History: Count Vertigo was the heir to the throne of his native Vlatavia, but his royal family was forced to flee to England after hostile moves by Russia. Vertigo grew up with a sense of bitter disappointment at having been denied his destiny, and he soon manifested symptoms of manic-depression. He also suffered an inner-ear defect, and had an electrical device implanted in his temple to cure it. He found that the device gave him control over the balance of others, and adopted the supervillain identity of Count Vertigo.

(Spectre III #13) - Civil war broke out in Vlatava between Count Vertigo and his government, and Muslim rebels. Spectre arrived to mete out God's wrath, and started attacking both sides. Vertigo confronted him, but was no match for Spectre's might. Spectre brought Vertigo together with the rebel leader General Hafza, and they both blamed each other for the bloodshed. For centuries Christians and Muslims had clashed in the country. Both sides had spilled blood for years in Vlatava, and Spectre turned to the Earth to tell him who was guilty. The dead arose to fight anew, and declared everyone in Vlatava guilty. He razed the country in hellfire, killing every man, woman, and child, but sparing Hafza and Vertigo. Their punishment was to be given the gift of the destroyed land they'd fought over. A weeping Vertigo asked why his country, when all nations had blood on their hands. Spectre saw something to this argument, and decided that the world might be too old and evil to be redeemed, and in need of judgment.

(Green Arrow III #22) - Director Bones found Count Vertigo battling a robot simulacra of Green Arrow, and warned him to drop his grudge against the hero or face reassignment from the D.E.O. to Task Force X. Agent Vinson wanted a sample of Arrow's DNA to prove he was a metahuman, and sent Vertigo to a south seas island where Arrow was rediscovering himself. They fought, and Arrow won, but passed out because jellyfish had poisoned him. Vertigo saved his life, felt at peace, and resigned from the D.E.O. He returned to Vlatavia to battle the fascist dictatorship that'd been put in place since he left.

(Villains United #2) - Vertigo joined Lex Luthor's  Society. Luthor wanted to destroy the Secret Six III, a group of dissident villains that refused to join the Society, so he sent Vertigo and a number of other Society members to confront the Six aboard the Petrovia, a Russia cargo freighter carrying Thanagarian weapons destined for the Society. The Society defeated the Secret Six and brought them back to Lex Luthor.

(Villains United #3) - Vertigo was among the Society members assigned to guard the Secret Six while the Crime Doctor tortured them for information about their leader Mockingbird. The Secret Six escaped and defeated Vertigo and his compatriots, only leaving them alive so they could deliver a message to the leaders of the Society that their days were numbered.

(52 / WWIII Part Four: United We Stand #1) <Week 50, Day 7> Count Vertigo became part of the secret government organization Checkmate, and discussed a plan of action as Bialya's neighbors prepared to war over her remains after WW III.

Comments: Created by Gerry Conway & Trevor von Eeden.

Identity Crisis #4 showed the JLA looking through photos of a number of ex-Suicide Squad members, including Vertigo.

Count Vertigo had cameos in Firestorm II #13 and Spectre III #31.

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