Of all the things that go bump in the night, nothing has terrified the imaginations of mortal man quite like the vampire. From before Bram Stoker’s spine chilling novel to the sparkling pretty boys of today, the vampire has taken on the form which best suits our desires and our fears.
The vampire has been a vehicle to tell stories of terror and hope, damnation and redemption. The vampire is often the villain of the piece but sometimes, in some cases despite themself, the vampire becomes the hero and finds a little light creep back into their cold, dead hearts.
10 Vincent Velcoro-DC
Looking at 30 years in the brig for wounding a superior officer, Vincent Velcoro opted for Project M’s experimental treatment. The mandate of Project M was to use Man’s natural fears against the Third Reich. Scientists injected Velcoro with chemicals that gave him various abilities including transformation, strength, speed, and the need to consume human blood.
Along with archetypes for the Frankenstein’s Monster, a werewolf and later, a gorgon, they formed the Creature Commandos. Velcoro and the others often clashed with their human commander, Lt. Matthew Shrieve, whose cold nature toward humanity made him the most monstrous of them all.
9 Hellcow-Marvel
Hellcow was simply a cow named Bessie that was grazing in a field in Switzerland one night in the late 17th Century until a starving Dracula found her. Unable to find any humans to feed on, he drained Bessie. Her owner loved Bessie and buried her. After three nights, Bessie arose having gained the powers of a vampire and self-awareness. She vowed vengeance on Dracula, although she didn’t know who, what or where he was.
Bessie’s search continued for over 300 years and brought her to North America. While in Cleveland, she ran into Howard the Duck, who staked and buried her. Later, she aided Deadpool in escaping a mad scientist who had captured them both in a bid to achieve immortality.
8 Starbreaker-DC
Known on the planet Thanagar as the Luciphage or “light-eater”, Starbreaker is a cosmic vampire, feeding on the energy of galaxies and stars, as well as life-forces. Starbreaker found that the humanoid life-force “burns” brightest when the person is in distress or near death. Starbreaker began targeting highly populated planets. This brought him to the attention of the Justice League.
The League thwarted Starbreaker’s attempt to take over the planet Rann with giant mechanical ants. A later encounter with the League left him stranded in a universe devoid of energy but not before he ignites that Rann Thanagar War.
7 Lilith-Marvel
Lilith is the daughter of Dracula, having been born to him when both were human and turned into a sort of “living vampire” by the gypsy sorceress who raised her. Lilith has all the powers of a vampire but none of the limitations. She could also never die as long as Dracula lived. Her hatred for her father is all-consuming, however, she cannot kill him directly.
Lilith possessed Shadowcat to read the Montesi Formula from the Darkhold, bringing her into conflict with the X-Men. But after she explained to them what she was doing; they reluctantly agreed. Dracula briefly possessed Storm but Lilith was successful at destroying him for a time and turning Storm back.
6 Batman of Earth 43-DC
Dracula had come to Gotham and Bruce Wayne was inundated with horrific dreams. He was being visited by a female vampire, Tonya, who was biting Bruce but not drinking his blood to give him vampiric powers to battle Dracula. A savage battle took place at the Batcave where Batman prevailed by impaling Dracula on a tree that was struck by lightning. Batman had lost all his blood in the battle, sacrificing his humanity.
However, the city had turned dark and the undead began to overrun the city. With the death of Catwoman, Batman drained and decapitated his human enemies, so as to not create new vampires and destroyed the existing vampires, including the Joker. Becoming worse than the monsters he once battled, the human heroes were forced to put a stake to the Vampire Batman.
5 Hannibal King-Marvel
Hannibal King was a normal human private investigator. He was killed in a factory with everyone present by vampire Deacon Frost. King awoke three days later in the morgue, horrified at what he had become. King vowed never to bite a living human. King sustained himself on animals, blood banks and corpses. Because of their shared foe, Blade and King worked together for the first time to take Frost down.
Dr. Strange conjured the full Montesi Formula to destroy all the vampires. Because King had never drunk human blood, it didn’t destroy him, although he did need a full blood transfusion to survive. The Montessi Formula failed. King, Blade and Frank Drake, a human descendant of Dracula, formed Borderline Investigations, which specialized in the Occult.
4 Looker-DC
Emily “Lia” Briggs was already the psionic hero Looker, formerly of the Outsiders, when she was turned into a vampire while on a trip to Markovia. The vampire, Roderick, transformed Looker into a “Daywalker” and took mental control of her. Roderick made her his consort and she battled her former teammates. After being reminded of her husband, she was able to break free and killed Roderick.
Looker next emerged in Gotham where she continued her modeling career while hunting and killing vampires. She tried to warn Batman that “something” was coming to Gotham that even scared the creatures of the night. That something was Darkseid and the apparent “death” of Batman.
3 Blade-Marvel
Blade is Eric Brooks, the son of a prostitute who was bitten giving birth by vampire Deacon Frost. Frost passed his powers on to Eric. Frost was driven off by the prostitutes and they raised the boy until he met Jamal Afari, an old jazz trumpeter, and vampire hunter. Afari taught Eric all he knew about killing vampires. Afari was turned by Dracula and killed by Blade.
Blade’s early cockiness cost him several allies. Despite himself, he realized that he needed help and allied himself with various people. Most famously were Hannibal King and Frank Drake, who made up Borderline Investigations. He helped Dr. Strange cast the Montesi Formula to rid the world of vampires. Blade has been the go-to person when dealing with vampires and the undead for the Avengers, Excalibur, and MI:6.
2 Andrew Bennett/I, Vampire-DC
A lord in the court of Queen Elizabeth, Andrew Bennett was attacked and left for dead by a vampire. Rising three days later, the strong-willed and noble Bennett vowed to not feed off of humans. He only broke this vow was when his lover, Mary Seward, chose to share his existence. Mary was not strong and gave into her vampiric impulses. She left Bennett and started a secret society of vampires called the Blood Red Moon. Bennett and Seward battled around the globe for centuries.
In addition to thwarting the actions of the Blood Red Moon, Bennett became mixed up in the world of superheroes and mystics. While pursuing Mary into Gotham, Bennett has encountered the Batman on several occasions. He was among the magical creatures who sought refuge in the Oblivion Bar during the Spectre’s rampage. Bennett absolutely hates magician John Constantine.
1 Dracula-Marvel
Born Vlad Tepes, he grew to become a brutal Transylvanian warlord who took particular pleasure in impaling his victims. Vlad’s forces were wiped out by Apocalypse and his forces. Vlad barely escaped and is sent to the local healer who was a vampire. She turned Vlad and he used his powers to slaughter the local warlord after he killed Vlad’s wife, Maria. This brought him to the attention of the centuries-old Vampire king Varnae. After a series of tests, Dracula succeeded Varnae as King of the Vampires.
Dracula has battled generations of the Van Helsing, Harker, and Drake (his own ancestors) families. He aided Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos against the Nazis in WWII. Dracula once battled Thor when he tried to make the Lady Sif his bride and the X-Men when he did the same with Storm.