1998's Blade was undoubtedly the catalyst for the success of the current crop of comic book movies. It was only the second Marvel property to get a wide theatrical release in the United States (after Howard the Duck) and signified a new dawn that proved comic book characters could work on screen in the modern era. Stephen Dorff's Deacon Frost played a big part in that and, therefore, he had to be on this list. The character was very, very different to the depiction in the comic books - although the movie retains Frost's upstart ambitions, he was a great deal younger and more updated for the 1990s - but still managed to captivate audiences (perhaps the fact that most people who saw the movie weren't familiar with the comic book version served as a blessing, in this instance). Dorff really conveyed a sinister vibe, exactly how a vampire should be conveyed, and as the original comic book movie villain of the current era he has to be given a lot of credit for setting the standard.