10 Best Vampires In Comics, Ranked

Over the years, there have been a lot of vampires in comic books of every brand. Both Marvel Comics and DC Comics had their own vampire crossover events, with Marvel having Blood Hunt and DC using them in an Elseworlds event called DC vs. Vampires. Through it all, vampires remain one of the most powerful monsters, no matter which company they are in, and this includes smaller companies like Vertigo, and even in manga.

The creatures of the night introduced in Bram Stoker’s novel, and based on classic mythology of the blood suckers, fit in perfectly in comic book lore, and even the famed Dracula has made his way into every comic book line. However, only one of them stands as the best version of the Count. From the best Dracula in comics to his contemporaries in Marvel, DC, and the indies, here are the best vampires in comic books, ranked.

10) Bloodline

Bloodline is Brielle Brooks, and she is Blade’s daughter. She is also one of Marvel’s newest vampires, debuting in 2022 and playing a big part in the Blood Hunt storyline after she also joined up as one of the members of Avengers Academy in those comics. Brielle wasn’t born as a dhampir, and Doctor Strange cast a spell to protect her from magic, but she soon realized that as a teenager, she was different. This is when she joined Avengers Academy and ended up helping save her father from Varae during Blood Hunt. She not only has her dad’s powers as a daywalker, but she is also undetectable to anyone using magic, and sometimes, magical beings can’t even see her.

9) Morbius

Morbius is a special case as a Marvel Comics vampire. He is a lot more like a Marvel monster, like The Lizard, than he is like Dracula or Blade. Michael Morbius had an incurable disease, and he tried to cure himself using vampire blood. Similar to how Curt Connors used lizard DNA to try to regrow his hand, only to turn into a savage giant lizard, Michael used vampire blood and became a living vampire. Morbius even debuted in a Spider-Man comic with Lizard to show the parallels. Michael has an insatiable thirst for blood, and he tries to keep stocked so he doesn’t lose control. He has a strong healing factor, can hypnotize people, and is immune to most vampire vulnerabilities.

8) King of Vampires (Hellblazer)

The King of Vampires is a villain from the Vertigo comics series Hellblazer, which is John Constantine’s original comic book home before he finally crossed over to the DC Universe. He made his debut in Hellblazer #50 in 1992 and died in Hellblazer #69, just over one year later. While this wasn’t a very long tenure in comics, he deserves this respect. He told John he lived on “other worlds” before Earth, although this was never proven. His design was meant to resemble acting icon James Dean, and he fed on people for tens of thousands of years before he finally met up with Constantine. He was the First of the Fallen, and the most powerful of all vampires, but his time ended when he faced Constantine one last time, and he learned too late that he wasn’t someone to feed on.

7) Vampirella

Vampirella is one of the oldest vampires in comic books, and she wasn’t even part of Marvel or DC. She was introduced in 1969 by Forrest J. Ackerman and Trina Robbins, and over the years, Dynamite Entertainment gained the rights to her character and series. Vampirella is actually an alien from the planet of Drakulon, where the inhabitants need blood to survive. However, when her race arrives on Earth to harvest humans for their survival, Vampirells turns on them and becomes a protector for humanity. As an alien, she also doesn’t have the same weaknesses as other vampires.

6) Dracula (Marvel)

Dracula in Marvel Comics is the same Dracula as the one who appeared in Bram Stoker’s classic novel. There are Dracula characters in almost every comic book line since he is in the public domain, but of them all, none have been as iconic as important as the Marvel version. He appeared in his own comic in the 70s called Tomb of Dracula, where he was actually the villain of the title. He also took part in several recent storylines, including King in Black, where he earned sovereignty for vampires, and Blood Hunt, where he fought on the side of good against an evil Blade.

5) Batman (Elseworlds)

This Batman variant is the only Elseworlds vampire on this list, although there could have been many more, such as a What If…? story where Wolverine became a vampire. This is the Batman from Earth-43, and the storyline was called Batman and Dracula: Red Rain. The Caped Crusader battles Dracula in his world, and when he beats him, he ends up killing the vampire, but is infected and becomes a vampire himself. This continued in Batman: Bloodstorm, where he realizes that he can’t continue protecting Gotham City because he is losing his humanity. Finally, he finished his story in Batman: Crimson Mist, where he loses all humanity and begins to kill all his enemies before finally walking into the sunlight to end things.

4) Cassidy

Cassidy is the vampire from the Vertigo series Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. He remains one of the most popular vampires, thanks to the success of the comics and the television series that was based on the story. Cassidy is an Irish vampire who was bitten during the Easter Rising in 1916 and drifts through life before he meets Jesse Custer in Dallas and becomes friends with them. He is not a bad man and actually works hard to do the right thing, even though he is always tempted to do the opposite. He even has a perfect ending when he makes a deal with God to save his friends. He even makes a surprising return later in the series, The Boys.

3) D (Vampire Hunter D)

Vampire Hunter D started as a series of novels by Japanese author Hideyuki Kikuchi before becoming an anime and a manga, with comic books to follow. The manga adaptation arrived in 2007, with the original author returning to adapt the story into the new format with Media Factory. In this story, humanity has been wiped out, and a race of vampires has spawned. One man stands up against them, known as D. “D” stands for dhampir, as he is the child of a vampire father and a human mother, bred to find a way to cure vampire weaknesses. He has the powers of vampires, but none of their weaknesses, and is one of the most feared vampire hunters in all of comics.

2) Skinner Sweet

Skinner Sweet remains one of the best vampires ever created, whether in the pages of a comic or otherwise. In American Vampire, Skinner Sweet was around in the Wild West, where he was turned into a vampire, and he watched the rise of vampires into positions of power in the American government and business world. There was a second American Vampire created when actress Pearl Jones was bitten, but Skinner Sweet remains the fan favorite and the highlight of the series. The series follows Sweet and Pearl as they set out to seek revenge against the vampires who only exist to hurt people.

1) Blade

Blade is the most popular and famous of all vampires, and since he is such a feared vampire hunter, he sits at the top of any list, whether it is Marvel or DC Comics. Like D in Vampire Hunter D, Blade is a dhampir who was created when his mother was bitten by a vampire while pregnant with him. Blade survived the delivery, while his mother died, and he grew up wanting revenge, which he eventually found. He has been a powerful enemy of everyone from Dracula to any other monster who stepped in his way, and even worked with the Avengers more than once, making him the most accomplished vampire in comics.

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