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Vampires | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | Marvel Mystery Comics #35 (September 1942) |
Created by | Al Fagaly |
Characteristics | |
Place of origin | Atlantis |
Notable members | Baron Blood Blade Deacon Frost Dracula (Lord of the Vampires) Doctor Sun Hunger Jubilee Lilith Morbius Steppin' Razor Varnae |
Vampires (Homines nocturnae) [1] are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The concept of the vampire has been depicted by Marvel to varying degrees of significance. Bearing a strong resemblance to their literary counterparts, Marvel vampires are mostly an undead species of humans that sustain their immortality and paranormal power by drinking the blood of living humans. Unlike most other depictions of the creature, these vampires have their roots in both the supernatural and biology. Victims are converted to vampirism via enzymes carried in the vampire's saliva, which cause reanimation once introduced into the bloodstream during feedings.
The first generation of vampires appeared in the legendary city of Atlantis roughly 15,000 years prior to modern times. A circle of Atlantean sorcerers uncovered a book known as the Darkhold - an indestructible grimoire of shadowy magics written by the Elder God Chthon. [2] Amid a war, these sorcerers used a resurrection ritual described in the text to raise their fallen enemies, hoping to create a legion of immortal soldiers. However, because of the dark influence of Chthon, these undead were too powerful for their would-be masters. In an act of rebellion, the vampires killed all the sorcerers except for one - the priest Varnae, the first vampire who used the spell to save himself from death. With Atlantis sinking below the sea, Varnae and his kin fled the continent and spread out into the world.
As the eldest and most magically endowed of his kind, Varnae reigned as the unchallenged Lord of the Vampires for many millennia until finally ceding the title to Vlad III Dracula, a 15th century Voivode of Wallachia and a notorious warlord known by the pseudonym of Vlad the Impaler. Carrying the title well into the 21st century, it was not until Doctor Strange - the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth - discovered a ritual within the Darkhold itself that could essentially reverse the magics of the original resurrection spell and exile all vampires into Chthon's realm. Although the ritual appeared to work, with much of the undead population being purged, something went wrong in the invocation itself. While the vampire race was rendered nearly extinct, some - including Dracula himself - survived and continue to propagate their brood.
The different vampire attacks have led to the vampires being hunted by vampire hunters like Blade the Vampire-Slayer. [3]
During the "Blood Hunt" storyline, the release of Darkforce energy from the Darkforce users causes Earth to be blanketed in darkness as a vampire group called the Structure rouses the vampires into attacking mankind. This storyline also reveals that there is a group of ultra-vampires called the Bloodcoven who feed on superhuman blood. With Tutor having been previously killed by Moon Knight and Dracula not leading the group, it is revealed that the Structure's leader is Blade. [4]
Blade eventually confesses the truth to the enthralled Black Panther: “Thousands upon thousands of years ago, what was begun with a crime against the universe will see completion, here and now. When I was born for a second time in a stone sarcophagus, drowned in blood,” he explains. When asked what he is, he replies, “The first vampire, my nomad spirit clothed in my fated vessel, the Daywalker’s skin. I am Varnae.” [5]
After Doctor Doom, as the new Sorcerer Supreme, undid Varnae's Atlantean magic ritual to uncover Earth from the Darkforce, all vampires became immune to sunlight, purging them of this traditional weakness and allowing them to walk during the daytime without the threat of crumbling to dust. [6]
The vampires of the Marvel Universe share many of the same attributes of their literary counterparts. These fictional characters are characterized as having superhuman strength and speed and superior senses and accelerated healing, which can be further quickened by drinking fresh blood. Vampires who are centuries old are noted for being both physically stronger and more intellectually refined than younger vampires. While this does not make them invincible to a seasoned supernatural hunter such as Blade, it gives them an advantage over their lesser kin.
The transformation from a living creature to a vampire begins moments after a victim dies from being fed upon. The vampiric enzyme introduced into their system triggers a metabolic change within their necrotic cells, which produces a greenish preservative substance known as ichor. Provided the corpse remains undisturbed and, with the heart and brain preserved, the ichor will begin to autonomously flow throughout the cardiovascular system; replacing the blood that was taken as it gradually reconstructs and reanimates the body over several days.
Even if a victim survives being fed upon, the enzyme in their blood will cause temporary anemia and a heightened susceptibility to psychic influence by their attacker. It is also not unheard of for a victim to become erotically fixated on their attacker. Although uncommon, it is theoretically possible for a survivor to begin the transformation if they die before the enzyme leaves their system naturally. It is possible for practiced vampires to drain a victim dry and not turn them by carefully sucking out the enzyme.
All newborn vampires are described as experiencing a dramatic increase in the power of both their bodies and their senses upon their resurrection. They can hear a heartbeat across a yard and see in complete darkness and follow a person's scent for miles. Their skin is sensitive to body heat. Their strength and speed are likewise amplified; able to lift a single car with ease and cross a room almost instantaneously and even leap between buildings. This enabled them to catch and subdue any victim with minimal effort, as well as making them highly lethal fighters.
Dracula and his predecessor Varnae are exceptionally strong, having been observed lifting over 14 and 17 tons, respectively. This is believed to be because of their advanced age and special status as successive rulers of Earth's vampires.
The overall extent of a vampire's abilities depended upon the strength of the vampire's will. Exceptional vampires with powerful wills, such as Dracula or Varnae, could summon and control thunderstorms, even though the mystical concentration required to do so left them extremely weak for a certain period. The vampire's willpower could also determine the extent to which he or she could master their craving for blood and keep the same personality they had in life. However, most people that became vampires quickly found themselves unable to resist the all-consuming craving for blood. They quickly degenerated into cruel and animalistic hunters of ordinary human beings, even if these new vampires had been kind and sensitive people in their mortal lives.
Vampires could summon and control certain creatures, such as bats, wolves, and rats. The fictional characters, vampires, could also transform themselves into bats, and with some vampires, wolves, while retaining their human intelligence in these forms. Some vampires could even become human-sized bats. Vampires could also transform themselves into mist at will, while still keeping their normal consciousnesses in that form.
A vampire could make most human beings into his or her temporary slave if he or she could catch their gaze for a sufficient amount of time, usually only a matter of seconds. The exact time that is needed to mesmerize the victim depended on the strength of the will of the vampire and that of his or her victim.
Vampires were rendered immune to the ravages of disease and of aging. However, if deprived of blood for a lengthy period, a vampire shows distinct signs of aging, such as his or her hair turning gray. Upon ingesting fresh blood, the vampire would revert to the age in which he or she had been at the time of death.
In most cases, vampires could heal themselves from minor injuries within a very brief period. Some vampires, such as Dracula, could heal from severe burns or broken bones within a few hours, whereas most other vampires might require several days to heal from exactly the same injuries. Vampires could not regenerate missing organs or severed portions of their anatomy, except for hair and skin. Apart from periodic inconveniences, injuries like these would not critically impair a vampire's effectiveness. Because the ichor was similar in function to blood, poisons and other toxic substances that were circulated in its bloodstream would adversely affect a vampire, although no dosage was large enough to cause them to die.
Vampires had many limitations imposed upon their supernatural abilities and even upon their very existence.
The only substances which could cause a vampire pain were silver and, to a lesser extent, unless it penetrated the Vampire's heart, wood. The surest way to kill a vampire was to drive a wooden stake or a silver blade through his or her heart. The stake or blade prevented the heart from supplying ichor to the rest of the body. If the stake or blade was removed, however, even if the vampire's body had crumbled to dust, the vampire's mystical vitality would restore his or her body to the condition that it had been before the vampire was slain, and return him or her to vampiric "life." Beheading a vampire would also kill him or her, as well as extensive damage to most of his or her body. However, there were only three methods of making sure of destroying a vampire permanently. One was to expose the vampire to direct sunlight and then to scatter the ashes. Another was to pierce the vampire's heart with wood or silver, sever his or her head, burn the head and body in separate places and scatter the two resulting piles of ashes in separate locations. The third was mystical, most notably by using the incantation known as the Montesi Formula (after the late monk who discovered it and first realized its significance). Montesi created the incantation by studying fragmentary copies of the Darkhold. It was lost amid many other documents copied by various anonymous monks over the centuries. Research conducted by various vampire hunters over the past few decades revealed its significance, and it was sought by both those hunters and by Dracula, who wished to destroy all copies of it. The incantation apparently cancelled the mystic curse that allowed any vampire within earshot to exist, causing it to crumble to dust. The danger is that, as the Montesi Formula was created from black magic in the Darkhold, those untrained in the mystic arts who used it would lose their souls.
At one point, a cult who worshipped the elder Demon Gods apparently fixated on Dracula as a recipient of their power. Dracula gave them the fragments of the Darkhold that he had discovered; the cultists (who were low-level mystics) repeatedly recast the original spells that created the first vampires. This increased Dracula's powers considerably, and he lost his vulnerability to sunlight, among others. Dracula could take full control of their minds (as well as anyone around the world that Dracula had ever hypnotized in the past, at will).
Doctor Strange (who at the time was in a great battle with Dracula), was aware of the Montesi Formula. He tracked down the Darkhold, and, using the original source material to study the spells that created Vampires, Doctor Strange created a massive version of the Montesi Formula (backed by his power as Sorcerer Supreme) to wipe out all vampires in the Marvel Universe.
As shown in the Runaways series, staking a vampire is not always completely effective. Nico Minoru shoots the Staff of One completely through the Vampire Topher without permanent damage. However, Topher was defeated when he drank Karolina Dean's blood, which contains pure solar energy (Karolina is a Majesdanian, an alien race that lives within a star).
Pseudo-vampires or living vampires are vampires that were not created with the magic of the Darkhold, but originated through alternate means like science, mutations, or magic other than that of the Darkhold. They usually possess many vampiric qualities, including appearance and many similar superhuman abilities, but rarely possess their vulnerabilities. Examples of these pseudo-vampires include Michael Morbius, the Hunger, and Bloodscream.
In 2010, Marvel introduced the idea of vampire sects as part of a general "revamping" of the vampires in the Marvel Universe, as seen in "Curse of the Mutants". Sects are diverse as human religions and vampires from different sects might have different characteristics or abilities. The sects shown so far in the one-shot The Death of Dracula are:
The Anchorite Sect are rural outcasts who prefer to hide from humanity and live in peace. [7]
The Aqueos Sect are a race of vampire-converted Atlanteans similar in appearance to the Gill-man from the film Creature from the Black Lagoon . They were thought to have been extinct until human developments in the ocean brought them out of hiding. [7]
The Claw Sect are Middle Eastern-type warriors. They are rivals of the Krieger Sect. [7]
The Charniputra Sect are a race of gargoyle-like vampire subspecies that are mostly seen flying in the Himalayas. Charniputra also have a tough hide that is complicated to damage without the weaknesses. [7]
The Huskie Sect are a race of vampires that are revived as mindless, animalistic creatures. They only follow their base instinct and feed on small animals. The Huskie Sect will not rest until they have completed a task from their human lives. [8]
The Jumlin Sect are a race of vampires that are associated with Native American lore and are allegedly the first vampires on Earth. [9]
The Krieger Sect are Western-type warriors. They are one of the strongest sects. [7]
The Moksha Sect are a group of vampire prophets who gain their powers by feeding as little as possible. [7]
The Mystikos Sect are a group of business vampires with skills at technology. [7]
The Nosferatu Sect are similar to Count Orlok from the film Nosferatu and their need for powerful blood sometimes drives them to attack other vampires. [7]
The Pureblood Sect are a group comprising vampires that were born as vampires. [7]
The Siren Sect are all-beautiful female vampires with powers of seduction. [7]
The Tryk Sect are a powerful, parasitic subspecies of vampires that prefer the blood of other vampires. [10]
A few sects did not appear in The Death of Dracula. These include:
The following vampires are listed in alphabetical order:
The Ultimate Marvel version of vampires are the main villains in Ultimate Avengers 3. Their powers and abilities seem to be the same as those from the mainstream Marvel Universe, including sensitivity to religion, silver, and immense sunlight. [142] The vampires are led by Anthony (a.k.a. Vampire-X), a vampire hunter that had been bitten and turned, and had stolen Iron Man's outdated suit to walk around in the sunlight. He was also a mentor to Blade, Stick, and Stone in the past. Since then, Blade has been moving his way through bosses throughout clans over the last 20 years. Vampire-X outmatched and transformed the Nerd Hulk (a clone of Bruce Banner) into a vampire, and had the Nerd Hulk bite Stick and the new Daredevil. Captain America is later bitten and infected in an attack in the sewers, and is led into battle by the Nerd Hulk as the new boss after having killed Anthony with one punch. Later that night, hundreds of vampires are overrunning Nick Fury's Black Ops team guarding S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Triskelion in New York, turning a few reserve Ultimates (like Giant-Men member Dave Scotty) and even killing Perun. However, Captain America's Super Soldier Serum blood later fights back the infection, after which he returns to normal, and uses Perun's Hammer to teleport the Triskelion to Iran. As hundreds of vampires end up dying, Blade then purges his sword into Stick's chest (now wearing Anthony's Iron Man suit) for the kill, while Captain America takes Perun's Hammer and slays the Nerd Hulk. [142]
Blade is a fictional character and antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, his first appearance was in the comic book The Tomb of Dracula #10 as a supporting character, but he later went on to star in his own storylines. Devoting his life to ridding the world of all vampires, Blade utilizes his unique physiology to become the perfect vampire hunter. While originally depicted as a human immune to vampire bites, Blade was retroactively established to be a dhampir following his adaptation as such in Spider-Man: The Animated Series and the Blade film series. He is the father of Brielle "Bri" Brooks (Bloodline).
The Tomb of Dracula is an American horror comic book series published by Marvel Comics from April 1972 to August 1979. The 70-issue series featured a group of vampire hunters who fought Count Dracula and other supernatural menaces. On rare occasions, Dracula would work with these vampire hunters against a common threat or battle other supernatural threats on his own, but more often than not, he was the antagonist rather than protagonist. In addition to his supernatural battles in this series, Marvel's Dracula often served as a supervillain to other characters in the Marvel Universe, battling the likes of Blade the Vampire Slayer, Spider-Man, the Werewolf, the X-Men, Howard the Duck, and the licensed Robert E. Howard character Solomon Kane.
Hannibal King is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared as a supporting character in the title The Tomb of Dracula, issue #25.
Professor Abraham Van Helsing is a fictional character from the 1897 gothic horror novel Dracula written by Bram Stoker. Van Helsing is a Dutch polymath doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the string of letters that follows his name: "MD, D.Ph., D.Litt., etc.", indicating a wealth of experience, education and expertise. He is a doctor, professor, lawyer, philosopher, scientist, and metaphysician. The character is best known through many adaptations of the story as a vampire slayer, monster hunter and the arch-nemesis of Count Dracula, and the prototypical and the archetypal parapsychologist in subsequent works of paranormal fiction. Some later works tell new stories about Van Helsing, while others, such as Dracula (2020) and I Woke Up a Vampire (2023) have characters that are his descendants.
The Werewolf by Night is the name of two werewolves appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first incarnation of Werewolf by Night, Jack Russell, first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #2. The second incarnation, Jake Gomez, first appeared in Werewolf by Night #1.
Varnae is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Perry and Steve Bissette, the character first appeared in Bizarre Adventures #33. Varnae is a villainous vampire who has been an adversary of several of Marvel's supernatural and fantasy-related heroes, and is a major character in Marvel's Dracula mythos. He is named after Dracula's literary predecessor, Varney the Vampire.
Spitfire is a fictional superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins, the character first appeared in the Invaders comic book series as an intended replacement for the Union Jack character, but the costume design did not fit the female torso. Instead, the character of Spitfire, named after the Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane, was created.
Deacon Frost is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He appears in The Tomb of Dracula, and is an enemy of Blade. In the comics, Deacon Frost was depicted as a tall, white-haired, late middle-aged gentleman with red eyes, and wearing 1860s Germany period clothing. His doppelgänger sported an accent and attire that suggested a Southern preacher.
The Brides of Dracula are fictional characters in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. They are three seductive vampire "sisters" who reside with Count Dracula in his castle in Transylvania, where they entice men with their beauty and charm, and then proceed to feed upon them. Dracula provides them with victims to devour, mainly implied to be infants.
The Midnight Sons are a team of supernatural superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Including Ghost Riders Danny Ketch and Johnny Blaze, Blade, and Morbius, the original team first formed as part of the Rise of the Midnight Sons story arc, culminating in the first full team appearance in Ghost Rider #31. Following the success of the crossovers, Marvel branded all stories involving the group with a distinct family imprint and cover treatment, which lasted from December 1993 to August 1994. The team has been revived several times with different characters, but the most frequent members include Morbius, Blade, and at least one Spirit of Vengeance.
Lilith is the name of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version is the daughter of Dracula. The second version is a demon.
Nightstalkers is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics from 1992 to 1994, featuring a trio of occult experts reluctantly banded together to fight supernatural threats. Operating under the business name Borderline Investigations, the team was composed of vampire hunters Blade and Frank Drake and private detective Hannibal King, all of whom had fought Count Dracula in the 1970s series The Tomb of Dracula. They are gathered by Doctor Strange in Nightstalkers #1 to battle an immediate threat, but under Strange's larger, hidden agenda.
Lucy Westenra is a fictional character in the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. She is the 19-year-old daughter of a wealthy family and is Mina Murray's best friend. Early in the story, Lucy gets proposed to by three suitors, Arthur Holmwood, John Seward, and Quincey Morris, on the same day. Turning the latter two down due to already being in love with Arthur, she accepts his proposal. Before getting the chance to marry, Lucy becomes Count Dracula's first English victim, and despite Seward contacting Abraham Van Helsing for help, she transforms into a vampire. Following her return as a vampire and attacks on children—dubbed the "Bloofer Lady" by them—she is eventually cornered into her crypt by Van Helsing and her suitors who destroy her, putting her soul to rest.
Dracula is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is based on the vampire Count Dracula from the novel of the same name by author Bram Stoker. After the initial run of the series The Tomb of Dracula, the character has been depicted primarily as an antagonist to superheroes in the Marvel Universe.
Baron Blood is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first incarnation of Baron Blood, John Falsworth, first appeared in The Invaders #7, who has been part of the superhero Captain America's rogues gallery since World War II. The second incarnation, Victor Strange, debuted in Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme vol. 3 #10. The third incarnation, Kenneth Crichton, made his first appearance in Captain America #253.
N'Kantu the Living Mummy is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character's first run was from 1973 to 1975, and was based on the popular undead mummy trope of horror fiction.
Janus is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Noah van Helsing is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a supporting character of Blade.
Eric Cross Brooks is a superhero primarily portrayed by Wesley Snipes in the New Line Cinema Blade franchise—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name—commonly known by his alias, Blade. Brooks is depicted as a dhampir with superhuman abilities after his mother was bitten by a vampire while giving birth to him. Brooks is trained as a vampire hunter by Abraham Whistler and dedicates himself to protecting humanity. A variation of the film's storyline was integrated into Spider-Man: The Animated Series by John Semper in 1995 ahead of the first Blade (1998) film, and Blade's redesigned costume and powers were integrated into comics in 1999. Snipes reprised his role in two further sequel films, Blade II (2002) and Blade: Trinity (2004), as well as in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), which incorporated his iteration of the character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise through the multiverse. The character also appeared in Blade: The Series (2006), portrayed by Sticky Fingaz.
"Blood Hunt" is an American comic book crossover event, written by Jed MacKay with art by Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia, published in 2024 by Marvel Comics. The event involves the rise of the Vampire Nation, which is united by a single vision for the first time in millennia.