each of their new settlements, as no matter where they went, Drago would always find them. Years later, they settled on Dragonvine Island, where the tribe was eventually visited by Hiccup and his Riders, leaving them as victims of a secret plan by the people, comparing the Berkians to untrustworthy warring tribes like Drago's.

Sending his men to hunt for a King of Dragons[]

According to Race to the Edge, shortly before How to Train Your Dragon 2, Drago sent out a group from his army, led by Krogan, to track down and capture any living Bewilderbeasts. They remain unsuccessful, and Krogan was brought before Drago by two soldiers, leaving him furiously berated by the warlord. While Krogan is begging for a second chance, Drago orders his men to kill him, which they do without hesitation. He then orders another soldier, resembling Mildew, to deliver him his maps, stating he will find another King of Dragons himself.

War against the Dragon Riders[]

Five years after the war with the dragons had come to a close, Drago continued building his army to further his conquest when his men captured Astrid and a handful of the other Riders. Through them, he learns of Berk being home to a large number of Dragon Riders, immediately ordering his men to attack Valka's Fort, to then take over Berk.

Drago's army quickly began sailing toward Valka's Mountain, and soon launched an assault against it with the intent of drawing out the current Alpha. His attack, however, was foiled when the Riders escaped and began destroying his weapons, freeing the dragons from his traps. Valka soon emerged from the mountain with her Bewilderbeast in tow. Drago, anticipating this, briefly engaged in a fight with her as she told him he cannot take the dragons from under the Alpha's protection. Drago then summoned his own Bewilderbeast and ordered it to take down the Alpha. Stoick rescued Valka from Drago's wrath and the two fought each other whilst Valka tried to stop the two Bewilderbeasts from fighting. Stoick and Drago's fight ended in stalemate as Drago's Bewilderbeast killed Valka's and became the new Alpha.

Hiccup arrived with Toothless to confront Drago and attempted to reason with him and stop the violence. Clearly stuck in his hatred of dragons, he ignored the young Viking's statements and ordered his Bewilderbeast to kill Hiccup. With the Bewilderbeast now able to control of all dragons in the area, it seized control of Toothless, as much as the Night Fury initially attempted to resist. With his Bewilderbeast in dominance over Toothless' actions, Drago pointed his weapon at Hiccup as an order to kill him. Though Hiccup was pushed aside by Stoick, the chieftain took Toothless' blast instead and was killed instantly. With Stoick dead, Drago had his Bewilderbeast seize control of all of the remaining dragons, including the riders' dragons as well. Taking Toothless as his mount, Drago led his victorious army towards Berk.

Arriving under the cover of night, Drago had his Bewilderbeast seize control of Berk's dragons and called out to the residents, telling them that their chief has died and that no one can protect them from him. The villagers were confused but were left with little time to ponder this as Drago ordered his Bewilderbeast to freeze the island.

Hiccup and the other Riders managed to return to Berk by riding the baby Scuttleclaws, which could resist the Bewilderbeast's influence. Hiccup bravely flew up to Drago and approached Toothless in an attempt to break the dragon free from the new Alpha. Though Drago mocked the boy for even attempting to try, Hiccup's compassion and bond with Toothless overrode the Alpha's control. Toothless threw Drago off his back and left him to land on the Bewilderbeast's right horn as he flew away.

Although Drago tried to regain control of the situation by ordering the Alpha to kill them both, Hiccup used his sword to spray Zippleback gas and caused an explosion that knocked Drago off the Bewilderbeast. Though seemingly beaten now that Hiccup has his dragon back, Drago ordered the Alpha to take out Hiccup and Toothless at once by encasing them in ice. Though both seemingly killed by the attack, the ice broke apart in a large explosion thanks to Toothless. The Night Fury, enraged at the attempt on his friend's life, challenged Drago's Alpha to protect Hiccup.

Toothless repeatedly struck the Alpha with his fire and caused the great dragon to lose control over the others. As the people and dragons of Berk stood united against Drago and his Bewilderbeast, Hiccup offered him one last chance to leave peacefully. Drago refused to back down, prompting Toothless to order the other dragons to bombard the Alpha with fire, with one of the blasts sending Drago's prosthetic arm flying off. Toothless then launched a final plasma blast that broke off the Bewilderbeast's left horn. The Bewilderbeast, no longer the Alpha after being defeated by Toothless, swam away from Berk with Drago in tow. Although his Bewilderbeast successfully made it to the Hidden World, Drago's ultimate fate remains unknown outside of Grimmel mentioning his defeat.

In Dragons Hero Portal, Drago chases the Dragon Riders to several different locations including Berk Forest, Itchy Armpit Island, the Dragon Sanctuary, an icy region, and a volcanic cavern where Drago's Bewilderbeast is laired. He sends endless numbers of armored dragons at them and even steals sheep, an important resource for the Berkians.

Fighting Hiccup in a Sunken City[]

According to Richard Hamilton and the plans for the unreleased graphic novel The Fire Tides, Drago is rescued from drowning at sea by a Fathomfin and dropped off at its nest; an ancient sunken Viking city, where the Fathomfin continues to supply him with oxygen from the surface. He eventually bonds with a Tormentipede dragon, who attaches itself to Drago's left arm stub, and feeds off his emotions so they can act as one being. When the Fathomfin rescues Hiccup and its alpha Toothless from a Maelstrom and deposits them into the safety of its nest as well, Drago and the Tormentipede have an intense battle with the other duo inside the sunken city. Hiccup and Toothless ultimately win the battle and are taken back to the surface, where they return to Berk, while Drago and the Tormentipede remain in the city on the sea floor, resulting in his eventual death.

Legacy[]

One year after Drago's defeat by Hiccup and Toothless, his followers and the Warlords attempted to finish their fallen leader’s plans of conquering the world with a dragon army, only to have their operations continuously foiled by the Dragon Riders. This resulted in them employing Grimmel the Grisly, a seasoned dragon hunter who has built up a reputation of hunting Night Furies to the brink of extinction, to capture Toothless and all of Berk's dragons.

Physical Appearance[]

Drago is a 50-year-old, 6'10, 300 lb, well-built man matching his intimidating personality. He wears a prosthetic in place of his severed arm, and wears his long black hair and beard in thick braids. Multiple scars run over Drago's face and body, evidence of his past encounters with dragons. His attire consists of a dark blue sleeveless shirt, a thick waist belt with a sun on the front and a huge black cape made from dragon skin. Attached to his belt he wears a loincloth, dark blue trousers, and dark blue boots covered in gray fur.

Personality[]

Stoick and Valka know all too well of the cruelty Drago is capable of. His vast power and authority come from keeping the fear of dragons in humans and forcing them to join his army. He is not above betraying his allies if they do not follow his instructions and kills without mercy. Drago keeps an iron-fisted control over the dragons in his army using the power of his Bewilderbeast and the various traps he has had Eret and the other trappers create to ensnare dragons for himself. He is very egotistical, believing only he is capable of controlling dragons and cares only about himself. Drago is also hypocritical, since he claims that he intends to create a new world where humans no longer have to be afraid of dragons, but Hiccup calls this out as an excuse to rule the world.

Drago is shown to be very intolerant of failure, which is proven by the brand he had given to Eret when the trapper failed to bring him any dragons, promising to be far less understanding in the future. He then ordered Eret's execution, similarly to ordering Krogan's, when he failed a second time. This ruthlessness makes him feared by many, including those who follow him.

Whereas Hiccup and the others' relationship with their dragons is one of deep trust and friendship, Drago's relationship with his dragons is one of control, abuse, and domination. Having raised his Bewilderbeast from a hatchling he discovered in one of his earliest conquests, Drago subjected it to a loveless, miserable life, frequently abusing it to punish any perceived weakness. He has never been shown directly murdering others with his bare hands, but relies on his control of the dragons to do it for him. He intimidates the dragons into obedience and controls them by swinging his bullhook above his head and roaring like an animal in a frightening display of power.

However, Drago's greatest strength is also his greatest weakness. While his ruthless insanity made it impossible for Hiccup to reason with him as he had originally set out to do, it also rendered him incapable of understanding Hiccup's bond with Toothless, which allowed Hiccup to regain "control" of his dragon.

Abilities, Skills, and Talents[]

• Strength and Fighting Skills: Despite the disadvantage of his missing arm, Drago is a formidable fighter and opponent to both humans and dragons. Using his bullhook as his main weapon, he is able to defeat Valka with relative ease and hold his own very well against Stoick the Vast. However, despite his combat skills, he rarely uses them unless necessary, preferring to rely on his subordinates to do his dirty work. Drago is able to use the bullhook as a weapon, efficiently defeating Valka with it and dueling Stoick for a long period of time.
• Control Over Dragons: Unlike Hiccup, Valka, and the rest of the Dragon Riders, Drago enslaves his dragons with brute strength and intimidation and is able to use his Bewilderbeast to brainwash any who refuse to follow him. He can also use his bullhook to summon his Bewilderbeast but only when he swings it around, causing the bullhook to make a sound that calms and summons dragons.
• Strategy: Drago is an outstanding strategist and tactician, as he is able to conquer enemy positions easily. However, Drago prefers brute force, believing it to be more effective than strategy, cunning and tactic.

  

• Leadership: Drago is more than capable of leading his massive army of humans and dragons, keeping undisturbed order within his thousands of soldiers.

Relationships[]

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III[]

While neither were aware of each other for some time, Hiccup had been a thorn in Drago’s side prior to his invasion of the Archipelago. During the Dragon Hunter War, Hiccup defeated Drago’s lieutenant Krogan and his Dragon Flyers, which hindered Drago’s plans to acquire another Bewilderbeast. After hearing about him from Astrid, Drago seems to acknowledge Hiccup as a rival, realizing that another dragon-tamer could endanger his monopoly over the dragons. A parallel of sorts to Hiccup, given his own mastery over legions of dragons, Drago is a good contrast to him as well, using abuse and force to dominate the will of his dragons as opposed to befriending them.

When the two finally face off at Valka's Mountain, Drago seems amused that his reputed nemesis was scrawny, seemingly dismissing the threat that Hiccup posed. While Hiccup still believed that Drago could be reasoned with, he proves otherwise by commanding his Bewilderbeast to take control of Toothless and using him to kill Hiccup. Though this fails due to Stoick's intervention, it succeeds in shaking Hiccup's resolve. Drago then takes Toothless as his mount to further demoralize his foe.

During Drago's invasion of Berk, Hiccup continues to surprise him when he and his companions show up on the backs of baby dragons, which the Bewilderbeast could not control, then again when Hiccup's bond with Toothless frees him from the Bewilderbeast's command. The tables are turned on the infuriated Drago when Hiccup's ingenuity and Toothless' own willpower rise up against the great and terrible Bewilderbeast, shaming both tyrants and releasing the dragons from their control for good. Though Hiccup offered Drago one final chance to stand down, the mad warlord angrily refused, leading to his defeat.

In many ways, Drago is considered the antithesis of Hiccup. While Hiccup trains dragons forming a bond with them, Drago uses fear and intimidation to enslave dragons to his will. And while Hiccup considers dragons as "kind amazing creatures", Drago only sees dragons as weapons of mass destruction.

Valka[]

Just as Valka despises Drago for his cruel and abusive treatment of dragons, Drago views Valka as his greatest threat prior to finding out about Hiccup, as she was one of the few to stand in his way of complete domination over both man and dragon. While he sees her as an obstacle, he also seems extremely confident that his dragon army and Bewilderbeast tyrant would be able to overpower Valka's own dragon legion — many of which were refugees and rescuers, not fighters. His confidence proves to be well-founded when his Bewilderbeast defeats Valka's white king, and he quickly overpowers Valka in battle, her death only being prevented by the intervention of her husband.

Stoick the Vast[]

Stoick and the other Viking clan leaders turned down Drago when he came to them with his offer of leadership, laughing him away when he demanded that they bow down to him in exchange for safety from the then-threat of dragons. Seemingly having anticipated this, Drago had a pair of armored dragons under his control waiting outside, who then proceeded to burn the longhouse to the ground as Drago escaped. Only Stoick survived the encounter, and he sees Drago as a grave threat.

During their eventual showdown, Stoick appears and surprises the latter by revealing his survival. The two engage in battle with Stoick seemingly having the upper hand, due to his superior fighting prowess and Drago's disadvantage of his missing arm. It is only thanks to Stoick's intervention when Drago attempts to kill Hiccup that he is able to best the chieftain. Drago barely even acknowledges Stoick's death suggesting both his sense of superiority over the other man as well as a possible realization that the death of Hiccup's father is equally damaging.

Astrid Hofferson[]

Astrid was the first rider that Drago met. She first tries to intimidate Drago by exaggerating the story about Hiccup and Berk, which backfired when Drago decided to invade Berk after attacking Valka's Mountain.

Eret, Son of Eret[]

Eret served Drago out of fear as a trapper, having seemingly done business with him for many years. He gave Eret a symbolic scar for not bringing him enough dragons and threatened to kill him if the same thing happened again. When Drago realized that Berk is full of Dragon Riders, he blamed Eret for revealing the army's existence and ordered his soldiers to get rid of him.

His Bewilderbeast[]

During one of his earliest conquests, Drago found his Bewilderbeast as a hatchling.

Since then, he trained and abused his dragon to become a savage war machine, using screams as commands. Even until he has reached an old age, the Bewilderbeast continued to follow his master's orders. Like the rest of the dragons he has captured and enslaved into his army, Drago sees his Bewilderbeast as nothing more than a weapon in his quest for domination. Despite this, he does seem to have a large amount of confidence in the Bewilderbeast’s strength and ability to control other dragons, as he was left stunned at how it lost control over the flock to Toothless.

Krogan[]

Drago has known Krogan for at least 20 years, with Viggo mentioning that Krogan was considered Drago’s Star Pupil. Krogan was Drago’s trusted soldier and was shown to have accompanied him when he destroyed the Viking Chieftains that refused to follow him. Years later, Drago dispatched Krogan and his Dragon Flyers back to the Barbaric Archipelago to find the another Bewilderbeast. Though Krogan managed to locate one underneath Berserker Island, he was unable to capture it or its egg due to the interference of Dragon Riders of Berk, which also resulted in the destruction of the Dragon Hunters.

Following his defeat, Krogan was brought before his master by two of his Flyers, where the enraged warlord berated him for failing his mission and being completely intolerant of his excuses. When Krogan confessed his failure in capturing the Bewilderbeast, Drago mercilessly and sad*stically ordered his execution, despite his many years of loyal servitude to him. Despite Krogan's pleas to Drago for another chance as he was dragged away, Drago still had him executed under the account that "No one fails him twice".

Grimmel the Grisly[]

It is unknown what kind of relationship Grimmel and Drago had, but it is likely that they were not on good terms. This is evidenced in Dawn of New Riders, where Grimmel is more than willing to form partnership with Eir Stormheart, whose main goal was to take revenge on and kill Drago. Further evidence is the fact that Grimmel's liking of killing dragons would greatly undermine Drago's goal of building the ultimate army.

Despite this, Grimmel was described as willing to deliver any dragon to anyone, as long as he gets to play his game of hunt. It is possible that the dragons Grimmel had delivered to certain Dragon Trappers were then delivered to Drago, without Grimmel knowing.

Warlords[]

Little to nothing is known about Drago's and the Warlords' relationship, other than that they were his most trusted soldiers, having served as generals of his army for many years. Following his defeat, the Warlords assumed command over the Northern Alliance. Even after Drago was defeated, the Warlords aspired to fulfill their former master's goals of building a dragon army to conquer the world.

Bonesnarl[]

Like all the other dragons that were enslaved by Drago, Bonesnarl was forced to do the warlord's bidding. When Toothless became the Alpha, Bonesnarl did not hesitate in turning against his abuser and blasted off his prosthetic arm.

Appearances[]

Trivia[]

• Drago's nose is meant to resemble an eagle's beak, symbolizing his predatory nature.
• Drago's screams to control his dragons could be an homage to the original books as, in order to train your dragon, it is stated you must yell at it.
  • Coincidentally, in the extra commentary for How to Train Your Dragon 2, it is revealed that screaming is Djimon Hounsou's way of warming up his voice.
• Drago is the tallest human character in the entire franchise who has a confirmed height measurement.
  • Though his exact height was never revealed, Grimmel appears to be taller than Drago, being taller than Ragnar, who was a similar height to Stoick.
• Viggo Grimborn has indirectly mentioned Drago Bludvist's existence in "Defenders of the Wing, Part 1", saying that he "wasn't interested in taking over the world, unlike some people", indicating that Viggo has heard of him.
• Drago is the very first villain to ever ride Toothless for a long period of time.
• Despite his Bewilderbeast being massive enough to easily kill him, it cowers in his presence. It is stated behind the scenes that he had cruelly and abusively raised the Bewilderbeast since it was a hatchling, and thus retains the fear of its master, even though it has grown to such size and power.
• Certain elements of Drago's "training style" are meant to both reflect and contrast with elements of Valka and Hiccup.
  • In Valka's case, both use a combination of sound and a staff to command their dragons, but while Valka uses her staff to make a soothing rattling noise, Drago swings a bullhook while screaming violently.
  • In Hiccup's case, both make physical contact with a dragon's snout as an integral step in the first contact with the dragon, but while Hiccup reaches out with his hand as a sign of friendship, Drago steps on the dragon's snout as a sign of dominance.
• Hiccup lost his left leg fighting a dragon, while Drago lost his left arm to a dragon.
• As revealed in an interview with Cloneweb, Drago's return for How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World was scrapped halfway through the movie's production. However, Drago's death was confirmed to have happened underwater in between the second and third films.
• According to an interview with Dean DeBlois, in earlier drafts of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, it would have been revealed that Drago had survived the battle in How to Train Your Dragon 2, and had washed ashore on a deserted island, which was already occupied by a dragon. He would have to befriend the dragon in order to make his way off of the island. He would ultimately develop a kind of respect and affection for the dragon that saves his life. In the end, Drago would end up allying with the Dragon Riders.^[3]
• Drago is the only villain to appear in both the movies and TV show.

References[]

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