VLAD THE ELDER
Real Name: Vlad II Dracul
Identity/Class: Human, citizen of Wallachia (c. 1390-1447)
Occupation: Voivode/ruler of Wallachia
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: None
Enemies: his killer, Sultan Murad II, Ottoman Empire
Known Relatives: Vlad Tepes Dracula (Vlad III Dracula, son), Radu Dracul (Radu III the Fair, son), Mircea Dracul (Mircea II of Wallachia, son), Alexandru Aldea (Alexandru I Aldea of Wallachia, half-brother or son, see comments), Prince Mircea I the Old (father), Janus (grandson), Lilith (granddaughter), Vlad Tepulus (grandson), Xarus (grandson), Stephen Bathory (nephew), Vlad Tepulus's unidentified son (great-grandson), Jonathan Drake and Frank Drake (descendant through Vlad Tepulus), Prince Basarab the Great (ancestor)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Wallachia
First Appearance: Tomb of Dracula II#2/2 (December, 1979)
Powers/Abilities: Vlad the Elder possessed no superhuman powers. An experienced statesman and military leader, he ruled Wallachia as its Voivode and demonstrated considerable skill in diplomacy, governance and warfare. Like many nobles of his era, he was likely trained in the use of medieval weapons and battlefield tactics.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'10")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 175 lbs.)
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Unrevealed, presumably white/greyish
History:
(Tomb of Dracula II#2/2 (fb) - BTS) - Vlad Dracul ruled Wallachia during the fifteenth century. According to his son Vlad Dracula, Vlad was a noble and trusting ruler who lacked experience in diplomacy and treachery.
(Tomb of Dracula II#2/2 (fb)) <1444> - Hoping to establish peace between Wallachia and the Ottoman Empire, Vlad accepted an invitation from Sultan Murad II and journeyed to Turkey accompanied by his sons Vlad and Radu. Shortly after crossing the Turkish border, Vlad and his sons were ambushed by Murad's forces. Bound and dragged before the Sultan, Vlad learned that his sons would remain prisoners and hostages until Wallachia adopted policies favorable to the Ottoman Empire. Unwilling to endanger the lives of his children, Vlad returned to Wallachia alone.
(Tomb of Dracula II#2/2 (fb)) - Over the following years Vlad increasingly favored Turkish interests in order to protect his imprisoned sons. His actions angered many Wallachian dukes and boyars who began plotting against him behind his back.
(Tomb of Dracula II#2/2 (fb)) - While his sons remained captive in Turkey, Vlad Dracul was assassinated in his sleep. One of his former supporters repeatedly plunged a dagger into his chest, killing the ruler of Wallachia.
(Tomb of Dracula II#2/2 - BTS) - Years later, after escaping Turkish imprisonment, Vlad Dracula learned of his father's death and vowed vengeance against both the conspirators and the Ottoman Empire. Once he became a vampire, Dracula exacted his revenge on Sultan Murad II.
Comments: Created by Marv Wolfman, Frank Robbins, John Romita, and John Tartaglione.
Vlad Dracul was based on the historical Vlad II Dracul, father of Vlad III Dracula, better known as Vlad the Impaler.
The name "Dracul" did not originally mean "devil" as it often does in modern Romanian. In Vlad II's time it referred to a dragon, because he was inducted into the prestigious Order of the Dragon in 1431. As a member he adopted the surname Dracul (the Dragon). His son Vlad III became known as Drăculea, meaning "son of Dracul" or "son of the Dragon," from which the name Dracula originated.
Vlad II Dracul was born into the ruling House of Basarab, the dynasty that governed Wallachia, a principality located between the Kingdom of Hungary and the expanding Ottoman Empire. Wallachia sat in a dangerous position between powerful rivals, and Vlad spent much of his life trying to preserve its independence through diplomacy and shifting alliances. He became Voivode (Prince) of Wallachia in 1436. Unlike his famous son, Vlad II is generally remembered as a politician rather than a warrior. He often tried to balance relations between the Ottomans and the Hungarians, a difficult strategy that made him enemies on both sides.
Bizarre Adventures I#33/4 (October, 1982) makes mention of Dracula's half-brother Alexandru Aldea, whom he ousted from the throne of Wallachia. In the real world Alexandru was the half-brother of Vlad the Elder, not Dracula.
Profile by MarvellousLuke
CLARIFICATIONS:
Vlad the Elder has no known connections to
A nobleman (presumably a Duke or Boyar) from Wallachia who once had been Vlad the Elder's most loyal adherent. But he grew upset at his ruler for increasingly favoring Turkish interest over their own. Angered, many Wallachian dukes and boyars began plotting against him. This specific nobleman eventually assassinated Vlad the Elder in his sleep, repeatadly pluning his dagger into his breast
--Tomb of Dracula II#2/2 (fb)
Images: (without ads)
Tomb of Dracula II#2, p51, pan3 (main image)
Tomb of Dracula II#2, p54, pan2 (will not jeopardize the lives on his sons)
Tomb of Dracula II#2, p54, pan4 (death)
Tomb of Dracula II#2, p54, pan3 (his killer)
Appearances:
Tomb of Dracula II#2/2 (December, 1979) - Marv Wolfman (writer), Frank Robbins (pencils), John Romita, John Tartaglione (inkers)
First Posted: 07/23/2026
Last Updated: 07/23/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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