Loki episode 4 reaffirmed the existence of vampires in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which raises the question of just how powerful vampires are and if the legendary monsters will be making an appearance in the MCU before the Blade movie. Even if the vampires of the MCU are only half as powerful as their comic book counterparts, they would still pose a considerable threat. Moreover, their immunity to many of the dangers that threaten living beings could make them dangerous on a galactic level.
While vampires had been mentioned in earlier MCU projects, it had always been within the context of childhood stories or popular folklore, such as Korg in Thor: Ragnarok dismissing a large wooden fork as a weapon, saying it was "not really useful, unless you're fighting off three vampires that are huddled together." However, TVA agent Mobius spoke of vampires as being a credible menace in Loki episode 4, "The Nexus Event," comparing them to the Kree and Titans like Thanos, in terms of their deadliness. This confirmed that vampires exist in the MCU and that they are powerful enough to make even an experienced TVA agent cautious.
While vampires may exist in the MCU, there is still little direct evidence that can be used to chart their origins and abilities. However, the groundwork for introducing them into the MCU has already been laid by other Phase 4 productions. Presuming they stick to the origins of vampires presented in Marvel Comics' books, it's possible that vampires could appear somewhere in the MCU before the upcoming Blade revamp, starring Mahershala Ali as the titular vampire hunter.
In Marvel Comics' 616 reality, the first vampires were the creation of the Elder God Chthon; one of the many mystic beings who lends his power to sorcerers and witches in the form of spells and artifacts. One of Chthon's most powerful creations, the Chthon Scrolls, came into the possession of a cult in ancient Atlantis known as the Darkholders. One of their number, Varnae, was transformed by the corrupting touch of Chthon, gaining tremendous power and an unquenchable thirst for the blood of the living. Varnae set upon his fellow cultists and slaked his thirst, discovering that he had transformed them all into beings like himself, accidentally forming the first clan of vampires. The Chthon Scrolls were later bound into a book, which became known to later magic users as the Darkhold, in honor of Varnae's cult.
While Chthon has yet to be mentioned by name in the MCU, the Darkhold was a major part of the story of Wandavision and previously appeared in Marvel's Agents of SHIELD. While the canonicity of the latter show is up for debate, it cannot be denied that Agatha Harkness utilized the Darkhold before Scarlet Witch took it from her in Wandavision. It's also believed that Wanda Maximoff's studies of the fell tome may set her up to be the villain of the Doctor Strange sequel. In any case, the mystic artifact responsible for creating the first vampires in the comics definitively exists in the MCU and it's corrupting powers have been confirmed.
While all vampires in Marvel Comics are descended from Varnae and share certain common powers and weaknesses, they are not all alike, nor are they all savage monsters. Over a dozen assorted sects and sub-species of vampire have been identified over the years, including the peaceful Anchorites (who live apart from humanity, feeding on the farm animals they raise), the Sirens (who induct only women into their clan and favor seducing their prey before feeding) and the Tryks, who only feed on other vampires. This does not include pseudo-vampires like Morbius, who, while having some of the classic vampire powers and a need to feed on blood, are a product of science rather than sorcery.
Marvel Comics' vampires are extraordinarily powerful, being based on classic vampires of Bram Stoker's Dracula. They possess superhuman strength, with the weakest of vampires being 10 times stronger than they were in life and the strongest capable of lifting up to seven tons. They are quicker than the human eye and far more durable than humans, possessing a healing factor that allows them to recover from most injuries provided they can feed. While vampires are physically formidable, it is their mental abilities that mark them as truly dangerous. Vampires are capable of controlling the minds of others and can summon and control creatures associated with darkness, such as bats, rats and wolves. Vampires can also shapeshift, taking on the form of bats, wolves or a cloud of living mist. Particularly powerful vampires, such as Dracula himself, have the ability to exert their will upon their surroundings, controlling the weather to create a thunderstorm.
While the curse of vampirism is magical in nature, it's spread like a disease and one of the reasons Marvel Comics' vampires are so dangerous is that it is remarkably easy for them to create more of their kind. Vampire saliva contains a unique enzyme which passes into their victims while feeding. If the vampire takes enough blood to kill the victim, the enzyme activates and the victim's body begins to produce a green fluid called ichor to replace the lost blood. After three days, the victim rises as a vampire, presuming their heart and brain have not been damaged. It is possible for a vampire's victim to be given a blood transfusion to stop the conversion process before it is complete. However, those who survive being fed upon by a vampire are often left in a weakened state resembling anemia and are left more vulnerable to mental manipulation by vampires, until their body purges the ichor from their system.
For all their power and heightened invulnerability, Marvel Comics' vampires have a number of notable weaknesses. Direct sunlight is the most famous, as the ichor that mobilizes a vampire's body dries up quickly in the light of day. Holy objects can be used to repel or harm a vampire, though they must be part of a religion that existed during the vampire's mortal lifetime and must be wielded by a true believer of the appropriate faith. (Varnae, for instance, was immune to crucifixes, having been born before the foundation of Christianity.) Vampires are limited in their mobility and can travel no more than 100 miles from their native soil, unless they take at least one pound of it with them as they travel. Vampires cannot enter private dwellings unless formally invited in by someone who lives there and can be repelled by the smell of garlic. Finally, vampires can be killed by having their hearts pierced with a wooden object. Stakes are traditional, but spears, daggers, swords, crossbow bolts and bullets made of wood are also effective.
It remains to be seen how much of this may come into play following Loki's confirmation that vampires are real in the wake of Thor: Ragnarok's tease. However, the vampires of the Marvel Cinematic Universe could prove to be a formidable collective of villains, even if they are limited to merely being stronger, faster and more durable than mere mortals without such fanciful powers as mind control or shapeshifting. The big question is if vampires will make an appearance in Doctor Strange 2 alongside other cursed creatures created by the Darkhold, such as werewolves, before the release of the MCU Blade reboot.
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