Summary
Draculahas been a recurrent antagonistin various fictional series, but in theMarvel Universehe has been the most notorious supernatural enemy ever since his debut inThe Tomb Of Dracula.Ever since, the Lord of Vampires has appeared in several comics and faced off against Blade, The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, and even Spider-Man.
This ranked list spotlightsDracula’s most impactful Marvel comics appearances, taking into consideration how well-written the character is, the quality of the art, inking, worldbuilding, and narrative consistency.
7The Tomb Of Dracula
The Best Dracula Comic, Ever
The Tomb of Draculawas the first official Marvel comic featuring Dracula, with continuous publishing that spans 70 issues of action, horror, and mystery. The masterful Gene Colan was at the helm of this incredible journey, accompanied by Marv Wolfman, and with Tom Palmer as inker. It was also the first time Blade, the Daywalker, appeared as one of the team members of a group of vampire hunters looking to stop this legendary evil.
Its unparalleled atmospheric horror proves Colan was a master of the pencil, but he was nearly ousted from the series by Stan Lee. Lee had the idea to give the art direction to Bill Everett, another notorious artist, but Colan was so hellbent on designing the perfect Dracula that he secluded himself in his studio and delivered the perfect sample, taking inspiration from actor Jack Palance to create the vampire. Thankfully, he got the job and created one of the best impressions of the Lord of Darkness ever.
6Doctor Strange #14
A Duel Between The Most Notorious Vampire And The Sorcerer Supreme
Again, Gene Colan proved that he was the absolute best at mixing horror and action, in this incredible comic featuringnone other than Doctor Strangefacing off against Dracula. In an epic duel of sorcery against the powers of the night, mystical forces collide against the preternatural powers of a legendary monster. This issue features a crossover withTomb Of Dracula, which corresponds with Issue #44 which had Colan as the main penciler as well.
Thanks to the release of theDraculamovie (starring Frank Langella) the same year, Colan and Englehart had incredible success, and this issue is considered one of the bestDoctor Strangecomics ever released. Dracula had already appeared in a previous crossover (Giant-Size Spider-Man #1) and would continue to bepart of the Marvel Universe going forward.
5X-Men: Curse Of The Mutants
Xavier’s Children Are Caught In A Duel Between Dracula And His Son
When Xarus, the son of Dracula, decides to take over the world in a contest for power against his father, he manages to actually kill him (for now) and then targets San Francisco with a biological attack. The X-Men (who were going strong after Morrison and Whedon’s runs) resided in Utopia, their own Island near the coast of SF, and got caught in the onslaught. Important members of the team turned into vampires, and the rest went toe-to-toe against all the vampire forces mustered under Xarus' banner.
One of the best things about this comic is that it blends one of thebest mashups between theDraculalore(in Marvel Comics), the X-Men, and Blade, who plays an important role in this story. Mediina and Granov did an excellent job giving life to this dark urban fantasy universe, where terror, action, and thrilling twists are stamped masterfully in every strip. And of course, no Dracula comic would be complete without the return of the Lord of Darkness himself, who comes back after an epic resurrection to beat the hell out of his son, and whoever else stands in his way.
4The Death Of Dracula
A Before And After In Marvel Comics
Gischler and Camuncoli’s one-shot is perhaps one of the best takes on the Dark Lord’s cycle of Death, Resurrection, and Rise to Power. Dracula is the eternal enemy, the foe to vanquish, and one of the supernatural forces that has greatly contributed to the establishment of all the dark forces in Marvel Comics. In this particular run, readers witness the fall of Dracula at the hands of Xarus, his son, an event that triggers a tidal wave that later hits the rest of the Marvel universe (including the events described inX-Men: Curse of the Mutants).
Perhaps one of the best details about Gischler’s worldbuilding was his detailed description of the vampire society in the MU, which portrays several clans, all with their own political (and vampirical) agendas. Some of these clans support Xarus, while others support the eternal Dark Lord, which is the cogwheel that makes the whole plot function seamlessly with its main coup d’état/parricide theme.
3Captain Britain And MI13
The Dark Lord And Doctor Doom Band Together
What is worse than Dracula working from the shadows to sow evil in the world? He and Doctor Doom forming an awkward alliance to destroy everything and dominate the world. Dracula plans on taking over Britain for the vampire race, and Doom is full of ambitions for world domination. As they agree to help each other, the vampire lord accelerates his plans to take over by culling his old enemies.
In one of the most formidable portrayals of the Prince of Darkness, Leonard Kirk and Paul Cornell manage to capitalize on the full extent of Dracula’s horrors, including his army of undying ravenous vampires. The vampire invasion of Britain is described in full detail, including the counterattack of Captain Britain and his allies which only deters the Vampire Lord from invading the British lands, but the cunning foe survives once more and remains a threat to the world.
2Blade: First Bite Issues #1-4
Shows Why Dracula Is One Of Blade’s Oldest And Most Fearsome Enemies
In this prequel short run ofBlade: First Bite, Mark Chater and Bryan Edward Hill portray Dracula through several flashbacks Blade has while talking with the seer, Yumi. It is splendid how this short thoughpowerful recapitulation of Blade’s trajectorymanages to showcase not only the horrors of the Lord Of Darkness himself, but also the psychological burden that the eternal fight against his antithesis has left in him.
This remarkable and colorful short run is a prelude to theBlade #1run by Guggenheim and Chaykin, which is an immediate follow-up and has Dracula as the main antagonist once more.
1Blade #1 2006
The Eternal Foe Comes Back For More
As the eldest vampire alive, Dracula bears a tremendous interest in The Daywalker, both as a foe and a potential ally. Dracula and Blade go way back (ever sinceThe Tomb Of Dracula) and have faced off in many comic issues throughout the many runs of theBladeseries. In some of them, the Dark Lord attempts to recruit Blade to his ranks, an offer which the heroic dhampir has successfully managed to resist (for now).
In Chaykin and Guggenheim’s run of theBladeseries (starting withIssue #1) Dracula has yet another run-in with Blade, stating that vampires are hard to kill, to which Blade responds in kind. Then begins the hunt for a way to rid the world of Dracula’s curse once and for all. But first, the hero needs to track down the Lord of Vampires, facing off against several enemies along the way, includingWolverine, who technically is not a vampirebut is still a tough nail to bite.
