BRIDES OF DRACULA

Membership: Nikolett Bodo, Vanessa Brooks (Tara Cross, Blade's mother), Bettina Kaposvar, Emese Kisfaludi, Catherine Kiskvnalas, Velanna Lupescu, Beatrix Nanai, Marissa Constanda

Purpose: To serve Dracula and provide him with companionship

Affiliations: Dracula

Enemies: Blade, Jonathan Harker, Quincy Harker, Mina Harker, Lupescu, Father Nicolas, Abraham Van Helsing, Rachel Van Helsing

Base of Operations: Castle Dracula, Transylvania

First Appearance: (literary) Dracula (1897);
    Dracula Lives#1 (June, 1973)

History: (Tomb of Dracula II#2/2) - In 1459, Dracula was visited by Sultan Murad of Turkey and his entourage, and had his brides lead the Sultan's men away to feed on them. When Dracula finally turned on Murad to feast on him, the brides came, wanting to feed on him, but Dracula drove them off, wanting all of Murad for himself.

(Dracula Lives#1/2) - In 1691, the brides, including Bettina, attempted to vie for Dracula's affections, but he spurned them, desiring a purer bride for himself than them.

(Dracula Lives#10) - In 1809, Dracula feasted on Velanna, the wife of Eniko Lupescu, a man who was trying to rile up others against Dracula. Although Lupescu drove a stake into Velanna's heart, people who thought he had murdered her removed it. When Lupescu came to Castle Dracula to confront Dracula, Dracula threw him into his "Pit of Death" where the brides awaited-- who now counted Velanna amongst their ranks.

(Dracula Lives#11) - Lupescu managed to hold the brides back with a cross, then nailed it to the wall so that he could confront them, and staked each of the brides. He then arranged their bodies into the shape of a cross so that Dracula would be unable to remove the stakes.

(Dracula Lives#7/4) - In 1890, Jonathan Harker was a visitor at Castle Dracula, held there against his will. When he ventured into a mysterious room and fell asleep there, three of the brides came to him, and tried to feed on him, but Dracula appeared and drove them away, telling them that Harker was his. When they demanded something to have for themselves, Dracula threw them a bag containing a child, which the three shared.

(Dracula Lives#8/5) - As Dracula prepared to leave the castle for England, the brides spoke to Harker from outside his room, taunting him, claiming that he would be theirs.

(Stoker's Dracula#4) - When Abraham Van Helsing and Mina Murray traveled to Castle Dracula, tracking Dracula's movements, the brides appeared to them in the snow, and beckoned Mina to them because she had fed on some of Dracula's blood. Van Helsing drove them off with a communion wafer. When Van Helsing reached Castle Dracula in the daylight, he staked all three brides while they lay in their coffins, then severed their heads.

(Tomb of Dracula I#32-33) - The brides took Rachel Van Helsing captive, and used her to bargain for Dracula's life after he had been defeated by Quincy Harker. The Brides phoned Quincy, and informed him that they would kill Rachel unless he allowed Dracula to leave. Quincy was forced to comply, but the Brides were true to their word, releasing Rachel.

(Tomb of Dracula II#5) - Dracula's brides were among the vampires he had vengeance upon after an absence from the position of Lord of Earth's Vampires. Dracula drove the Brides and other vampires from his castle just as the sun began to rise, dooming them all.

(Marvel: Shadows and Light#1/2) - When Blade and Father Nicolas invaded Castle Dracula, Catherine swooped down and stole his wooden knives from him. Another of the brides then attacked Blade, but he held his own against her, and doused her face with holy water, then drove a stake into her heart. Catherine then returned to face him again, but Blade decapitated her. However, Blade was then faced with his own mother, who was now one of Dracula's brides, and she struck him down. Blade went on to face Dracula himself, but the resolution of this confrontation is not known.

Comments: Created by Bram Stoker; adapted by Roy Thomas, Alan Weiss and Dick Giordano.

The name of Vanessa Brooks comes from the Blade movie, but some of that, including Blade's name, has been adapted into comics, so we're going with that, too.
Thanks to Jordan Brodie for pointing it out.

The Brides' full lineup and names were revealed in Vampires: The Marvel Undead#1 (December, 2011).

Profile by Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Brides of Dracula should not be confused with:

• The Brides of Ootah, women given to Ootah as sacrifices, @ Fantastic Four I#252
• Brides of Set, 7 heroines chosen by Ghaur to mate with Set, @ Avengers West Coast Annual#4

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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