10 Best Vampires In Comics
Which vampire can stake their claim as the best of them all?
From Count Dracula to the bloodsuckers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, vampires are one of horror fiction's most enduring antagonists.
Ever since the publication of Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1897, vampires have been a genre mainstay - unceasingly popular in literature, movies and television of all shapes and sizes. There have been suave vampires and scary vampires, sparkly vampires and slobby vampires, vampire lovers and vampire enemies, vampire heroes and vampire villains.
Slightly less prolific is the comic book vampire. In a medium full of superpowers and brooding vigilantes, the humble vampire doesn't seem quite so special by comparison. Batman is essentially a vampire already. Who needs a little bloodlust on top of that?
Which isn't to say that comic book fiction doesn't have its vampire greats. From horror stories to cult classics and superhero books, vampires have infested many a comic book universe too - Marvel, DC and everywhere in-between.
So let's take a look at 10 of the best vampires in all of comics - hero, antihero and villain alike. Whether they've indulged in the bloodlust or not, one thing is for certain: none of them sparkle.
10. Blade
There's some debate as to whether the Marvel Universe's premier vampire hunter is even a vampire at all.
A human-vampire hybrid - infected while in his mother's womb - all Blade initially possessed was an immunity to vampire bites, and a bandolier full of wooden stakes. However, when he was bitten during an encounter with Morbius the Living Vampire, Blade was granted the powers ("all of the strengths, none of the weaknesses") as displayed in the iconic Wesley Snipes movie.
The Blade of Marvel Comics is a major player in-universe, rubbing shoulders with Doctor Strange, the Avengers, Spider-Man and Ghost Rider. His image updated so as to reflect the 1998 movie, meaning Blade no longer resembles the Eric Brooks who debuted in Tomb of Dracula (circa 1973), but he's always been comics' coolest vampire hunter. It speaks to Blade's work ethic that you never see the Avengers or Spidey battling vampires on a day-to-day basis - the man is that efficient.
He's about to get even cooler, too, with the introduction of Mahershala Ali's Blade to the MCU. Well, it's about time.