Changes: Carmilla (Castlevania)

Revision as of 22:27, 15 February 2020

“	But isn't this world hellish already? People are intrigued by darkness, and covet power and chaos.	„
	~ Carmilla

Carmilla is a major antagonist in the Castlevania franchise, with a progressively larger role in each game she appears. She is an immensely powerful and influential Vampire Lady and one of Count Vlad Tepes Dracula's highest ranking followers. She is based on the eponymous villainess of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's short story Carmilla. (Though in the story, Carmilla is an anagram and her true name is Countess Mircalla Karnstein.) Different versions of the character appear in the reboot Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and the Netflix cartoon adaptation.

History

Castlevania Judgment provides information about Carmilla's character and history. She is described as a Vampire Lady who worships Dracula as a god and created the Golem, another playable character. The game also implies that Carmilla was already established as a Vampire Lady even before Dracula started to wage war against mankind for the death of his wife Lisa, and started serving him a while later. During the events of Castlevania: Dracula's Curse, she staged a lot of trials for witchcraft, in order to destroy the witches who would not side with Dracula.

She enjoys bathing in the blood of her victims, she hates those who use the powers of Darkness while opposing her lord, and she holds strong contempt towards humans but not outright hatred. (She believes that Darkness is the true nature of mankind and that their fight against it is delusional.)

Castlevania: Simon's Quest

Vampira Mask — "Vampira" (Carmilla's mask).

Carmilla is named Vampira in this game. She is the boss of Laruba Mansion who guards Dracula's Ring: one of Dracula's remains that Simon Belmont must gather to lift Dracula's curse, which is eating away his soul.

Carmilla is never met in person and controls a giant mask-like creature to fight Simon on her behalf. The mask floats around the room, shedding tears of acidic blood. Simon must avoid the tears and get away from where they land to avoid droplets, while attacking “Vampira” at long range.

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood/ Dracula X

Carmilla (Rondo of Blood) — Artwork for *Rondo of Blood*

Carmilla is a boss in Rondo of Blood (and later in the 2D/3D remake Dracula X Chronicles), and its European counterpart Dracula X. In Rondo of Blood, Carmilla awaits the heroes in the Torture Chamber, with her servant Laura (A nod to the protagonist of Le Fanu's short story, who is Carmilla/Mircalla's target and finds herself infatuated to her due to her influence). She emerges from the "Vampira" Mask (and in the remake from Laura’s Shadow), and attacks.

Carmilla stands atop a giant floating skull and attacks by dropping flames that separates into four fireballs on the side upon touching the ground. The heroes must attack at long distance or jump to reach her, while Avoiding Laura, who tries to grab them, to hold them in place and drain their ammunition.

Laura (Carmilla's consort) — Laura in robe and fighting gear

Carmilla dies before losing all her life, and the rest of the battle is fought against Laura, who takes off her robe and fights with impressive jumps, backflip and jumping kicks in quick succession. (Dodge and strike right after.)

In Dracula X, Carmilla once again by proxy. Should Richter fail to rescue his girlfriend Annette, she will be possessed by Carmilla and become the Skull Sorceress, who rides a giant floating skull, in the exact same fashion as Carmilla.

The Skull's Eyes float around the room and attack by infusing themselves with fire and charging at Richter, by infusing themselves with energy and rotating around one another across the room, and by conjuring lightning bolts to strike the ground. (These are the exact same attacks used by Shaft's Orbs of Sorcery in Rondo of Blood.) The Skull Sorceress is fought like Carmilla in the original game.

Circle of the Moon

Carmilla is the central antagonist of Circle of the Moon. There, she holds a ritual to resurrect Dracula in her own Evil Castle in Austria, and prepares a second one to restore his full power. Just as Dracula resurrects, Master Morris Baldwin, his son Hugh and the protagonist Nathan Graves appear to face him. Unfortunately, Dracula effortlessly casts Nathan and Hugh into the subterranean levels and seizes the elderly vampire hunter, in order to sacrifice him during the next full moon.

Carmilla sends the Necromancer after the two protagonists should have they survived. It is more or less implied that she captured Hugh Baldwin and brought him to Dracula, who brainwashed him and used him as an obstacle for Nathan.

Carmilla confronts Nathan as he fights his way throughout Carmilla's castle and defeats her subordinates. Once again, Carmilla fights atop a giant floating skull, but this time, she is considerably mightier and can prove really hard to defeat.

Carmilla (Circle of the Moon) — Carmilla in *Circle of the Moon*.

Nathan must jump on the platforms to reach Carmilla and strike her, since the skull is impervious to damage. It is also highly advised to be at high level and to uses the Magical Cards' elemental shield, which provides a good offence and defence combo. Carmilla makes the skull breathe purple bubbles, a cloud of poisonous fumes, or a gigantic and devastating long-lasting purple beam; fires purple lightning bolts from towards the ground or a huge wave of purple sonic booms from the skull's eyes; and by charging towards Nathan. Standing behind her at all times is a good way to dodge her attacks, save from the purple bubbles.

Other Media

Castlevania Judgment

“	I shall enjoy your cries of agony.	„
	~ Carmilla

Carmilla (Castlevania Judgement) — Carmilla, as seen in *Castlevania Judgement*.

Carmilla appears as a playable character in the fighting game Castlevania Judgment, sporting a rather revealing outfit and acting like a sadistic femme fatale, which is somehow out of character towards the dignified Vampire Lady seen in the other games.

Carmilla fights mostly at close range, grabbing her opponents to slice them with her blades. She has medium-level attack and defense but she is quite proficient with combo and special attacks. She uses attacks with rather disturbing names, according to her femme fatale characterization, such as "Maiden Pull", "Bloody Hell", "Merciless Dance" and "Wicked Game", consisting mostly of repeated slashes and slicing combinations. Her finishing move is called "Maiden's Feast": she sends all of her blades to strike her foe, which she locks in a huge, woman-shaped, Iron Maiden. She then taunts her foe one last time before locking him/her in the torture device and landing the final blow.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Carmilla's Vampira Mask makes a cameo in Simon’s trailer, scaring Luigi’s soul that Death severed, as it is re-entering its body. She appears in the background of the Castlevania stage, and serves as a support spirit, protecting players against fire and explosions. Her spirit battle is against a giant Meta Knight on Dracula's Castle with increased defense and can turn invisible.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Main article: Carmilla (Lords of Shadow)

Castlevania Animated Series

Main article: Carmilla (Netflix's Castlevania)

Trivia

The English version of Castlevania: Judgment backstory for Carmilla seems to be attempting to hybridize or cross over Sheridan Le Fanu's novella Carmilla, and that of Elizabeth Bartley character. Le Fanu's Carmilla was notably less cruel despite being very much a vampire, and laid in a coffin filled with blood instead of bathing in it. She can be seen as a tragic character, and while Laura fears her, she feels pity for her in the end.
Carmilla's mask is another reference. In the story, Carmilla takes advantage of the anonymity of a masquerade ball to look for victims. In the games, her mask represents the ballroom masks that Carmilla wore to the many parties she went to, using it to hide the fact that she was a vampire in the novel she came from.
In Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, her castle is located in Austria, where the story of Carmilla take place.
Le Fanu's Carmilla's real names is received from the supposedly-long-dead Austrian countess Millarca Von Karnstein.
A model of Carmilla atop her skull can be seen in early footage of the Nintendo 64 game Castlevania. However, she was never present in the final game.
In Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, a statue which can be found within the Skeleton Cave, is clearly intended to resemble Carmilla's mask (Vampira) from Simon's Quest and Rondo of Blood.
It is noted that "Vampira" is the alternative name of Carmilla in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest in the Clue 13.
Carmilla is the most sexualized character in Castlevania: Judgment, wearing a very provocative costume that shows most of her breasts, buttocks, thighs, shoulders, armpits and back.

External links

Carmilla at the Castlevania Wiki

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