While zombies, witches, and other supernatural creatures often share the spotlight, vampires are still a constant presence in pop culture. They're always lurking in the shadows, ready for their next close-up. Vampires are endlessly flexible creatures that can embody everything from death and destruction to a tortured desire for intimacy and redemption.
One thing all vampires from comics, film, TV, and video games have in common is a set of supernatural powers and abilities. These can include mind control, ever-lasting life, and, of course, super-strength. However, strength can come in many forms. Sometimes, vampires' strength comes from their mental fortitude or their ability to fight and overcome vampire hunters.
Updated on March 3, 2024 by Alan Mehanna: This list has been updated to adhere to CBR's most recent standards for formatting.
20 Eli Is an Ancient Vampire in a Child's Body
Let The Right One In (2008)
10 Best Vampire Films That Aren't Dracula or Twilight
The horror genre has many more vampire movies to offer beyond the Twilight franchise and traditional Dracula tales, such as Near Dark and Martin.Let the Right One In is a Swedish film remade as Let Me In. It centers on the budding friendship between a bullied human boy and an ancient vampire in a child's body. As such, Eli's youthful looks put her at a disadvantage. Eli still craved companionship and understanding, and she became increasingly involved with her neighbor.
Eli believed they were two of a kind since he wanted to kill his bullies just as much as she wanted to feed. Eli murdered and dismembered the bullies in a burst of violence to show they were capable of overwhelming brutality and tenderness in equal measures. However, murdering children doesn't exactly make one a powerful vampire.
Let the Right One In
Oskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.
- Director
- Tomas Alfredson
- Release Date
- October 24, 2008
- Cast
- Kåre Hedebrant , Lina Leandersson , Per Ragnar
- Runtime
- 114 minutes
19 Damon Salvatore Can Easily Control His Bloodlust
The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017)
It's almost impossible to talk about Damon Salvatore without bringing up his younger brother, Stefan. They both became vampires at the same time but have evolved into very different members of the undead. While the snarky, charismatic Damon drinks human blood, Stefan sticks with animal blood. In the lore of The Vampire Diaries, this means Damon is naturally stronger than Stefan.
The reason behind their different culinary choices also speaks to a difference in strength. When Stefan drinks human blood, he spirals out of control, killing anything in his path. Damon doesn't have this affliction, enabling him to control his bloodlust so he can take advantage of his ability to kill.
The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries follows the lives, loves, dangers and disasters in the town Mystic Falls, Virginia. Creatures of unspeakable horror lurk beneath this town as a teenage girl is suddenly torn between two vampire brothers.
- Release Date
- September 10, 2009
- Cast
- Nina Dobrev , Paul Wesley , Ian Somerhalder , Kat Graham
- Seasons
- 8 Seasons
- Main Genre
- Drama
18 David Uses Every Tool At His Disposal To Get What He Wants
The Lost Boys (1987)
The beach town of Santa Carla, California, was crawling with vampires in 1987's The Lost Boys. Kiefer Sutherland's David appeared to be the leader of the '80s vampire gang that preyed on the town. The real head vampire remained hidden until absolutely necessary while David did his dirty work. He took pleasure in torturing and manipulating others in every way possible.
David used every tool at his disposal to get what he wanted, including peer pressure among the group of undead teenagers. He also initiated a brutal feeding frenzy with his pack of feral vampires. He fought viciously and led his group brutally, earning the place of the remorseless vampire at the top of the movie's food chain.
The Lost Boys
When teen brothers Michael and Sam move to the beach town of Santa Carla, California with their newly divorced mother, they are quickly introduced to the town’s thriving nightlife at the bustling boardwalk carnival.
- Release Date
- July 31, 1987
- Cast
- Jason Patric , Corey Haim , Kiefer Sutherland , Corey Feldman , Jami Gertz , Dianne Wiest , Edward Hermann
- Director
- Joel Schumacher
- Studio
- Warner Bros
17 Jesse Hooker Regurgitates a Bullet After Being Shot
Near Dark (1987)
In the cult horror western Near Dark, Lance Henriksen’s Jesse is the leader of a group of menacing vampires. They revel in the power they have over humans as they prey on small towns across the mid-west. While Bill Paxton’s showboating Severen draws most of the attention, Jesse makes an even more menacing impression by hanging back.
Jesse has been around since the Civil War, and he is confident and casual even when he’s killing people. He’s the leader for a reason, as he doesn’t have to show off for people to cower before him. However, he likes to make a point about how powerful he is on occasion. He even regurgitates a bullet after being shot just to demonstrate his invincibility.
Near Dark
A small-town farmer's son reluctantly joins a traveling group of vampires after he is bitten by a beautiful drifter.
- Release Date
- January 8, 1988
- Cast
- Adrian Pasdar , Jenny Wright , Bill Paxton , Lance Henriksen , Jenette Goldstein
- Director
- Kathryn Bigelow
- Runtime
- 94 minutes
16 Bill Compton's Unconscious Powers Often Lead to Disaster
True Blood (2008-2014)
Stephen Moyer's Bill Compton appeared in the hit TV series True Blood. Compton drank a blood substitute instead of human blood, hoping to exist peacefully alongside humans. He presents himself as moral and upstanding, but he still retains a suite of vampire abilities that give him power over his new neighbors.
Bill believed he was protecting the people he cared about, but his powers let him control them in ways they often weren't aware of, which could put them in danger. Bill's intentions were good, but he rarely owned what he was, which sometimes resulted in disaster and tragedy. All things considered, however, Bill Compton is nowhere near the most powerful vampire on this list.
True Blood
Telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse encounters a strange new supernatural world when she meets the mysterious Bill Compton, a southern Louisiana gentleman and vampire.
- Release Date
- September 7, 2008
- Cast
- Anna Paquin , Stephen Moyer , Alexander Skarsgard , Sam Trammell , Rutina Wesley , Ryan Kwanten , Deborah Ann Woll , Joe Manganiello , Nelson Ellis , Denis O'Hare
- Seasons
- 7
- Franchise
- The Southern Vampire Mysteries
- Creator
- Alan Ball
15 Angel Has Fought Everyone From Vampires to Lawyers
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) & Angel (1999-2004)
10 Most Unique Anime Vampires, Ranked
Anime like JJBA and Hellsing take a more experimental approach to vampire stories, turning them into dark comedies with a bit of romance.Angel first appeared on Buffy the Vampire Slayer before starring in his eponymous spinoff series. He is a tortured being cursed with a soul after decades of killing indiscriminately. Angel's desire for redemption has led him to become a warrior against evil, and he's taken on everything from other vampires to malevolent lawyers.
Angel's willingness to fight for what he thinks is right drives the often-heroic vampire, no matter what the odds are against him. Given his vampire-powered fighting skills, he wins more fights than he loses. However, he strives to keep his well-honed moral compass intact, an admittedly difficult job given the circumstances.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
A young woman, destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends.
- Release Date
- March 10, 1997
- Cast
- Sarah Michelle Gellar , Nicholas Brendon , Alyson Hannigan , Anthony Head , James Marsters , Michelle Trachtenberg , Charisma Carpenter , David Boreanaz
- Seasons
- 7 Seasons
- Creator
- Joss Whedon
- Main Genre
- Drama
14 Barnabas Collins Exploits His Magical Abilities to His Advantage
Dark Shadows (1966-1971)
Barnabas Collins quickly became a fan-favorite when he debuted on the daytime soap opera Dark Shadows in the mid-1960s. Barnabas could be dangerous and cruel in his search for sustenance from the unsuspecting locals. However, he was also capable of heroic acts and often saved the rest of the Collins family from disaster.
Barnabas could be merciless in pursuit of his vampire bride, regularly using his magical abilities to get what he wanted. Those magical abilities were one thing that differentiated him from many other vampires. While he had all the traditional vampire skills as well, the magic he wielded made him even more powerful. Collins later appeared in the big screen adaptation played by Johnny Depp.
dark shadows
The rich Collins family of Collinsport, Maine is tormented by strange occurrences.
- Release Date
- June 27, 1966
- Cast
- Jonathan Frid
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator
- Dan Curtis
- Production Company
- ABC, American Broadcasting Company (ABC), Dan Curtis Productions
- Number of Episodes
- 1230
13 Miriam Blaylock Is Best Described as Seductive but Deadly
The Hunger (1983)
Catherine Deneuve brought the ancient vampire Miriam Blaylock to life in 1983's The Hunger. Miriam was elegant, refined, and ruthless. No one in 1980s New York suspected her vampiric nature, enabling her to find victims with ease. She didn't just thirst for blood; she also hungered for companionship and intimacy.
Miriam traveled with a companion of her choosing, but they always aged, becoming decrepit and immobile. She lived on, staying forever young and powerful, even as she feared what would happen if anyone discovered the monster inside. This made Miriam seductive but ultimately deadly, even to those she loved the most.
The Hunger (1983)
A love triangle develops between a beautiful yet dangerous vampire (Catherine Deneuve), her cellist companion (David Bowie), and a gerontologist (Susan Sarandon).
- Release Date
- April 29, 1983
- Director
- Tony Scott
- Cast
- Catherine Deneuve , David Bowie , Susan Sarandon
- Runtime
- 1 HOUR 37 MINUTES
- Writers
- Michael Thomas
- Production Company
- PEERFORD
12 Klaus Mikaelson's Powers Come From His Half-Werewolf Ancestry
The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017) & The Originals (2013-2018)
The Originals: How the Mikaelsons Became the First Vampires
The Originals from The Vampire Diaries were a viking family, whose matriarch turned them into the first vampires.Klaus Mikaelson first appeared in The Vampire Diaries before spinning off into The Originals. He was the black sheep of his family even before his mother, a powerful witch, turned him and his siblings into the first vampires. He lived for thousands of years, but he never let go of his childhood resentment. Klaus also learned how to express his anger in violently creative ways.
This was all the more problematic because Klaus was one of the strongest vampires around. Unlike his siblings, he's a vampire-werewolf hybrid. As a result, he could take on whole packs of normal vampires or werewolves with terrifying ease. Normal humans barely registered as more than food to Klaus, given the incredible power at his disposal.
The Originals
As the first spin-off of The Vampire Diaries franchise, The Originals revolves around Klaus Mikaelson, a werewolf-vampire hybrid, as he slips deeper and deeper into the darkness surrounding him.
- Release Date
- October 3, 2013
- Cast
- Joseph Morgan , Daniel Gillies , Claire Holt , Phoebe Tonkin
- Seasons
- 5
- Main Genre
- Drama
11 Eric Northman Is Capable of Incredible Brutality and Violence
True Blood (2008-2014)
Alexander Skarsgård played True Blood's Eric Northman, a powerful centuries-old vampire. He served as something of a vampire sheriff, but also as an entrepreneur who ran a bar called Fangtasia. Northman's survival over a thousand years made him resourceful, calculating, clever, and manipulative.
Northman was capable of incredible brutality and great violence, making him a terrifying foe and one of the strongest fictional vampires out there. However, he was also remarkably loyal to and forgiving of the people he'd chosen to love. Uninterested in only killing for food and sport, Eric patiently plots and schemes, using his skills when necessary to shape events to his advantage.
True Blood
Telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse encounters a strange new supernatural world when she meets the mysterious Bill Compton, a southern Louisiana gentleman and vampire.
- Release Date
- September 7, 2008
- Cast
- Anna Paquin , Stephen Moyer , Alexander Skarsgard , Sam Trammell , Rutina Wesley , Ryan Kwanten , Deborah Ann Woll , Joe Manganiello , Nelson Ellis , Denis O'Hare
- Seasons
- 7
- Creator
- Alan Ball
10 Spike Somehow Manages To Kill Two Vampire Slayers
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Spike could do pretty much anything he wanted. As a monstrous vampire, he was responsible for the deaths of not one but two vampire slayers. Then, when he fell in love with a slayer, he found a way to win his soul back in order to be worthy of her. Whether with or without his soul, Spike was pretty much the same character.
Morally flexible, sarcastic, and even funny, Spike wore his vampirism as a badge of honor. Besides physical prowess, his strength of character, periodic bursts of wisdom, and acceptance of the grey areas in life made him a unique individual. Spike even briefly became a member of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Scooby Gang.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
A young woman, destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends.
- Release Date
- March 10, 1997
- Cast
- Sarah Michelle Gellar , Nicholas Brendon , Alyson Hannigan , Anthony Head , James Marsters , Michelle Trachtenberg , Charisma Carpenter , David Boreanaz
- Production Company
- Mutant Enemy, Kuzui Enterprises, Sandollar Television
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Seasons
- 7 Seasons
- Creator
- Joss Whedon
9 The Alpha Vampire's Lineage Goes Back to the Dawn of Humanity
Supernatural (2005-2020)
10 Best Vampire TV Shows, Ranked
Sink your teeth into the top vampire TV Shows! Explore Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The Vampire Diaries, True Blood, Penny Dreadful, and more.Monster hunters Sam and Dean Winchester from Supernatural defeated all kinds of evil beings. The Alpha Vampire was the very first vampire whose lineage went all the way back to the dawn of humanity. Besides the powers possessed by a typical vampire, the Alpha Vampire had abilities that included telepathic communication and an extremely high pain threshold.
Unlike many vampires, the Alpha Vampire had a noble, cultured presence. Armed with millennia of experience, he mostly stayed out of the affairs of humans and other beings but was a formidable fighter when he needed to be. It took years, but Sam eventually brought the Alpha Vampire down after enormous effort.
Supernatural
Brothers Sam and Dean Winchester are famous hunters, although their main prey consists of supernatural entities like demons and monsters.
- Release Date
- September 13, 2005
- Cast
- Jared Padalecki , Jensen Ackles , Jim Beaver , Misha Collins
- Seasons
- 15
- Main Genre
- Drama
8 Lestat de Lioncourt Possesses the Ability To Read Minds
The Vampire Chronicles (1976-2018)
Lestat de Lioncourt has appeared in numerous books in Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series. He's also been depicted in two different movies, most famously by Tom Cruise in 1994's Interview with the Vampire. Although he can be vain and obnoxious and has earned his place as one of the scariest cinematic vampires, Lestat is also seductive and philosophical.
Beyond super-strength and speed, Lestat also possessed the ability to read minds. His abilities increased as he grew older and fed on the blood of several ancient vampires. He became stronger, invulnerable to sunlight, and gained the power of flight. Lestat eventually became so powerful that he became the seemingly immortal prince of vampires.
7 D Allows His Violent Actions To Speak Louder Than His Words
Vampire Hunter D (1983)
The vampire hunter referred to only as D originated in the Vampire Hunter D novels, but he has also appeared in anime, comic books, and other media. D is a half-human, half-vampire dhampir, which makes him a superior fighter. He roamed a desolate post-apocalyptic Earth in the future, hunting and protecting others from vampires.
D's the best at what he does, and this makes him an aloof, solitary figure who focuses on his mission over relationships or connections with others. It's hinted that something happened in his past to make him pursue vampires so single-mindedly. While he doesn't share his past tragedies, D lets his violent actions speak louder than his words.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
A legendary dhampir competes with a motley family of bounty hunters to return a young woman, who has been seemingly abducted by a vampire, to her family.
- Release Date
- April 21, 2001
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator
- Yoshiaki Kawajiri
- Main Genre
- Anime
6 Rayne's Assassin Background Makes Her a Dangerous Foe
BloodRayne (2002)
10 Best Vampire Survival Games, Ranked
The greatest vampire survival games force players to manage resources and increase their power — all while battling fierce enemies and avoiding traps.The BloodRayne video games introduced the half-human, half-vampire dhampir named Rayne. She has certain advantages that include a lack of vulnerability to holy symbols like crosses and a limited ability to move around in daylight. Rayne also maintains the strength and healing abilities that make many vampires so dangerous.
The twist was that Rayne hated vampires, and her goal in life was to take out her vampire father. As she worked towards that objective, she dispatched nearly every vampire and supernatural creature that she encountered as an agent for the Brimstone Society. Trained as an assassin, Rayne proved a merciless killing machine.
Bloodrayne
The half-vampire codenamed BloodRayne is sent on a mission to clear out the walking dead and man-sized insects, and hunt down members of the secretive Gegengheist Gruppe branch of the Nazi military around the world.
- Franchise
- BloodRayne
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 2 , Xbox (Original) , Nintendo GameCube
- Released
- October 31, 2002
- Developer
- Terminal Reality
- Publisher(s)
- Majesco Entertainment , Vivendi Universal
- Genre(s)
- Fantasy , Action-Adventure
5 Vampirella Is Invulnerable to Both Sunlight and Garlic
Vampirella #1 (1969)
Vampirella made her comic book debut in 1969's Vampirella #1, by writer Forrest J. Ackerman and penciler/inker/letterer Tom Sutton. While her origin story was revised several times, she was originally from a planet of vampires. She made her way to Earth after discovering that humans carried her food source in their veins.
Vampirella's mission on Earth involved killing evil vampires. She had all the typical vampire powers, including strength and speed. What made her such an excellent candidate to take on other vampires, however, was her lack of typical vampire weaknesses, including vulnerability to either daylight or garlic. This alone is worthy of earning a high ranking on a list of fictional vampires.
Vampirella (1969)
Vampirella is a horror anthology series that featured stories and art by such genre giants as Richard Corben, Neal Adams, Archie Goodwin, Steve Englehart, Don Glut, Wally Wood, and many, many others.
- Writer
- Trina Robbins, Frank Frazetta, Tom Sutton, Forrest J Ackerman
- Publisher
- Warren Publishing, Harris Publications, Dynamite Entertainment, Mike The Pike Productions
4 Selene Has Battled Some of the Scariest Cinematic Werewolves
Underworld (2003)
Kate Beckinsale portrayed the powerful vampire "Death Dealer" named Selene throughout the Underworld movie series, and she made being a vampire look effortlessly cool. Despite being involved in battle after battle, Selene just kept coming back. Selene proved to be a lethal weapon who became an expert in battling some of the scariest cinematic werewolves.
Selene's perspective changed after she fell in love with a vampire/werewolf hybrid, which revealed dark truths about the vampire who sired her. Her open-mindedness changed her destiny, and her amazing fighting ability enabled her to live through the ancient war between the two species.
Underworld
Selene, a vampire warrior, is entrenched in a conflict between vampires and werewolves, while falling in love with Michael, a human who is sought by werewolves for unknown reasons.
- Release Date
- September 19, 2003
- Director
- Len Wiseman
- Cast
- Kate Beckinsale , Scott Speedman , Michael Sheen , Shane Brolly
- Runtime
- 2 hours 1 minute
- Writers
- Kevin Grevioux , Len Wiseman , Danny McBride
- Production Company
- Lakeshore Entertainment, Screen Gems, Subterranean Productions UK Ltd.
3 The Master Nearly Manages To Take Over the World
The Strain (2014-2017)
10 TV Shows With Unique Vampires
Television has a long history with vampires and other blood-drinking monsters. Here are some of TV's most unique undead monsters.The Master first appeared on The Strain, a surprisingly scary TV show by Guillermo del Toro. He was monstrous, unlike most popular vampires who maintained a human appearance. He lacked the usual facial features of a human and attacked his victims with a retractable stinger from his mouth. This enabled him to make more vampires and gross out potential victims at the same time.
The Master was difficult to track down, at least somewhat resistant to the sun, and had a great deal of control over other vampires. He could stay in the shadows while others carried out his bidding. He also nearly succeeded in subjugating humanity and taking over the world due to a fairly solid plan. The Master had brains as well as brawn, making him one of the most dangerous television vampires.
the strain
A mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism ravages the city of New York.
- Release Date
- July 13, 2014
- Cast
- Corey Stoll , David Bradley , Mia Maestro , Kevin Durand
- Seasons
- 4
- Creator
- Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
- Number of Episodes
- 46
2 Blade Has All the Vampire Strengths and Very Few Weaknesses
Blade (1998)
Wesley Snipes played Blade in a trilogy of films, although the character first appeared in comics in the 1970s. Eric Brooks became a dhampir during his birth as his mother turned into a vampire. He gained incredible strength and other abilities from the transference that were later enhanced. Blade honed his fighting skills in order to take on the vampires who killed his mother.
In the movies, Blade was a vampire-human hybrid known as the "Daywalker," which gave him all the strengths of a vampire but few of their weaknesses. This helped make Blade a cocky, brave, and fanatical hunter who was completely dedicated to his mission to rid the world of vampires. Blade took on and defeated some of the scariest comic book vampires over the years.\
The Blade Franchise
A half-vampire, half-mortal man becomes a protector of the mortal race, while slaying evil vampires.
- Cast
- Wesley Snipes , sticky fingaz , Kris Kristofferson , Stephen Dorff
- Created by
- Marv Wolfman , Gene Colan
- First Film
- Blade (1998)
- Latest Film
- Blade Trinity
- Upcoming Films
- Blade 2024
- First TV Show
- Blade: The Series
- First Episode Air Date
- June 28, 2006
- Latest Episode
- 2006-09-13
1 Dracula Is Considered the Strongest Vampire in Fictional History
Dracula (1897)
Since Bram Stoker's classic novel Dracula was first published in 1897, the character took on a mythic stature and appeared in numerous adaptations and media. For his enduring cultural legacy alone, Dracula is widely considered to be the strongest vampire in fictional history. However, he also possessed a slew of supernatural powers that elevated him even higher.
Although they vary from story to story, Dracula commonly possesses super-strength, super-speed, shape-shifting, and the ability to seduce anyone under his hypnotic control. Given fans' unending fascination with Dracula, the popular vampire always returned sooner or later. Dracula has inspired quite a few comic characters, as well as other cinematic vampires.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
The centuries old vampire Count Dracula comes to England to seduce his barrister Jonathan Harker's fiancée Mina Murray and inflict havoc in the foreign land.
- Release Date
- November 13, 1992
- Director
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Cast
- Gary Oldman , Winona Ryder , Anthony Hopkins , Keanu Reeves , Richard E. Grant
- Runtime
- 2 hours 8 minutes
- Writers
- Bram Stoker , James V. Hart
- Production Company
- American Zoetrope, Columbia Pictures, Osiris Films