Dracula (Castlevania)

""What is a man? A miserable pile of secrets.""

- ~Dracula

The Dracula of Castlevania is based on Bram Stoker's character, which was in turn very similar to the infamous Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia. The Castlevania Dracula draws some history from both, but instead of preying on maidens this one threatens whole realms with his armies at the least, and at worst is presented as the very embodiment of evil. He is, however, capable of loving relationships (his evil nature is partly fuelled by the loss of two women he loved) and despite their differences is fond of his son Alucard.

Lament of Innocence
Originally named Mathias Cronqvist, it was during this time when he was best of friends with a man known as Leon Belmont. (This name may be a reference to Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, a man known to have had ties with the real, historical Vlad Dracula.) Together, the two formed an undefeatable company, that fought in the name of God. Mathias served as the tactical genius, while Leon was a warrior without peer. However, shortly after losing his wife, Elisabetha Cronqvist, Mathias would become bedridden and would reveal to Leon that his own betrothed, Sara Trantoul, had been kidnapped by the vampire, Walter Bernhard, and taken to a castle within the Forest of Eternal Night. It was a plot. Mathias had come up with a brilliant plan. Blaming God for taking his wife away from him, he turned to evil and was merely using Leon to kill Walter so he could steal the vampire's soul with the use of the Crimson Stone. After Leon defeated Walter, Mathias disappeared, changed his name to "Lord of the Vampires, King of the Night," and then became Count Dracula. At the end of the game, it is revealed that Mathias was in possession of the Crimson Stone, an alchemical artifact that passes the spiritual essence of any slain vampire into whomever wields it. The power of the stone was what transformed Mathias into a vampire (not the traditional blood-gift). Possessing the stone over the course of centuries is what transformed Dracula into the world's strongest vampire and presumably what assures that he is resurrected whenever he is slain. (This strange loop suggests that whenever Dracula is killed, as wielder of the Crimson Stone, his power is transferred directly back to him every time.) However, although his dark designs went down exactly as he had planned, Mathias had not counted on the grief and rage of his former best friend. At that moment, Leon swore an oath that he, his children, and all future generations of the Belmont family would "hunt the night" and protect humanity from supernatural evil. The whip that Leon used to destroy Walter, the Vampire Killer, which was created from alchemy fused with the soul of Leon's beloved Sara, would eventually be passed down through generations of Belmonts to become legendary in its own right. The idea of Dracula becoming a vampire following the death of his wife is very similar to a major story point of the 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula, where Dracula renounces God after his wife Elisabetha kills herself.

Dracula's Curse
Through various actions, Dracula had gained immortality. Not only would he live forever, if his physical body was destroyed his spirit would live on and resurrect in physical form periodically as long as human wickedness existed to fuel him (the general timetable for his resurrection is every 100 years, but premature resurrections are not uncommon). Not much is known about what Dracula did during the time following the events of Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. It is known that he would have a relationship with a human woman by the name of Dr. Lisa Fahrenheit. The time frame of this union is still unknown. This woman looked exactly like his deceased wife, Elisabetha. The union would bear Dracula a son, who was named Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes, but would be later known as Alucard. Despite emulating his father early in his life, Alucard decided that he did not want to follow in his father's evil footsteps and battled with him many times. It is said he chose the anagram "Alucard" ("Dracula" spelled backwards) for his new name as a symbolic gesture, reflecting his desire to oppose his father's designs. Lisa was later taken from her home and executed as her expertise in medicine was called out as "witchcraft". This heinous act enraged Dracula beyond belief. Hurt deeply, he vowed to make humanity pay once he mastered the use of the unlimited power he now had.

Castlevania and Simon's Quest
Dracula had vowed revenge against mankind for the death of Lisa. However, during his rule over Wallachia, he would meet up with many members of the Belmont Clan whose cursed blood and enchanted whip allowed them to defeat Dracula. According to the official Castlevania timeline, the first known Belmont to defeat Dracula was Trevor Belmont. When Trevor fought against Dracula, he was aided by Alucard who fought alongside him, a pirate named Grant DaNasty and a sorcerer named Sypha Belnades. Trevor was most likely the one to land the final blow, due to Dracula's weakness being the Vampire Killer, and all games in the future reference Dracula as being defeated by Trevor. Christopher Belmont, a descendant of Trevor, would become the second Belmont to defeat Dracula. First, Christopher defeated the vampire lord in one adventure, then prevented Dracula from being reborn in the body of Christopher's son Soleiyu in another adventure. The most famous of all the Belmonts who would defeat Dracula is Simon Belmont. Before Simon, the Belmonts were feared for their supernatural physical prowess. But Simon, who came in a time of need, saved the land and made the Belmont name famous for killing Dracula and his minions once again. During his defeat at the hands of Simon Belmont, Dracula played a trump card and placed a curse on Simon and the land of Wallachia. This curse would kill the land and Simon if not broken in time and would thus kill off the Belmont bloodline. Simon had thought his job was done, but he would learn of this curse and once again set out with all the strength he had left. He had to collect the body parts of the deceased Dracula which were scattered all over the land by Dracula's minions and followers to attempt an early resurrection of the Dark Lord. After travelling throughout the land's various towns and manors, Simon was successful in collecting the body parts and reassembling them at the ruins of Castlevania in order to defeat the wraith-like Dracula, thus lifting the curse.

Castlevania Judgment
Dracula is a playable character in the video game Castlevania Jugdment for the Wii.