Dracula is one of Marvel's most deceptively versatile villains, a dangerous threat who nevertheless feels right at home fighting everyone from Blade to the X-Men. He's consistently entertaining but can still be genuinely terrifying when the story calls for it. While he may have seemed like an unlikely figure to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in past years, the franchise's increasing embrace of the supernatural indicates that the day may be coming for the Lord of the Vampires to make his way to the superhero universe.

With the success of Werewolf by Night firmly introducing the world of monsters to the MCU, it's likely fans can expect to see more of the supernatural side of the superhero universe. On top of introducing the Bloodstone family to audiences and establishing the existence of werewolves and Man-Thing, the MCU is poised to bring witches and vampires to the forefront with the upcoming Agatha Harkness: Coven of Chaos series and a new cinematic take on Blade.

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All of this also potentially sets the stage for one of Marvel's most iconic and memorable supernatural forces of evil to make his way to the big screen -- Dracula. Due to his status as a public domain character, Dracula can appear in all sorts of stories and adaptations. The superhero universe introduced Dracula in The Tomb of Dracula #1 by Marv Wolfman, Gerry Conway, Gene Colan and John Costanza, who was the undisputed king of the Vampires. He moved behind the scenes for centuries, siring three children and siring a version of the villainous Baron Blood. In the modern era, though, Dracula found himself increasingly confronting enemies in the public eye and coming afoul of major superheroes.

Over the years, Dracula has become one of Marvel's most quietly versatile villains. He's attempted to turn the X-Men's Storm into his undead Queen, faced off repeatedly with Blade, thrown down with Silver Surfer and the Avengers, and became a major reoccurring foe to Doctor Strange. Strange's battles against Dracula -- which even briefly wiped out all vampires on Earth -- are some of the hero's most memorable challenges. Dracula has also found tenuous alliances with figures like Doctor Doom, who stood aside while Dracula attempted to invade Great Britain and faced off with Captain Britain and MI:13.

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Throughout, Dracula has proven a memorable antagonist -- quick to throw an insult as well as a punch, an aristocrat who believes those he fights are beneath him. Even though Marvel's film version of Dracula technically debuted in Blade Trinity, the dour and burly brawler is largely unrecognizable from the more dramatic and overtly ambitious version that should be in the MCU.

Dracula is one of Marvel's most underrated villains, and with the supernatural forces coming more heavily into play as the MCU shifts into Phase 5, now would be the ideal time to establish Dracula. He could become everything from a flexible minor villain capable of threatening any sort of hero to a Halloween fixture capable of carrying his minor stories in the universe. He could also be established as a major threat for Blade to overcome, even justifying his apparent recruitment of Black Knight during the post-credits scene of Eternals. Dracula could even become a dark horse contender for a new big bad in the MCU, as his power level puts him at a level few heroes can match on their own. Dracula has all the potential in the world -- especially if the MCU finds a way to incorporate the fun edges that have defined the comics version.