The latest installment in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, Morbius is finally in theaters following several delays from its initial July 2020 date. The film stars Jared Leto in the titular role, along with Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, and Tyrese Gibson. Unfortunately, the film was critically panned, though it wasn’t a complete flop at the box office.

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Despite the largely tepid response, Morbius effectively reintroduced Marvel vampires to live-action. The Marvel Cinematic Universe looks to be doing the same with their upcoming Halloween Special and Blade. As such, there are several iconic vampires that viewers should expect to see soon, though in which universe is up for debate.

Dracula

Marvel Comics Dracula

Perhaps the most important vampire besides Blade in comics canon is Count Dracula and when vampires are introduced in the MCU, he will likely become a key figure in their evolving story. He is an ancient Transylvanian lord who becomes the supreme sovereign of all vampires. His thirst for blood and power brought him into conflict with iconic heroes, particularly the Avengers and the X-Men.

While Blade would make the most logical sense, it would be exciting to see him elsewhere – so as to distance it from Blade: Trinity. Given vampires' interesting relationship with mutants, Dracula could make an interesting antagonist for an upcoming X-Men film or series. Alternatively, depending on how things proceed, Dracula could also face off against Kit Harrington’s Black Knight or Gail Garcia Bernal’s Werewolf by Night, even as soon as the Halloween Special.

Vampire By Night

Nina Princa aka Vampire By Night

The origins of vampires are linked with the Darkhold, a grimoire of evil magic as seen in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Runaways, WandaVision, and likely Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Tampering with the tome’s magic further inflicted a curse upon the ancestors of Nina Price, making them werewolves. Nina was attacked and turned into a vampire too, expounding her curse.

During the day, she appears to be a normal human, but once the sun sets, she becomes a werewolf-vampire hybrid, taking on the name Vampire by Night. Interestingly she is the niece of the first Werewolf by Night, cleverly named Jack Russell. There are already rumors and theories abound that Nina will be part of the MCU soon following the casting of Laura Donnelly in the Halloween Special. Vampire by Night would certainly fit into that kind of show, and then could pop up again in future horror-related projects.

Deacon Frost

First appearance of Deacon Frost in The Tomb of Dracula, appearing at Blade's mother's bedside.

Although it was announced that Mahershala Ali would take on his second role in the MCU as Eric Brooks aka Blade – following his turn as Cottonmouth in Luke Cage – it came as a surprise to hear his voice during the post-credits scene of Eternals. Viewers will likely have to wait a while for that moment to pay out since Blade is currently slated as part of Phase Five, without a release date. Nevertheless, fans could therefore expect to see Black Knight and Blade team up, perhaps against one of his greatest enemies: Deacon Frost.

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Deacon is the man responsible for turning Blade into a dhampir, a part-vampire, and murdering his mother. Unless the MCU’s film would alter his origins, it seems likely that Deacon Frost would play some role in it still. However, the character would probably be altered or adapted in a way to differentiate from 1998’s Blade

Varnae

Varnae, the first vampire from Marvel Comics

Morbius the Living Vampire is special among the vast pop culture of vampires for being more horrific and monstrous in design. He shares this trait with the first and one of the most powerful vampires, Varnae. Having been transformed by Atlantean sorcerers into an immortal creature of darkness, Varnae ruled over vampires for millenniums. This brought him into conflict with Thor, and later in modern ages, Doctor Strange.

While his conflicts with these integral characters in the MCU, Varnae might find a better footing in the SSU, should it seek to continue exploring Michael Morbius’ story. He could serve as an antagonist to Morbius or related characters, but since he is not the most well-known character, he would likely fill a more minor role.

Lilith Drake

Marvel's Lilith Drake, the Daughter of Dracula

Not all vampires in Marvel comics are villains, nor are they heroes necessarily. Some exist in that pesky gray area, sometimes teaming up with the good guys to achieve their goals and sometimes fighting against them if they are in their way. One such character is Lilith Drake, Dracula’s daughter. Where he goes, she follows, most likely trying to kill him. Therefore, should Dracula appear in Blade, it should not be surprising to see her soon too.

She is just as resourceful and manipulative as her father, sometimes choosing to possess others as part of her plans to take down Dracula. As such, she would make a worthwhile ally and secondary character in Blade, if that’s where the film is headed. Conversely, future projects could also bring in her brother, Xarus, who becomes menacingly similar to their father.

Baron Blood

Baron Blood snarling as he attacks Captain America (Sam Wilson).

While it would make sense that vampires would largely face off against other mystical beings like Doctor Strange or Brother Voodoo, some great stories occur when they go against normal, grounded heroes. This rings true with John Falsworth aka Baron Blood. He was turned into a vampire by Dracula, and he eventually went on to battle his own brother, James Falsworth aka Union Jack – who was played by JJ Feild in Captain America: The First Avenger.

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As such, in the MCU this would force him to combat the new Captain America, Sam Wilson, which he does in the comics. Truthfully, he would make a very unexpected choice for an antagonist in Captain America 4 since he is not as popular as his sire, Dracula. Therefore, should he show up in live-action, it would likely be in a smaller role with him serving Dracula.

Hannibal King

Hannibal King from Marvel Comics' Nightstalkers

Blade is not the only vampire affected by Deacon Frost that seeks to end vampirism around the world. He is often joined by his ally, Hannibal King, who never consummated his transformation by consuming blood from a living human for years. While Blade works for the total eradication of vampires, Hannibal is more eager to cure himself. They eventually form a team called the Nightstalkers and fight against Dracula and Deacon Frost.

Therefore, he would most likely feature in Blade or future installments in some way – perhaps in a supporting role. acting as a sort of sidekick to Blade. Interestingly, Ryan Reynolds played Hannibal in Blade: Trinity in his first of many superhero roles. With Spider-Man: Now Way Home embracing previous incarnations of Spider-Man as part of the multi-verse, maybe Blade will receive the same treatment and Hannibal King along with him.

Hunger

Hunger grabbing Spider-Man and Blade by the neck

Matt Smith takes on the antagonistic role of Milo Morbius, Michael’s brother, in Morbius, though he was initially announced to be playing Loxias Crown aka Hunger. The character was altered to make him more comparable to Morbius. Such comparison then highlights their drastic moral differences, with Milo quickly becoming a villain upon becoming a living vampire.

Though the character of Hunger was still party used in developing Milo, the door is still open then for him to appear later, or even in the MCU. This could entail someone actually playing Loxias in future SSU projects, or the character popping up in horror-centric MCU films or TV shows. Either way, since the course was changed in Morbius, Hunger is still technically free-game to utilize.

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