Despite the best efforts of the Daywalker vampire hunter Blade will have to take them all down in order to realize his dream of a vampire-free world, and understanding his enemy is essential to victory.
Of course, Marvel was once totally free of vampires due to the restrictive rules of the Comics Code Authority. But following a period of censorship standards which forbade the use of horror characters, 1970s Marvel finally began reincorporating these elements into its shared universe. The always popular horror genre was no longer a taboo, and Marvel capitalized on this, introducing a range of characters inspired by classic horror stories, such as werewolves and, of course, vampires.
The Tomb of Dracula was the flagship title of Marvel's "horror era." It ran for 70 issues, from 1972 to 1979, and it is now considered a cult comic, thanks to the work of legendary creators such as Gene Colan, Gerry Conway, Archie Goodwin, and Marv Wolfman. Tomb of Dracula was fundamental in establishing Marvel's in-universe vampire lore, including introducing the character of Blade the Vampire Hunter. However, since then many stories have swelled the ranks of the vampire horde, even if the species did begin in a single decisive moment.
The Origin of Marvel's Vampires
Varnae, introduced in Bizarre Adventures #33 by Steve Perry and Steve Bissette, was a sorcerer in pre-Cataclysmic Atlantis (circa 18,500 BC) who worshiped the Darkhold, the unholy scriptures of the Elder God Chthon. After a battle with King Kull of Valusia (a character created by Conan the Barbarian's creator, Robert E. Howard), Varnae was injured and transformed through a dark ritual into the first vampire. Varnae created other vampires from his fellow Darkholders and survived Atlantis' destruction, becoming the ruler of Earth's first vampires, the Purebloods. Varnae would later be succeeded by Dracula, who has since established an official vampire nation in Chernobyl, recognized by the United Nations.
Though all emerged from Varnae's line, Marvel's vampires different wildly in appearance and abilities. The most likely explanation is that, just like any other species, vampires evolved over the millennia, though it's possible further mystical tampering was involved. Vampires all share a common set of powers and limitations, including super-strength, near-invulnerability, summoning and shape-shifting powers, sunlight sensitivity, and the need to feed on the fresh blood of living beings, preferably humans. Besides that, specific circumstances led vampires to develop other, more specialized abilities that are unique to their "sects."
Marvel's Vampire Sects
In different parts of the world, vampires developed different additional abilities. For example, the Yiki Onna are Japanese vampires who can turn into clouds of razor-sharp ice (rather than mist, like the "classic" vampires). They were likely inspired by the Yuki Onna, the Snow Woman spirit of Japanese folklore. In contrast, the Eastern European Nosferati (whose design mimics Count Orlok from 1992's Nosferatu) are very ancient, and so only the most vital human blood can sustain them, leading the Nosferatu Sect to experiment with spreading hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola.
The Adze are a type of African vampires who can survive the classic method of dealing with a vampire (a stake through the heart) for up to ten minutes thanks to heightened adrenaline, while the Ancients are Italian vampires who have focused on their speed and healing powers, elevating them above average vampire levels. The Charniputra are vampires who live in the Himalayan peaks, and for this reason they evolved to spend as much time as possible in the sky. They look like gargoyles and have big, leathery wings. Finally, the Jumlin are inspired by Native American mythology and have lived in North America for a long time, where they had an unfortunate encounter with Thor, the God of Thunder.
Most of these vampire sects debuted in Tomb of Dracula volume 4, by Robert Rodi, Bruce Jones, and Jamie Tolagson. Other regional vampire sects differ only in the way they dress or organize themselves. The Kreiger are a Western European clan that were clearly inspired in their look and demeanor by 19th-century . Their bitter rivals, the Claw Sect, hail from the Middle East and can be identified by their shemaghs and swords. These humanoid sects tend to have more political power in vampire society.
Vampire Society and Customs
Aside from physical changes, the most striking differences among vampire sects come from their societal organization and relationships with the outside world. For example, the Mystikos are American vampires who moved away from their ancient traditions and infiltrated Western society in an attempt to use technology to deal with traditional vampire weaknesses. On the opposite side of the spectrum are the Anchorites - outcasts who live in the rural parts of America and prefer to hide from humanity and live in peace. They appeared in the Death of Dracula limited series, by Victor Gischler, Onofrio Catacchio, and Giuseppe Camuncoli.
The Moksha Sect is composed of very few vampires and has a peculiar attitude towards mysticism. They feed as little as possible, and from their prolonged fasting they gain mystical abilities, such as clairvoyance. The Siren Sect is an all-female group of vampires led by Alyssa, a powerful vampire who once tried to overthrow Dracula together with his son, Xarus. The Siren never turn men into vampires, and they have particularly developed their mind-control and hypnotic powers, which they use to entice men and other vampires to do their bidding.
Non-Human Vampires
An entirely different matter is was turned by Dracula himself.
Far more impressive are the vampires of Sevalith. This magical kingdom was introduced in X of Swords: Creation #1 by Jonathan Hickman, Tini Howard, and Pepe Larraz, and exists in the mystic realm of Avalon. The vampires of Sevalith differ from Earth vampires in not being descended from Dracula. This makes them much stronger, and offers abilities such as being able to birth children and resist Dracula's telepathic control.
Strangely, being a half-vampire like Blade also has its advantages. Though incredibly rare, half-vampires - aka dhampirs - possess a unique immunity to traditional vampire weaknesses, including sunlight. Mention should also be made of pseudo-vampires like Morbius, who may possess qualities similar to vampires due to other means (for example, scientific accidents), but are not counted as true vampires as they lack the original connection to Varnae.
Finally, there is a completely different vampire evolutionary offshoot known as Tryks. The Tryks are parasitic beings who do not feed on humans, but on other vampires. Their reproductive process is also completely different. Tryks lack most of the vampires' supernatural powers, trading them for increased strength and regeneration. They also lack the traditional vampiric weaknesses. Tryks live in enclosed hives, ruled by a Queen. They debuted in Blade volume 3, and were created by Christopher Hinz and Steve Pugh.
If Blade truly hopes to rid the world of vampires, these are the many and varied foes he must cross off his list, taking care each time to adopt an approach that suits the unique strengths and weaknesses of his prey.
