It's hard to believe, but the one who was destined to become the “Vampire Lord”, the one who was supposed to lead an army of darkness through centuries and millennia, the one who could not be harmed by almost any weapon, still died. And more than once.
For reference
Dracula first appeared in Bram Stoker's novel in 1895. And the debut of Dracula in Marvel Comics took place much later, in 1972. The image of this character was partially taken from a real historical person - Vlad Tepes III, a veteran of the war against Turkey, who lived in the 15th century. Rumor has it that he was cruel and adamant in relation to his enemies, for which he received his nickname.
At first, Dracula
(Marvel Comics) was an ordinary commander from Transylvania. But, when he began to dream of a crushing victory over the Turks, he decided that they were prophetic, and, having gathered a large army, went to seize enemy lands. But it turned out that dreams are not able to change what has long been conceived by the oldest vampire in the world - Varnae. He had completely different plans for Vlad, because he had long been looking for a receiver for himself.
According to the results of the first battles, luck was on his side, and the enemy had to constantly retreat. But very quickly, all the troops were destroyed by the unexpectedly appeared Apocalypse and its horsemen. Vlad himself was seriously injured, but the Turkish commander Turk decided to save his life. He asked his man to take Vlad to the healer Liane, who, being a vampire, not only healed, but also converted him.
For a while
Vlad III Tepes (Dracula) was with the Turok as a slave. And, despite the fact that his vampire abilities developed, he did not use them until the Turk killed his wife. Angry about this, Vlad brutally dealt with the commander and his people, and then fled. But he was tracked down by Nimrod, another vampire lord sent by Varnae to arrange a final check for his successor. Killing him, Dracula proved that he was ready to take a high post.
Abilities
The bite of Lianda, with the help of Varnae, greatly changed Vlad, endowing him with certain abilities:
- Strength. Dracula is able to lift a few tons. In this regard, it is no different from its predecessor. Although he is much stronger than ordinary vampires.
- Healing. Its regenerative ability works perfectly. And what difference does it make if a bloodsucker is considered immortal.
- Fangs. The most important and dangerous tool of any vampire. With the help of fangs, Dracula feeds, and also replenishes his army with new fighters.
- Hypnosis. The character is able to control people and various creatures. He has the gift of suggestion, and only a few can resist his influence.
- Transformation. In dangerous situations, he, like a ninja, can disappear, turning into fog. Practices turning into animals, especially into a bat.
Death number 1
During his life, Dracula (Marvel Comics) turned many people with impunity, but in the case of Rosella Carson, he had problems. Vlad drew the girl and left to live in his castle, not suspecting that an English Puritan, Solomon Kane, was following in her wake. Vlad met him when he fought off a wolf pack. He helped him, but when Kane learned about Rosell, a battle broke out between them. Solomon almost won, but remembering that Dracula had saved him, he decided to retreat.
In less than six months, the vampire went hunting again. He seduced and submitted to his will the daughter of a priest. The father decided to kill the bloodsucker, but he killed him, and then with his wife. A rumor about this reached Kane, who decided to return and finish the job. Armed with a wooden sword and a bunch of garlic, he appeared on the threshold of Dracula's castle.
The count decided not to rush, but to play a little with a daredevil. First, stripped his sword, and then garlic. Solomon had no choice but to pray. And it played a role. Suddenly a wind appeared, lifting a dead body from the earth, which formed a flaming cross. Such a trick weakened Dracula for a second, but it was enough to pierce him with a sharpened cross. Then Solomon burned his body, and the cross remained in his skeleton.
This was a mistake, because a couple of hours after that a group of travelers passed by, who liked the stones that adorned the cross. Having taken out the crucifix, they brought Dracula back to life.
Death number 2
After the events that took place in the Tomb of Dracula # 1 comic book series, the count had to meet a really strong opponent - a mutant named Apocalypse.
It began when the Vampire Lord began to convert and kill members of a London Accaba clan, which he had recently learned about. The case was then handled by policeman Jack Starsmore. One of the clan members - Hamilton Slade - went to look for the killer, but was converted by Dracula. Realizing what was happening, Abraham Van Helsing found Starsmore and told him who was behind all the killings. When the clan found out who was opposing it, the remaining members decided on a desperate act - to awaken the Apocalypse.
Meanwhile, Slade showed Dracula the place where the clan was based. The vampire turned almost everyone except Starsmoor and the henchman of the Apocalypse - Frederick Ferguson. There were so many converts that when the Apocalypse appeared, Ferguson had to teleport him from there. True, he still got a bite.
Gathering the remnants of the clan, Van Helsing and the Apocalypse went to the castle of Dracula. The vampire sensed this and lowered his army on them. During the battle, the Apocalypse found Vlad, but could not cause him harm, because of the bite he became his subordinate. Dracula (Marvel Comics) already wanted to convert the Apocalypse, but Van Helsing intervened, who sprayed holy water in his face, which allowed the mutant to rip out the vampire's heart.
A wooden stake was driven into his body, and then hidden in a cave, closing the entrance to it with a huge stone. But literally a year later, a gypsy, with the help of her assistant, the monster Frankenstein, opened the cave and pulled out a stake, thereby reviving Dracula.
Death number 3
Time passed, and Dracula (Marvel Comics) has long changed his place of residence, moving to the moon. There he found a new castle, settled in it and began to think about the capture of Great Britain. When everything was ready, he sent his numerous troops to fight. But, despite the grandiose plan, Pete Wisdom - a British intelligence agent and director of MI-13 - was able to outwit him.
Ultimately, Dracula's army was defeated. And the vampire himself was seriously injured by Fayza Hussein, armed with Escalibur. King Arthur's sacred weapon did its job, and Dracula turned to ashes. But not for long, since the servants loyal to him immediately collected everything that was left of him and brought the master back to life.
Beyond comics
In general, the character that Jerry Conway and Gene Colan tried to create is still rarely seen. As for the Marvel studio projects, the vampire appeared in one episode of the animated series “Superhero Squad”, where he confronted the Night Werewolf and Iron Man. With Blade, he appeared in the series The Great Spider-Man. And he fought with the Avengers in the animated series "Avengers, the general gathering!".