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Villain Overview

Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Count Vladislaus Dragulia. Born: 1422. Murdered: 1462.
~ Count Dracula introducing himself.
Frankenstein: Get off me, you vermin from Hell!
Dracula: What are you complaining about? This is why you were made! To prove that God is not the only one who can create life! And now you must give that life to my children.
~ Count Dracula to the Frankenstein Monster.
Don't you understand? We could be friends. Partners! Brothers-in-arms! Did I mention that it was you who murdered me? It must be such a burden. Such a curse... to be the Left Hand of God. All I want is life, Gabriel. The continuation of my kind. And perhaps the return of my ring. Don't be afraid, Gabriel. Don't be afraid. I shall give you back your life, your memory.
~ Count Dracula's last words to Van Helsing.

Count Vladislaus Dracula is the main antagonist of the 2004 dark fantasy horror action film Van Helsing, a homage and tribute to the Universal Monsters franchise. He is the archenemy of Gabriel Van Helsing and his main goal is to bring life to his vampire children, thus allowing his vampires to live forever.

He was portrayed by Richard Roxburgh, who also played Hugh Stamp in Mission Impossible II and the Duke of Monroth in Moulin Rouge.

Biography[]

Background[]

Born in 1422, Dracula was actually the son of Valerious The Elder and lived in the very castle his descendants did 450 years onwards. However in 1462, Dracula was murdered by the left hand of God, known as Van Helsing. After his death, his spirit made a pact with Satan for a new life, a life which would allow him to sustain his life by drinking the blood of others. Valerious The Elder was ashamed that he had sired the evil being and banished him to an icy fortress, sending him through a door from which there was no return, but the Devil then gave Dracula wings so he was free to come and go.

Valerious The Elder then sought forgiveness from God and made his own vow for future generations to have Dracula slain so they may enter heaven. The descendants of Valerious The Elder were unsuccessful for centuries however because Dracula resisted every known form of vampiric weaknesses and escaped death. Unbeknownst to them however, Dracula could be killed by a werewolf. Despite such creatures serving him for hundreds of years, Dracula invented a potion that could cure them should one have the will to turn on him and kill him.

1887[]

Dracula would partner with Dr. Frankenstein, whom he convinced to make a creature that could show that God wasn't the only one who could make life, in an attempt to revive his children. After the creature was created, Dr. Frankenstein refused to give it away for such a malevolent use against God's will, even admitting he would rather kill himself, to which Dracula replied that he should “feel free” due to outliving his usefulness. The good doctor threatens to stab Dracula with a sword, however the Count impales himself on it, revealing himself as a vampire before he kills Frankenstein.

The creature woke up and threw a giant machine towards Dracula, who was sent backwards against the fire of the smokestack. While the creature escaped with Frankenstein's dead body, Dracula came out of the fire, barely bleeding and with some burns that healed almost instantly. After the creature escaped, Dracula began looking for a new way of bringing his children to life. Dracula tried a similar process with Boris Valerious as a substitute for the monster, but the experiment had not worked, which brought sorrow to Dracula's Brides.

1888[]

He was awoken from his icy sleep when his Bride Marishka was killed by Van Helsing, shouting out her name in grief. He also felt the presence of Van Helsing, a presence which felt familiar due to Helsing's history of being Dracula's killer. He planned to awaken his children again, but his Brides told him not to, as another loss would be too much pain to hold. He screamed to them in a vampiric way, making his Brides frightened, but he pleaded with them not to fear him, leading them to nuzzle caress him in response. Before leaving with his Brides, he ordered Igor (a former assistant of Dr. Frankenstein's) and the Dwergi to move to Frankenstein's lab, where they will try to bring the children back to life.

After Velkan Valerious (Anna's brother who had been bitten by Dracula's werewolf) went to Frankenstein's lab, Dracula told him about Velkan's father (who had disappeared a year ago) and how he was used as a power source to bring Dracula's children to life. Though Velkan tried to fight Dracula in a sudden burst of rage, Dracula held him off with nothing but his finger, and put him in the machine to use him as power source.

Moments after his children came to life, Van Helsing (who followed the werewolf with Anna) started shooting the children, so Dracula attacked him. Though Dracula couldn't find Van Helsing he was still able to hear his heart beat. After some minutes, Dracula gave up looking for him, only to be suddenly stabbed in the heart with a silver stake. Though Van Helsing thought he had killed him, Dracula took out the stake after greeting Van Helsing, calling him by name. He asked Van Helsing how long has it been, something to which Van Helsing couldn't understand. Dracula knew he had lost his memories, and so he asked if he had nightmares of ancient battles.

In a final attempt, Van Helsing used a crucifix, that only melted in Dracula's hand. Dracula replied that they would talk in another moment. After Van Helsing escaped with Anna while they were been chased by the werewolf Velkan. Meanwhile, power used to keep Dracula's children alive wears off, and they all explode. Dracula then orders Velkan to kill both both Van Helsing and Anna.

After the Wolf Man found the location of Frankenstein's monster, Dracula ordered him and his Brides to retrieve it and bring it to the castle, so they could finally give eternal life to his children. Though one of his Brides, Verona, dies from a trap set by Van Helsing, and Velkan was shot dead by the vampire hunter, but not before he bit him. The remaining Bride, Aleera, kidnapped Anna in an exchange for the monster. Though Van Helsing hid the monster in a graveyard, Dracula seemed to have thought ahead and placed Igor in the graveyard, who captured the monster.

During a masquerade ball in Dracula's summer palace, he tried to bite Anna and turn her into his newest Bride, but Van Helsing and Carl were able to save her, though Dracula only cared for having the monster. Later at his castle, he had the monster hoisted up to bring life to his children, knocking Van Helsing from the top of his tower when he arrived and tried to prevent this.

Dracula's death

Dracula's death as he dissolves into a skeleton after being bitten by Van Helsing in his Werewolf form.

When his children revive successfully, Dracula confronts Van Helsing with this, and to his shock his foe transforms into a Werewolf. Transforming into his Hellbeast form to match Van Helsing's strength, the two engaged in a brutal fight, which leaves Dracula scratched up by the end of the first round.

Attempting to ally with him and again offers to restore his memory after Helsing returns to human form following the moon being dimmed out, Van Helsing verbally refused Dracula and finally killed him for good after transforming back by biting his throat, with the Werewolf venom coursing through his veins rotting the very flesh from Dracula's skeleton, which eventually decays into ash. With Dracula's death, the deaths of Dr. Frankenstein and the Valerious family were avenged.

Personality[]

I am hollow...And I will live forever.
~ Count Dracula to Aleera and Verona that he is a heartless immortal monster.

Dracula is shown as a very cunning and manipulative man, only interested in his personal goals. He claims to have almost no emotion such as love, fear, joy or sorrow because he has no heart, which makes him feel hollow. However in spite of this he deeply cares for his Brides and his children. While he was quick to replace Marishka upon her death, he did cry her name when he sensed she had been killed. The fact Dracula thinks he feels nothing causes him to hate even himself. He is a lustful and seductive villain, as shown through his interactions with his brides and Anna Valerious. He has a deep desire to kill Anna, (the last of the Valerious line) before she destroys what he desires to create. However, he did see her as a suitable replacement for Marishka due to her beauty. He also enjoys toying with Van Helsing, who murdered him centuries ago. His primary goal is to bring his children to life, continue the vampiric kind, and also perhaps regain his stolen dragon insignia ring. Little is known about his human life or human personality.

Powers and Abilities[]

Dracula is the most powerful of the vampires. He has the abilities of vampire being pure.

  • Immortality: Dracula made a deal with the Devil to live forever. However, he needs to feed on human blood to sustain that life.
  • Healing Factor: He heals from any wound of any severity within seconds and is immune to disease.
  • Vampiric Weakness Immunity: Unlike regular vampires, Dracula barely pains when attacked by Silver, being stabbed in the heart by stakes, or Holy Water, as he cannot be killed by regular methods even by Sunlight, Flames, or Blessed Objects. This was shown during his first confrontation with Van Helsing, as a silver stake or a silver Crucifix could not harm Dracula and he just pulled the out of his body or melted the holy artifact away despite feeling pain. In addition while he whirls around, on fire, shocked and angry before grabbing the Fire Breather and tosses him clear across the ballroom, Dracula shrugs it off like it didn't do anything.
  • Monstrous Vampire Bat Form: To help him escape his icy fortress, the Devil eventually gave Dracula wings. He has the ability to turn into a large bat creature called Hellbeast unlike most regular vampires. In this form he can fly, move at alarming speeds and is strong enough to fight a werewolf.
  • Superhuman Strength: His strength is so great he could stop Velkan Valerious in his tracks with one finger and threw a large equipment that was thrown at him by Frankenstein's Monster. He can also apply his strength into his bite which is strong enough to kill a normal human being.
  • Flight: In his Hellbeast form, Dracula can fly with his 15-feet long chiropteran wings. His top speed is unknown. It is his power of flight that also gives him the ability to scale walls and ceiling with great ease.
  • Elemental Manipulation: Dracula can manifest and influence the elements.
  • Superhuman Stamina: Being undead, he has shown no sign of being exhausted from anything such as fighting or chasing.
  • Vampire Infection: He can turn humans into vampires through his bite.
  • Werewolf's Control: He has the unusual ability to force some werewolves under his control. But on a more powerful werewolf like Van Helsing he has no control at all (though Carl claimed that Van Helsing would only be able to resist Dracula's control until the stroke of 1 o'clock). He was able to control the Grey Werewolf and Velkan Valerious after they loose themselves to their inner beasts.
  • Senses: His senses are far sharper than that of humans, as he could clearly detect the pace of Van Helsing's heartbeat while the latter hid from him in an open chamber. He most likely had night vision considering his brides possessed that same power..

Weakness[]

  • Werewolf Venom: Only the cursed saliva/venom from a werewolf bite can kill him. For reasons never specified, the bite of a werewolf is lethal to a vampire; the venom acting as a poison which eats away at their bodies from the inside similar to an accelerated waste diseases. This is possibly a fail-safe designed by Satan to ensure balance among his creations.
  • Werewolf Claws: Only claws from a werewolf can slow/weaken his healing.

Video game appearance[]

Dracula Van Helsing video game

Dracula in the Van Helsing video game.

Dracula also appeared in the video game adaption of Van Helsing as the game's main antagonist and final boss.

In the game, Dracula's backstory is much more different than his film counterpart. Dracula and Van Helsing were both best friends and knights in the Holy Order and had to follow only two rules:

  1. The Order doesn't exist in the eyes of outsiders.
  2. All members must live a life of celibacy.

While Van Helsing did both, Dracula fell in love with a woman.

Hellbeast roars video game

The Hellbeast in the video game.

Somehow, the Order found out and decided to have the woman banished from the city. When the Order attempted to take her, a struggle occurred and the woman was killed. When Dracula found out, he was so angry and filled with grief that he left the Order. He later went to where the woman was buried and intended to use dark magic to bring her back to life. When the Order discovered this, they ordered Van Helsing to stop Dracula. When Van Helsing caught up with Dracula, a fight ensued between both men. Eventually, Van Helsing got the upper hand and ran Dracula through. With his dying breath, Dracula made a deal with the Devil for immortality. The Devil granted Dracula his request and made him a vampire.

Trivia[]

  • Dracula's Hellbeast form is not seen until the final climactic battle, only seen through shadows for most of the film.
  • The actors who play Dracula and Verona, Richard Roxburgh and Silvia Colloca, are married in real life as they met during filming and married the following year.

External Links[]

Navigation[]

           Dracula logo Villains

Books
Count Dracula | R.M. Renfield
Dracul: Count Dracula
Dracula the Undead: Elizabeth Bathory

Movies
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror: Count Orlok | Knock
Dracula (1931): Count Dracula | Brides of Dracula | R.M. Renfield
Dracula (1958): Count Dracula
Nosferatu the Vampyre: Count Dracula
Dracula (1992): Count Dracula | Brides of Dracula (Lucy Westenra) | R.M. Renfield | Ottomans
Dracula: Dead and Loving It: Dracula | R.M. Renfield
Dracula 2000: Count Dracula | Brides of Dracula (Solina, Valerie, Lucy)
Shadow of the Vampire: Max Schreck
Van Helsing: Count Dracula | Vampires (Aleera, Marishka & Verona) | Igor | Dwergi | Velkan Valerious | Mr. Hyde | Grey Werewolf
The Batman vs. Dracula: Dracula | Penguin | Joker
Dracula Untold: Mehmed II | Master Vampire
The Invitation: Walter Deville | Brides of Dracula (Lucy and Viktoria)
Renfield: R.M. Renfield | Dracula | Teddy Lobo | Bellafrancesca Lobo
The Last Voyage of the Demeter: Dracula
Abigail: Abigail Lazar | Frank | Kristof Lazar | Lambert | Sammy/Jessica

TV
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Dracula | The Three Sisters
Penny Dreadful: Dracula
Van Helsing: Dracula | Abaddon | B'ah | Sam | Brides of Dracula (Bathory, Michaela, Willem) | The Sisterhood
Dracula (2020 series): Dracula | Brides of Dracula (Elena)

           Frankenstein logo Villains

Book
Dr. Victor Frankenstein | Frankenstein's Monster

Movies
Universal: Dr. Henry Frankenstein | Frankenstein's Monster | Fritz | Dr. Septimus Pretorius | The Wolf Man | Count Dracula | Gustav Niemann | Ygor | Sandra Mornay
Hammer: Baron Victor Frankenstein | Frankenstein's Monster
Van Helsing: Count Dracula | Vampires (Aleera, Marishka, & Verona) | Igor | Dwergi | Velkan Valerious | Mr. Hyde | Grey Werewolf
ITV: Dr. Victoria Frankenstein | Frankenstein's Monster
Frankenweenie: Mr. Whiskers | Shelley | Were-Rat | Sea Creatures
Frankenstein's Army: Viktor Frankenstein | Zombots | Demitri | Vassili | The Sturmbannführer
I, Frankenstein: Adam Frankenstein | Prince Naberius
FRANKƐN5TƐ1N: Adam Frankenstein | Dr. Victor Frankenstein
Victor Frankenstein: Dr. Victor Frankenstein | Inspector Roderick Turpin | Prometheus
Toho: Baragon | Gaira
Lisa Frankenstein: Lisa Swallows | The Creature

Monster Mash: Dr. Victor Frankenstein TV
Penny Dreadful: Dr. Victor Frankenstein | Frankenstein's Monster
Frankenstein MD: Dr. Victoria Frankenstein | Iggy DeLacey | Robert Walton

           The-wolfman logo Villains

Movies
The Wolf Man (1941): The Wolf Man
Van Helsing: Count Dracula | Vampires (Aleera, Marishka & Verona) | Igor | Dwergi | Velkan Valerious | Mr. Hyde | Grey Werewolf
The Wolf Man (2010): The Wolf Man | Sir John Talbot

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