“ | Let the games begin. | „ |
~ The Master Vampire's most famous line. |
The Master Vampire, also known as Caligula, is the overarching antagonist of the 2014 horror-action film Dracula Untold. He is the world's first vampire who actually gave Vlad Tepes III his own blood to drink in order to become a vampire so he would be able to save Transylvania and his family.
He was portrayed by Charles Dance, who also portrayed Mr. Benedict in Last Action Hero, Alan Jonah in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, David Carlton in Ali G Indahouse, Sardo Numspa in The Golden Child, Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones, and Roderick Burgess in The Sandman.
Biography[]
Background[]
“ | Brother Lucian: The creature you encountered was no accident, My Prince. Four nights ago, every brother in our order awoke from an identical dream. I would not have thought it possible had I not suffered the same vision myself that night. Of a creature laying siege to this holy place. (opens a document which showcases illustrations of a horrible creature not unlike the one Vlad saw prior) The Roman mystics prophesied the coming of a great evil. A vampire. From the Greek word pi, to drink. The beast was once a mortal man who summoned a demon from the depths of Hell to trade for his dark power. The demon tricked the man, granting his wish, but his price was an eternity condemned to the darkness of that cave, where he remains until he finds another to set him free. Now you know its true face. Vlad Tepes III: The people of Transylvania live in enough fear of the Turks' return. Promise me you'll guard this secret, brother. |
„ |
~ Vlad and Lucian discusses about Master Vampire. |
Many years ago, a man known as Caligula went to a dark mountain in Transylvania called the "Broken Tooth Mountain". There, he made a deal with a mysterious and powerful demonic creature. As he sealed the deal, the creature betrayed him as he became an extremely powerful inhuman and fast humanoid creature with shining red eyes and pointed teeth. The man took the alias the Master Vampire and was punished by the creature; doomed to live in the darkness of the Broken Tooth Mountain forever.
Dracula Untold[]
At the beginning of the film, he first encountered Vlad after he and some of his soldiers entered his lair while looking for an Ottoman scouting party. The vampire kills all of the soldiers, but Vlad injures him with a silver sword and manages to escape.
Later, Vlad received a message from the Turkish Empire messenger that Sultan Mehmed II wishes to enlist 1,000 boys into his army to be trained as Janissaries, including Vlad's son. Having learned about the vampire from a local monk, Vlad returns to the mountain in order to make a deal with him in exchange for saving his family and his land. The vampire offers him some of his blood, which will temporarily give Vlad the powers of a vampire for the next three days. He also warns Vlad that, during this time, he will develop an insatiable thirst for human blood. If he is able to resist this thirst for three days, he will turn back into a human. Otherwise, he will remain a vampire forever, while the Master Vampire will finally be freed from his imprisonment and will one day recruit Vlad to help him against the demon who betrayed the former. Vlad, after promising him that he will not give in, then drinks his blood and turns into a vampire.
He is not seen again until later on, when Vlad's time as a vampire is almost up. After Vlad's wife, Mirena, is fatally wounded while defending their son, she begs Vlad to drink her blood in order to become a complete vampire, knowing that this is the only way to save their son. While this is going on, the Master Vampire is seen inside, sensing what is about to happen and hoping that Vlad gives in. After Vlad reluctantly agrees and drinks Mirena's blood, the Master Vampire, finally free from his imprisonment, sets out to find the one who betrayed him.
Present Day[]
Many centuries later, the Master Vampire, now having assumed a more human form, watches as Vlad talks with woman named Mina and follows them, anticipating what he has planned for Dracula in the future and intent on holding Vlad to the deal that was made between them all those years ago, saying, "Let the games begin".
Personality[]
The Master Vampire is a very manipulative and cunning individual. He managed to convince Vlad to drink his own blood so he would be able to get out from the mountain and kill the creature who betrayed him. Besides being cunning and manipulative, the Master Vampire is also a very malicious being who killed anyone who dared to venture into his cave in the mountain.
Despite all of that, the Master Vampire is capable of restraint as seen when he did not immediately kill Vlad when the latter visited him in his cave for a second time and even stayed his hand, intrigued, when he sensed hope in Vlad instead of fear; though he did threaten him a couple of times when Vlad failed to respond truthfully as the Master Vampire interrogated him.
Powers and Abilities[]
As a vampire, the Master had extremely powerful superhuman powers and abilities such as:
Powers[]
Alpha Vampire Physiology: Master Vampire is said to be the first of vampires.
- Superhuman Strength: After becoming the vampire he is today, the Master gained extremely powerful strength at superhuman levels, enough to equal 100 men at least.
- Superhuman Mobility: He can move at very amazing speed which he described as that of falling star, a well-known power of the vampires.
- Superhuman Reflexes: Although he is old and ancient, the Master actually had inhuman reflexes which as fast as his aforementioned speed.
- Superhuman Senses: He can see at very amazing thermical sight which giving him the power to see which individual has blood and who not and navigate through the darkness. His sense of smell and hearing enhanced also.
- Regenerative Healing Factor: The Master's vampiric body can quickly heal from wounds and immune to contaminants.
- Immortality: Master Vampire has lived for centuries and won't die a natural death. As long as he's not mortally wounded by things that would kill a vampire, he would be able to live forever.
- Vampirism: By letting other drinking his blood, he can turn others into a vampire. The process is unpleasant to the recipient as the sensation of tainted blood changing them from inside out being not unlike fatal poisoning. As they overwhelmed by grim visions which likely provide an insight of what will happen had they give in to their newfound bloodlust, the mutating recipient would unknowingly move to random location where they regain their senses hours later. From there, the newly turned recipient may chose to refrain from drinking blood for 3 days after which they return to normal and gained access to a fraction of powers bestowed by vampire who changed them in the meantime or become a full vampire by chosing to do so before the deadline and unlock their full vampiric potential at the cost of their humanity physically and/or mentally.
- Metamorphosis/Shape-shifting: Master Vampire can warp his appearance into more monstrous form where his nails sharpen and elongated into razor-sharp claws, unhinged his jaw like a snake, and extending his tongue multiple times its original length. While continue watching over Vlad in modern day, he has restored much of his human visage. Though not shown, it can be inferred that Master Vampire can disperse into swarms of bats and reform at will to evade attack and quickly transverse from one place to the next.
- Weather Manipulation: As the original full vampire, Master Vampire can control weather, typically to summon dark clouds over the area he stands at to mitigate the exposure to sunlight.
Abilities[]
- Charisma and Intelligence: Though not enough to outwit the demonic entity who turned him into the first vampire and trapped in the darkness of the Broken Tooth Mountain for a long time, Master Vampire is still as charismatic, cunning, and sophisticated as ever. He willingly turned Vlad Tepes III into a vampire as the way to manipulate him knowing his desperation to save his people and loved ones would made him instrumental in his eventual liberation and importantly, a reluctant ally for the next step of his plan against the demonic entity who betrayed him long ago. Like Vlad himself, he has adapted to changing times very well as shown in the end of the film.
- Empathy: Master Vampire can easily interpret and replicate the emotions, moods, and temperaments of others. In fact, he accurately deduces that Vlad had actually killed thousands of people during his days as The Impaler.
- Master Combatant: Though often relied on ambushing his foes with darkness as advantage during his imprisonment, Master Vampire is a formidable foe in direct confrontation. The only known individual who survived direct confrontation against him was Vlad Tepes III who escaped by temporarily incapacitating him via. a slash of his silver sword and reaching into the exit during the first confrontation and successfully persuade him to strike a bargain in the second.
Trivia[]
- His true name "Caligula" was the name of the infamous Roman Emperor.
- This was the second time Charles Dance portrayed a vampire. The first time was in Underworld: Awakening (2012).
- In the 1993 action comedy fantasy film Last Action Hero, Dance portrayed the film's antagonist, Benedict. As Benedict, he told he would release many cinematic villains, and referenced Dracula in some point. In the film's trailers, we can see that the Master, portrayed by Dance, tells to Vlad that he had been waiting for him and referred to him as "Dracula".
- Charles Dance passed the time in the makeup chair by sleeping through the application, and would be startled at the sight of himself in the mirror upon waking up.
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