Bleh-bleh-bleh!

[iamrman]

Uncanny X-Men #159.

We already had Doctor Doom thirsting after Storm, so why not Dracula?

Comments

[mazway_75]

I love the "What If" follow up where Dracula turns them all only Wolverine ends up killing him and becoming lord of the vampires. They turn Magneto, New Mutants and others for a mutant-vampire army conquering New York. Doctor Strange trying to stop them only to get killed and his ghost contacting, of all people, the Punisher. So awesome sight of Punisher in Strange's cape fighting vampires.

[deh_tommy]

Good gosh, that sounds AWESOME. Is that where that whole Strange/Punisher team-up idea started? I feel like I’ve seen it a few times.

[mastermahan]

Maybe? Frank and Stephen do make a great odd couple. The Punisher is very grounded character (relatively) who uses real world weapons, whereas Dr. Strange is a goddamn wizard. Not even an alien or a superhuman - a normal man who learned magic.

When Punisher first showed in Secret Defenders, he declared he didn't believe in Dr. Strange. Though he quickly got over that.

[icon_uk]

Magic and Mafia is an interesting combo. I remember a fanfic many, MANY, years ago where Voldemort hires Tony Soprano's mob to take out this Potter kid (They don't understand why, but they don't care either, because a hit's a hit)

[super_fly]

Where'd Kitty get that hat?

[donnblake]

Kitty Pryde is always ready for a costume change!

[cainofdreaming]

Dracula? Thirsting? *pelican staring.jpg*

[beyondthefringe]

I invoked this very issue at a convention last week, during a panel about supernatural creatures and how vampire lore changes. I was talking about how sometimes, it's the measure of faith a character has in their chosen religious symbol which affects vampires, not just the cross specifically.

[super_fly]

Something that the movie Fright Night follows

[nyadnar17]

Something I adore way more than pretty much every single other trope that seems to allow the supernatural to exist....except for Religion.

It even works within the framework of real life religions. Common Grace is a concept that allows for the power of God to help even people of the "wrong" religion.

[mastermahan]

It's a common interpretation. Crosses are a classic weakness, but a lot of creators would rather not have it that crosses protect you from evil because Christianity is the One True Religion.

[windleopard2]

Wait, you have to be Christian for a cross to work on a vampire?

[lordultimus]

Depends on the telling, but it's usually about faith, hence the bit about the Star of David burning him.

[blues32]

Hasn't Dracula had the same problem with Thor's hammer?

[bruinsfan]

Yes. In fact, contact with it made lesser vampires combust immediately upon contact. (Which was nifty, but considering how powerful Thor and Mjolnir are, probably not necessary as a side effect of his divinity.)

[donnblake]

Depends on your cosmology, but it broadly fits in Marvel, where deities are at least sometimes empowered, shaped, or even created by the faith of their believers.

As noted above, it also works as a workaround to preserve the classic vampire weaknesses without going all in on Christianity.

(Other workarounds I've seen include Peter Watts's having vampires experience seizures upon exposure to intersecting right angles, Scott Westerfield's having vampirism as a parasite that creates strong negative associations for familiar objects and symbols (so folks for whom Christianity was a big part of their life are suddenly repelled) and the conceit whose origin I cannot remember that vampires, being fundamentally selfish predatory creatures, are repelled not because Christ was the son of god, but because the crucifixion represents a truly selfless act of self-sacrifice, with the notation that someone had also successfully repelled vampires with a photo of Gandhi at his spinning wheel.)

[lordultimus]

I recall a bit in Vampire The Masquerade where apparently some Wall Streeters care about money so much their credit cards work the same as crosses.

[donnblake]

The power of Mammon compels you!

[cainofdreaming]

Which one? The Earthbound, the spirit or the bunch of Technocracy bureaucrats?

[giraffesforever]

The first X-men comic I ever had. Loved it then, love it now. I still think the inset panel of teeth/throat is pretty great. Shame space constraints prevent the scene of Nightcrawler returning the lightning on Dracula and of Storms eventual face turn.

[mastermahan]

It occurs to me Nightcrawler must have converted to Catholicism at some point. He was raised by a practicing witch, after all, and I can't imagine Margali taking communion. Has anyone ever told that story?

[beyondthefringe]

To my knowledge, no. I've seen it suggested he turned to Catholicism as a way to balance out how he was treated for his demonic appearance... but I don't think anyone has ever explained how and when he turned to faith.

Probably for the best. At this point, it would probably involve time travel or an untold tale of Warren Worthington visit the circus and have to soar into action as the Angel, thus inspiring Kurt...

[bruinsfan]

I wouldn't rule it out, she apparently was a woman of Catholic faith according to Dr. Strange #58.

[mastermahan]

...huh. That doesn't make sense. You'd think Kurt and Amanda would care about their mom being a possessed slave.

[bruinsfan]

Amanda at least was caught up in the same control, and she seemed much less herself in the Dr. Strange story as opposed to earlier appearances. Kurt might not have had enough contact in recent years to realize how bad things had gotten.