User blog:DragonDude83/PE Proposal: Dracula (Castlevania: The Belmont Legacy)

Since a proposal was made on a non canon version of Darth Vader, allow me to propose another non canon villain, who is otherwise sympathetic. Of course, it’s a more evil version of Dracula (Castlevania) from the tie-in comic series, Castlevania: The Belmont Legacy.

What Is the Work?
Castlevania: The Belmont Legacy is a comic from IDW based on — of all things from Castlevania to adapt — Castlevania: The Adventure featuring Christopher Belmont, a century after the age of Trevor. Completely non-canon to the games, Legacy sets up a familiar premise with the return of the namesake castle and Chrisopher — alongside his wife Illyana — going in to stop the rise of Lord Dracula.

Who is Dracula, and What Has He Done?
Lord of the vampires. Prince of Darkness, etc. Pretty much the Dracula we know from the video games, except with no tragic backstory or any redeeming traits whatsoever, made into more of a bestial vampire king. Dracula has a nasty liking for impalement (with many of his victims seen in a dream sequence in the opening. He is the sworn enemy of the Belmont bloodline. With countless victims he has killed and turned into vampiric slaves, concubines, or undead fodder, Dracula has risen from the grave again from the efforts of the Bartleys. He feeds on the blood of his victims, and goes to the Belmont graveyard to defile it by nailing the dead Belmonts to a wall to taunt Christopher.

Dracula eventually gets his full strength back, thanks to Sona giving him her blood in fanatic loyalty. And how does Dracula repay her? He backhands her and says that she is nothing more than his servant. Immediately, he raises the dead to hunt down Christopher, his wife Illyana, and their friends. He personally attacks them eventually, kidnapping Illyana... and tearing out the throat of her best friend Viktor in front of her, raising him as a mangled vampire and sending him to turn his own friends and family into vampires as well (with his own grandfather turned). Back in the castle, Dracula tries to rape Illyana. He bites his lip, and forces her to drink his blood. Christopher comes to the rescue, and a final battle ensues with Christopher strangling Dracula with his whip, and his body is engulfed in flames. It seems like all is well. Dracula is dead, his victims are put to peace, and Illyana is pregnant...

...but the unborn child was corrupted into a monster in her womb by Dracula's previous assault, as it was his plan all along.

Mitigating Factors
No. There are absolutely none of Dracula’s better traits here; no tragic backstory losing two wives (Elizabetha and Lisa), no loved ones like his son, Alucard, not even his sense of wealth and magnificence. This is an entirely different character.

Final Verdict
Yes. Adaptational Villainy at its finest.