Frank Drake (Marvel)
Frank Drake is a male comic character who features in Marvel Comics.
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Biography
Frank Drake was a male human who came to be born in the modern age. In reality, he was a direct mortal descendant of Dracula which was the source of his family name after they had left Romania and changed it to an Anglicized form. When his father died, Drake inherited 1 million dollars and Dracula's castle. It was during this time that he met Clifton Graves and Jeanie Ovington, ultimately winning the latter's affection despite her previous relationship with Graves. He came to be a millionaire playboy where over the course of 3 years he squandered his inheritance leaving him nothing more than an ancestral castle in his assets. Planning to sell it, Drake and friends travelled to Transylvania where the castle was located. Drake knew that his father had intended to sell it, but had failed to find a buyer. After Drake lost his fortune, almost everyone left him. Yet Ovington accepted his proposal, and Graves remained his friend. It was also Graves who came up with a solution for Drake's predicament: transforming Dracula's castle into a tourist attraction. Together, the trio embarked on a journey to Transylvania to bring their plans to fruition. It was later discovered that this was the castle of Count Dracula, though Drake never truly believed in the Dracula legends. Drake and his friends stumble across the skeleton of Dracula and accidentally resurrected him. Drake narrowly escaped death when Dracula recognized Drake as a descendant. Eventually, Drake decided to move where he came to relocate to London. Ultimately, Drake and his friends reached the castle. Through their journey, and as they wandered the ruins, Drake was filled with a sense of foreboding. It was far from groundless. In fact, Graves planned to kill Drake and take the castle and Jeannie for himself. However, that did not come to pass, as he stumbled upon the actual reason for Drake's premonitions - a coffin containing the skeleton of Dracula, from which he foolishly removed a wooden stake, resurrecting the vampire in the process. Graves was trapped by Dracula, who set his sights on Ovington. Armed with knowledge from his ancestors' journal, Drake valiantly fought Dracula and rescued his fiancé. This, however, was only a temporary victory. During his next attack, Dracula managed to turn Ovington into a vampire despite Drake's precautions. A tense standoff between Drake and his vampiric ancestor ensued, only to be interrupted by the arrival of villagers who, alarmed by Dracula's return, set the castle ablaze. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #1)
Soon, Drake concocted a revenge plan. Managing to finally sell the now-heavily damaged castle, Drake hired a helper and bribed the airport officials, and set out to steal Dracula's coffin. However, he found more than just a coffin; Graves was still there, trapped where Dracula left him. Unaware of Graves' plans nor his responsibility for Dracula's return, Drake rescued his friend. Together, accompanied by the stolen coffin, they embarked on a journey to London. Dracula, determined to reclaim his coffin, sent Ovington after them. While Drake resisted Ovington's influence, Graves succumbed to her hypnotic powers and set her free. Soon, Dracula joined the attack, and Drake found himself overwhelmed. However, Dracula's plan took an unexpected turn when Ovington, consumed by her insatiable thirst for blood, attempted to feed on Graves. This snapped Graves out of his trance and Drake, using a broken piece of a wooden chair nearby, drove it into Ovington's back to help his friend. As dawn was approaching, Dracula escaped, but the weakened Ovington was unable to, perishing in the light of the rising Sun. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #2)
Broke and in despair, Drake attempted to commit suicide but was saved by Rachel van Helsing and Taj Nital, two vampire hunters. Through them, Drake met Quincy Harker, the son of Jonathan Harker and Mina Harker whose tale was told in Bram Stoker's novel. Rachel was the granddaughter of Abraham Van Helsing. Drake learned that Dracula had eventually caused the death of Jonathan Harker and Abraham Van Helsing some years after they had defeated him in the book's events. Quincy, Rachel, and Taj were dedicated to killing Dracula and his vampiric followers. Frank Drake joined Quincy Harker's band of vampire hunters under the close tutelage of Rachel van Helsing and Quincy Harker.
Drake soon encountered Blade with whom Drake constantly clashed but would eventually become a valued friend. Later, alongside Brother Voodoo, Drake battled zombies sent by Dracula. Drake, Blade, Van Helsing, Harker, and Harold H. Harold even helped Dracula battle Doctor Sun.
Another ally that Drake eventually met was vampire detective Hannibal King, whom Drake would come to trust because of Blade. Alongside Harker's vampire hunters, Drake battled Dracula, resulting in the death of Janus.
Although a close friendship grew between Drake and van Helsing, their potential for romantic involvement remained shaky due to Frank's lack of self-confidence and Rachel's fear of intimacy.
Overview
Personality and attributes
Over time, his look hardened into that of a rugged monster hunter, often wearing practical clothing like jackets, vests, and combat gear suited for vampire hunting (Nightstalkers v1 #3)
Initially self-centered and shallow, he grew into a man of integrity, resilience, and compassion. His defining trait is his courage despite lacking supernatural gifts—he chose to fight monsters armed only with intelligence, technology, and sheer will. His guilt over resurrecting Dracula drives much of his character, but he channels that regret into determination rather than despair. While more cautious and measured compared to Blade’s ferocity or King’s cynicism, Frank’s empathy and moral center make him indispensable as the team’s heart. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #50)
Powers and abilities
Frank Drake is a capable hand-to-hand combatant, and an experienced marksman.
He has been known to carry conventional handguns.
He developed custom weaponry designed specifically to fight vampires, including ultraviolet lamps, wooden-bullet firearms, and specialized vehicles outfitted for anti-monster warfare. (Nightstalkers v1 #7)
Notes
- Frank Drake was created by Gene Colan and Gerry Conway where he made his first appearance in Tomb of Dracula v1 #1 (April, 1972).
In other media
Films
- In Blade: Trinity, a character taking the name Drake appeared as the main antagonist in the setting of the 2004 live-action film.
Appearances
- Tomb of Dracula v1: (1972)
- Nightstalkers v1:
External Links
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