Dracula (Marvel)



Dracula is the most powerful vampire in the Marvel Universe. Though not the first of his kind, he is considered lord of all Earth's vampires. Dracula is the father of Lilith and Janus and is frequently opposed by Blade the vampire hunter.

Origin
Vlad Tepes was a Transylvanian warlord who gained the nickname "Vlad the Impaler" from his particular love of impaling his enemies. In life, he was a highly feared yet respected warlord who stopped at nothing to attain victory. When Vlad began having dreams about winning a battle against the Turks, he decided that his force should take on the invaders, thinking that his dreams were prophetic. Vlad's forces were supposed to lose the battle, due to the deceiving dreams being the work of Varnae, who is truly the first vampire and had chosen Vlad to be his successor, but managed to drive the intruders out using his superior strategic mind and abilities. However, the victory over the Turkish was short-lived, as Vlad's troops were mercilessly slain by Apocalypse and his Riders of the Dark. Vlad was the only survivor of the attack, and he just barely managed that. The warlord Turac had seen the assault, and sent one of his men to aid the injured Vlad, believing that he could use him to lead his military to global domination. Vlad was then sent to the residential healer, Lianda, who turned out to be a vampire. In order to heal Vlad, Lianda made him one of her own.

Dracula then went on to live under the lordship of Turac in one of his towns, and did not realize his vampiric abilities until Turac and his men killed Vlad's wife, Maria. Infuriated by the homicide, Vlad brutally killed Turac and his men. After he had done so, he felt he needed to escape. He dropped off his son, Vlad Tepulus who was named after him, to be raised by a group of residential gypsies and attempted to leave the town. On his way out, he was confronted by a group of Varnae's agents, and was escorted to the lair of Varnae to make a deal with their master. Varnae put Vlad through a series of tests to see if he was truly capable of being the king of the vampires. He was forced to slay Nimrod, who had posed as the ruler of earth's vampires. He did this with some ease, but was soon after confronted and destroyed by a band of priests.

Varnae acknowledged the defeat, but did not give up on Vlad. Varnae resurrected Vlad with the blood of the niece of the head priest who had defeated Vlad. The king of the undead then aimed to kill the girl, but was himself killed by a grateful Dracula. Vlad then drank his blood, and became the king of the undead. This event showed Varnae that Vlad was fit enough to be the king of the vampires, so Varnae decided it was his time to go. After Varnae handmade an enchanted casket for Vlad, to protect him from the sun, he killed himself by walking into the sunlight unshielded. Thus began the reign of Count Dracula. Throughout the next few centuries, Dracula reigned supreme over many European lands. Dracula was often killed, but never stayed defeated; using his mystic and unholy abilities to revive himself upon death.

History
Vlad Dracula is the legendary King of the Vampires. He ruled the Vampire nation for centuries, keeping his identity a secret from humanity, allowing them to believe he is nothing more then a myth. During World War II, Transylvania is invaded by Hydra. He formed an alliance with the Allied Forces and worked closely with Captain America, with the idea of my enemy's, enemy is my friend.

The Cabal
Dracula was contacted by one of the Red Skull's probes with an offer to join his Cabal. A collection of villains gathered to help defeat the Avengers.

Blood Feud
The Avengers battle Dracula who had kidnapped Black Widow and turned her into a Vampire. They travel to Transylvania and confront him at Castle Dracula. He reveals that he was an ally of Captain America during World War II, working together to defeat the invading Hydra forces. He wants the Super-Soldier Serum in Cap's blood which will allow him and his subject the ability to go out in the sunlight. During the fight he drinks the Hulk's blood absorbing his powers and turning the Hulk into a Vampire. However the Hulk gamma cells act like tiny suns and he burns away the infection, which also weakens Dracula. In his defeat his minion drag him underground to safety. In his weakened state he is met by the Red Skull who offered him a position in his Cabal.

Powers
Vampirism: Dracula, like all other vampires, is capable of transforming an individual into a vampire by biting them. A special enzyme found only within vampire saliva is responsible for this transformation. After draining all of the blood from a victim, the victim enters a death-like state and returns to life three days later.
 * Superhuman Strength: Like all vampires, Dracula possesses superhuman strength. Due to his special stance as the ruler of Earth's Vampires, Dracula can lift about 4 tons under optimum conditions. With the possible exception of Varnae, Dracula is the most powerful vampire that has ever been encountered.
 * Superhuman Speed: Dracula is capable of running and moving at speeds greater than even the finest human athlete.
 * Superhuman Stamina: Dracula's body is more resistant to the fatigue toxins generated by his muscles during physical activity. He can exert himself at peak capacity for several hours before fatigue begins to affect him.
 * Superhuman Agility: Dracula's ability, balance, and body coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural limits of the human body.
 * Superhuman Reflexes: Dracula's natural reaction time is enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural limits of the human body.
 * Regenerative Healing Factor: Dracula is capable of regenerating damaged or destroyed tissue to an extent much greater than an ordinary human. Dracula can fully heal from multiple gunshots and severe burns within a matter of minutes, however he cannot regenerate missing limbs or organs.
 * Immortality: Dracula, like all vampires, is functionally immortal in the sense that he is immune to the effects of aging and is immune to all known Earthly diseases as long as he ingests fresh blood on a regular basis to maintain his vitality. Once killed, Dracula's power is such that he can resurrect himself under the proper conditions. if incinerated (as by sunlight or fire), Dracula can reconstitute himself if his ashes are placed in a coffin filled with soil from his homeland. If staked through the heart, Dracula can regenerate once the stake is removed.
 * Fangs: Like all vampires, Dracula has fangs and claws. He can quickly drain a victim of blood.
 * Hypnotism: Dracula is able to hypnotize others by gazing into their eyes for a short period of time. As Lord of Vampires, Dracula can compel other vampires to follow his orders unless their willpower is strong enough to resist him.
 * Shapeshifting: Dracula is able to shape shift into bats, rats, a wolf, and mist. He can also turn into human-sized or larger wolfen and bat-like forms.
 * Sorcery: Dracula is a very powerful magician. He is able to summon and command lesser vampires, undead, packs of wild dogs, bats, and rats.
 * Weather Manipulation: He has considerable control over the elements and weather, enough to oppose Storm or Thor. However, Dracula is severely weakened for an extend period of time afterward.
 * Mind Control: A person bitten by Dracula is able to be influenced by him through a sort of empathic link. Only beings of exceptionally strong wills are capable of resisting him.