Originally a man of low birth but peerless ambition, Dio is a cunning villain of little conscience and an insatiable hunger for power. After becoming a vampire, Dio sets out to conquer the world with an army of zombies at his command, bringing a lifelong feud between himself and his brother by adoption, Jonathan Joestar, to a head. He later becomes a Stand user wielding the all-powerful The World, and is responsible for setting many of the series's major events in motion.