Bud Flud (better known as The Liquidator) is a supervillain in the animated Disney television series Darkwing Duck. He was an anthropomorphic dog turned into a being made entirely of water, who had the ability to control and alter liquids. He later became one of the Fearsome Five.
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 in order to monopolize the market. During an attempt to sabotage his final competitor, Koo Koo Fizzy Water, he was caught by Darkwing Duck and seemingly died when he fell into one of the tainted vats. In actuality, the volatile chemicals Flud had poured into the vat ended up altering his molecular structure, transforming him into a being made entirely of living water. With his new powers, Liquidator first sought revenge against Darkwing for causing his mutation and then used his hydrokinesis to turn all the water in St. Canard into a resin like substance Granting him an absolute stranglehold on the water business in the city. Darkwing was finally able to defeat the Liquidator by pouring powdered cement into him, trapping him in a statue like form and restoring the city's water to normal.
Because he was once a businessman, much of the Liquidator’s dialogue was based on advertising slogans. He later formed part of The Fearsome Five as a henchman, which included the villains Megavolt, Bushroot, and Quackerjack, and whose leader was the evil incarnation of Darkwing Duck, Negaduck. It is believed that the Liquidator only had one 'episode to himself' because the writers found his catch-phrase centric dialogue too hard to write.
Powers
As a being of living water, the Liquidator's liquid physiology allows him to alter his form however he sees fit as well as making him resistant to physical damage. He also has total control over water; able to raise its temperature to scalding levels or even alter its molecular structure into a solid resin-like substance.
Despite his durability the Liquidator is far from invincible. Cold temperatures can freeze him solid while solidifying agents like cement mix can trap him in an immobile state. He can also be contained in sponges and other absorbent materials.
His name is a play on "liquidation" which is what happens when a business goes under and all its assets get divested.
Although a relatively popular Darkwing Duck villain, the Liquidator only made major appearances in six episodes, with five of them alongside the Fearsome Five. In fact, his origin episode, and the only episode where he appears solo ("Dry Hard", the 23rd episode in production order) only aired after the character appeared in the two "Just Us Justice Ducks" episodes and "Life, the Negaverse, and Everything", leaving many first-time viewers of "Justice Ducks" wondering where exactly he came from. He also made cameo appearances in "Ghoul of My Dreams" and "Time and Punishment".
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.
His transformation into the Liquidator is similar to the Joker's transformation when he falls into a vat of contaminated water.
It also resembles Tombstone's origin from the 1990s Spider-Man series that aired on Fox Kids.
