Holden Bloodfeast originated from a 2023 satirical article by The Onion titled 'New Edgy Character For Call Of Duty Named Holden Bloodfeast.' The character was designed as a pitch-perfect parody of the video game industry's obsession with increasingly dark, gritty, and hyper-masculine protagonists who possess tragic backstories and absurdly violent names. Since its release, the image of the scarred, bald soldier has become a staple for 'honest reaction' memes and is frequently used to mock people who take themselves too seriously or try too hard to appear 'dark' online. The meme thrives on the sheer absurdity of the character's name and design, serving as a critique of shallow edge-lord aesthetics in modern media.