Vampires (Marvel)

Latest revision as of 11:13, 27 May 2024

Vampires in Vampires: The Marvel Undead v1 #1.

Vampires are undead beings that feature in Marvel Comics.

History

Origin

Vampires

Their origins were said to be traced to the time before the Cataclysm that engulfed the world in its early years. A cabal of dark wizards that served the slain ruler Thulsa Doom sought vengeance for their lord and attained the parchments of Chthon. With it, they intended to cast a dark spell on the world with one of their number named Varnae who was dying deciding to volunteer to be subjected to it. The ritual sacrifice saw him being killed and then arose as the first of the Vampire race that walked the Earth. The hunger for blood consumed the Vampires who turned on their creators and began to prey on humanity with them dispersing from Atlantis before its sinking in the Cataclysm. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #11) One of the oldest sects of Vampires were the Aqueos who were aquatic variants many of whom were derived from Atlanteans but some were members of other races. According to legend, the first of the Aqueos was formed of Sh'g'th tissue created by beings from the stars. (Namor: The First Mutant v1 #4) They established themselves in the darkest waters of the ocean where they settled in the Aqueos Hidden City that contained writings on its ancient walls that were the basis for all Earth magic. Within the city, there stood black stone buildings that were known as the Seventh World of the Ancients and also as R'llyeh or also the First Atlantis with this area being called The Cellar of the Earth. Knowledge of the Aqueos city were detailed in the Lemurian witch-scrolls with Zarta speaking of them. (Namor: The First Mutant v1 #3) Within the city, sat the Aqueos elders or Old Ones that were obese members of their kind that were so large that they could not speak or move but their dark energy empowered their warrior drones so long as they remained within their home territory. (Namor: The First Mutant v1 #4)

In 2000 B.C., in the region known as Sumeria, Varnae forced a mystic named Aamshed to create a ritual which would make the vampire lord into a god. However he could not complete the ritual as it must be performed in one's homeland, and Atlantis had long ago sunk beneath the ocean. (Tomb of Dracula v4 #2)

During the age of Vikings; Varnae came to travel to the new world and attacked a Norse colony in North America where he turned the settlers into Vampires. A young girl escaped and prayed to the gods for help with Thor Odinson answering the call who came to battle the hordes of Vampires and eventually facing the first vampire himself. He was able to drive off Varnae and destroyed the vampire settlers by directing sunlight at them leaving only the young girl alive. (Marvel Comics Presents v1 #63)

By 1459, the vampire lord Varnae had grown tired of his ages-long existence and looked for a successor to take on the title. He came to chose the mortal Dracula as his successor as lord of Earth's vampires, and imparted much of his supernatural power to him by forcing Dracula to drink his blood. Varnae then committed suicide by exposing himself to direct sunlight. (Bizarre Adventures v1 #33) In 1591, the young girl who had summoned Thor six centuries before, arrived at the English colony of Roanoke which will one day be part of North Carolina. She was revealed to be a vampire and turned all the 121 settlers into vampires, leaving only one message carved into a tree: Croatoan. (Marvel Comics Presents v1 #63)

In an effort to create a supersoldier to be used against the Nazis, Weapon Plus seized control of the Ravencroft Institute to experiment on its inmates. These experiments were secretly conducted by Dracula and Baron Blood who wished to remove the vampires' traditional weaknesses by turning their patients into mutated vampires. However, all of these experiments ended in failure, leaving the test subjects, labelled the Unwanted to be imprisoned. Dr. Jonas Ravencroft had enough of these sick experiments and unleashed the Unwanted on the Weapon Plus personnel. (Ruins of Ravencroft: Dracula v1 #1)

Dracula then looked to secure a non-aggression pact with Doctor Doom in order to allow him to conquer Britain and turn it into a vampire state. (Captain Britain and MI-13 v1 #10)

Death of Dracula

During the centennial gathering of Vampires, the sects spoke of their concerns over the growing human population where the question of leadership came before Dracula. At this moment, his son Xarus usurping his father by staking him with likeminded leaders thus taking control of the entirety of Vampirekind who intended to conquer Earth. However, he lost the support of the Krieger and Claw sects but Xarus intended to solidify his power by sending his minions with lightbending technology that allowed them to stage an assault in daylight against the Krieger stronghold. Janus attempted to rally rebels against his brother only for the Claw sect to betray him thus allowing Xarus undisputed rule of vampires. (Death of Dracula v1 #1)

War of the Vampires

A group of Vampires sought to use a virus made from Morbius in a plot to spread a disease to wipe out the human race. He refused leading to them forcibly capturing him as they sought to create a virus that made bones brittle to spread among mankind. (Domino v3 #8)

The makings of this new civil war for the throne of their kind came to head when a faction emerged led by the Shadow Colonel who sought to take control of all Vampires from Dracula. (Avengers v8 #12) Leading his Legion of the Unliving, they struck at Castle Dracul where they killed the vampire guards stationed there as they attempted to murder Dracula. However, their quarry was missing and the attack triggered a diaspora among the vampires that were fleeing to various parts of the world to feed on humans. The Shadow Colonel then directed his attention against the Avengers as he sought to kill Dracula and claim his position as Lord of the Damned. (Avengers v8 #14) The Colonel then began purging various groups of vampires from the world in an effort to reunify the race under his control where he intended to make them stronger with this bringing him into conflict with the Avengers. (Avengers v8 #15)

Following the establishment of the Mutant nation of Krakoa, the Vampires began a recruitment drive and increasing their numbers in secret. This surge in activity saw a response from vampire-hunters from the Nightguard with Louise hunting them in Paris. (Wolverine v7 #1)

Blood Hunt

Overview

Vampires require the fresh blood of living beings, preferably the blood of humans, in order to sustain their physical existence and, usually, obtained it by biting their victims and draining their blood. The bite of a vampire transferred a very mysterious enzyme found only within the saliva of a vampire into the bloodstream of the victim. If the vampire drank enough blood to cause the death of the victim, this enzyme would trigger an unusual metabolic change within the victim's body, beginning with the production of an unusual green liquid referred to as ichor into the bloodstream. (Blade v4 #1)

A vampire can make most human beings into its temporary slave if he or she could catch their gaze for a sufficient amount of time, usually only a matter of seconds. The exact length of time needed to mesmerize the victim depends on the strength of will of the vampire and that of his or her victim. (X-Men: Blue v1 #27)

Vampires have a mystical aversion to entering any human dwelling place to which they were not verbally invited. A human bitten by a vampire but not fully transformed can invite a vampire. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #159) This appears to only be the case with personal dwellings, as vampires have been seen entering public buildings without the need of being invited inside. Vampires have been shown to burst into flames if they enter a private residence without being invited first. (Captain Britain and MI-13 v1 #15)

Silver weapons can kill vampires in a similar fashion to wooden ones, though very powerful vampires such as Dracula are resistant enough so they cannot be killed by such. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #70)

Once a century, a gathering was called among the various Vampire sects. (Death of Dracula v1 #1)

Their society were divided into a number of different sects which included:

• Anarchy : a lesser known sect that never sent a delegation during the vampire gatherings. (Death of Dracula v1 #1)
• Anchorite : American rural outcasts who were a lesser aggressive sect that mostly hide away from their brethren where they were content tending sheep and taking pigs blood thus living an existence cut off from both humans as well as other vampires. (Death of Dracula v1 #1)
• Charniputra :
• Claw : Middle Eastern type warriors who were one of the two most powerful sects and often seated next to the Krieger in order to remind them that they were not the only force among their kind. (Death of Dracula v1 #1)
• Krieger : Western European type warriors who were one of the two most powerful sects and often seated next to the Claw in order to remind them that they were not the only force among their kind. They cherished hierarchy and the chain of command as well as believed in honor with a warrior code that meant that they did not surrender. (Death of Dracula v1 #1)
• Moksha : a strange breed who go for long periods without feeding and taste the blood of birds or rats in order to allow them to experience precognitive visions of the future. (Death of Dracula v1 #1)
• Mystikos : American Vampires who were more modern and technical sect among the group that handled electronics. (Death of Dracula v1 #1)
• Nosferatu :
• Purebloods :
• Siren : consisted entirely of seductresses. (Death of Dracula v1 #1)
• Jumlin :
• Trykes :

Certain vampires once practiced an event known as the Darkside Dance that was a vampire underground fighting ring. (Spider-Man vs. Vampires v1 #1)

A drug Fang was created that used a chemically enhanced version of the vampire hemoglobin to create artificial vampires. (Spider-Man vs. Vampires v1 #1)

Typically, it was said that vampires avoided the use of magic. (Captain Britain and MI-13 v1 #11)

A prophecised figure in their society was the Varkis who was a messiah that was said to unite all the vampire houses under their banner. Such an individual was said to be the ultimate vampire with powers that indicated them to be of Mutant origin. An item related to them was the Khandra that contained information on how to kill the Varkis. Pictograms depicted the manner and individual that would be responsible for killing the Varkis. (Wolverine vs. Blade Special v1 #1)

The collective people were referred to as the Vampire Nation. (Wolverine v7 #1)

Other organisations of vampires included:

• Mortuus Invitus :
• Unforgiven :
• Structure :

Members

• Varnae :
• Lamia :
• Yulan :
• Dracula :
• Nimrod the First :
• Janus :
• Xarus :
• Lilith :
• Baron Blood :
• Baroness Blood :
• Solomon Negus : a male 2000 year old Sudanese vampire foe of Dracula who once defeated him and operated a drug trafficking along with underground vampire fighting ring that dealt in the use of Fang in creating artificial vampires. (Spider-Man vs. Vampires v1 #1)
• Deacon Frost :
• Bloodstorm One :
• Blade :
• Hannibal King :
• Victor Strange :
• Topher :
• Raizo Kodo :
• Aaron Thorne :
• Jubilee :
• Shadow Colonel : (Avengers v8 #14)
• Sarge :
• Rat Bomber :
• Snowsnake :
• Carpathian :
• Megrim :
• Cruel :
• Damascene :
• Smoke Eater :
• Unusual :
• Reese :
• Soldier :
• T'Challa :

Notes

• Vampires were created by Al Fagaly where they made their first appearance in Marvel Mystery Comics v1 #35 (September, 1942).
• They were based on the myth of Vampires.
• In Marvel Zombies: The Book of Angels, Demons & Various Monstrosities v1 #1 (2007), Vampires received an entry in the guide book where they were referred to as the Children of the Night.

Alternate Versions

• In Ultimate Avengers v1 (2010), an alternate version of Vampires appeared in the reality of Ultimate Marvel set on Earth-1610 in the Multiverse. Their powers and abilities seem to be the same as the mainstream Marvel Universe, including sensitivity to religion, silver, and immense sunlight. 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 turned the Nerd Hulk who was a clone of Bruce Banner, 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 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 for the kill, while Captain America takes Perun's Hammer and slays the Nerd Hulk.
• In Uncanny X-Force v1 #23 (2012), an alternate version of Vampires appeared in the world designated as Earth-235 in the Multiverse. It was said to be a planet that was populated by vampire Eternals.

In other media

Television

• In Marvel Anime: Blade, they featured as the primary antagonists of these series where they were opposed by Blade. It was said that garlic and the cross had no effect on them but were simply mythology though silver worked well where when killed they erupted into flames and disintegrated. Purebloods were natural born vampires that had survived for millennia where they rue over the assorted clans and were the sovereigns of the night. One vampire organization included Existence led by Deacon Frost that sought to become a major power player in South Asia. In Japan, they operated Club Feed that seemed as a normal nightclub but was actually a place where they lured humans in order to trap them and feed. There were shown to be different breeds of vampires with different abilities such as the vampire Radu who turned into a werewolf-kind of beast that was immune to silver bullets and more powerful. Another was a Japanese vampire breed known as the Suikou that were three fingered fanged werecats that resembled lions with a winged membrane beneath the arm that could spin into balls to smash into opponents who were much more powerful underwater and tended to bond well with vampire monster cats to serve them. The Mandurugo were feathered white winged vampires with long necks and razor sharp clawed monstrous legs from Philippino folklore. Another was the ancient dreaded Manananggal that resembled a bipedal female monstrous green scaled beings with wings who could split their upper body from their torso with tendrils moving about in the air. From Malaysia came the Polong resembling a red skinned being with small horns and reverse jointed legs that were a breed from Malaysia with one being genetically engineered that resembled a red skinned being that could pit in a small bottle but if fed human blood than it would obey the commands of its master. Once fed, the creature grew into the size of a child where it multiplied into a number of copies. Another was the legendary Russian vampires known as the Upyr that could turn their skin to steel. Following the death of the Pureblood Lucius, the remaining nobles debated on how to eliminate both Existence and Blade. The U.S. Army and CIA were also involved a secret operation during the Vietnam War known as Project V that used a special drug - actually vampire blood - developed by A.I.M. and used on soldiers to turn them into vampire super-soldiers with an implant in their brain to control them. However, a bomber strike destroyed their headquarters leading to them being freed from the mind control leading to the Project being scrapped and its officers going into hiding leaving the artificial vampire trapped and unable to return to their old lives. This led to many of them falling into despair as one by one they committed suicide by stepping into the sunlight leaving only Sargent Stan he only survivor of Project V.
• In Avengers Assemble, the episode "Blood Feud" features Dracula and vampires where they were shown to be supernatural creatures stronger than humans that could reconstitute their bodies making them resistant to harm. Tony Stark believed that they were not magical beings but rather used technology that mimicked magic namely the use of non-genetic biodrivers that was a form of biotech that used blood to transfer data that piggy backed commands through white blood cells. These undead creatures serve their master who ruled Transylvania by World War II when his land was threatened by the Red Skull leading to him joining forces with Captain America and the Allies. By the modern age, their territory suffered from encroachment from the growing human population and thus allied with Red Skull after he received an invitation to join his Cabal. This led to him transforming the Black Widow into a vampire and sending a group of them attacking Stark Tower and the Avengers. As a result, Captain America leads the team to Transylvania to confront Dracula and cure Black Widow leading to further battles with the vampires. After their master's defeat, they return to his side when he escaped and later aided in his recovery by placing tubes that fed blood into his weakened body. Afterwards, it was shown that Hydra scientist Whitney Frost was conducting experiments on vampires in order to create Hydra supersoldiers with this project being stopped by the Avengers. However, Frost's actions drew the ire of Dracula who alongside his vampire horde attempted to kidnap Whitney to punish her for her actions but she was saved by Hawkeye.

Films

• In the Blade Trilogy, Vampires appeared in the setting of the shared continuity setting:
  • In Blade, Vampires served as the primary antagonists in the setting of the live-action film. They were shown as a separate parasitic species of mankind with their origins more traced to biology instead of magic.

Video games

• In Marvel: Avengers Alliance, Vampires appeared in the setting of the Facebook video game.

Appearances

• Marvel Mystery Comics v1:
• Bizarre Adventures v1:
• Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1:
• Captain Britain and MI-13 v1: (2009)
• Death of Dracula v1: (2010)
• Domino v3:
• Avengers v8:
• Wolverine vs. Blade Special v1:
• Wolverine v7:

External Links

• Marvel Wiki Entry
• Comicvine Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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