The Penny Dreadful fandom will unanimously agree that Vanessa Ives is prone to falling for the most dangerous men. Be it the ancient charmer Dorian Gray who believes himself to be above laws of nature and society, or Dracula, AKA Dr. Sweet, who’s not only the Devil in disguise but also wants Vanessa to join him to lead the world into eternal darkness and pestilence.

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But who’s the worst man for Vanessa? Is it Dorian, who is almost always ruled by his desires and entitlement, and has been alive for hundreds of years? Or is it Dracula who wants to use Vanessa for his own selfish and dangerous means? 

Dorian Gray: Was Never Honest

Dorian Gray had too many secrets - sure, his real age was the biggest of them all, but there are too many things about his life that he couldn’t have possibly told Vanessa if they had actually embarked on a relationship.

It’s important to remember that Vanessa doesn’t deal with secrets all that well, in fact the secrets surrounding her family laid in the foundation for her trauma. Dorian’s lifestyle and his past was almost like a giant web of duplicity and would have messed with Vanessa in a very acute way when she did discover his reality.

Dr. Sweet: Only Needs Vanessa For Selfish Reasons

For Dracula or Dr. Sweet, Vanessa was only a means to an end; to be accepted back into Heaven, Dracula must win the favor of the Mother of Evil or Amunet. In Penny Dreadful, Vanessa is the re-incarnated Mother of Evil. She’s a natural-born witch but also harbors deep, powerful energy within her.

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Dracula obviously wanted Vanessa or Amunet to fall for him and realize her true origins and eventually grant him his place back at Heaven. And though Sweet tells Vanessa that he is actually in love with her, it is most likely a very convenient ruse.

Dorian Gray: Never Really Understood Vanessa

The reason why the Penny Dreadful fandom is so wary of Dorian’s chances with Vanessa is that Dorian has never really known the real Vanessa. In fact, their relationship never reached a point where either of them could be completely honest about who they were.

So, fans were shocked when Dorian was heartbroken after Vanessa’s rejection, because it never really reached a point of true intensity or transparency. Moreover, Dorian would make for a toxic partner and he wasn’t most likely interested in having a life together with Vanessa, which is something that Vanessa was looking for.

Dr. Sweet: He’s Literally The Devil

This probably goes without saying, but The Devil wouldn’t have made for a very good love interest for Vanessa, for obvious reasons. In Penny Dreadful, Dr. Sweet is actually Dracula, the original fallen angel who loses his Heavenly Throne and must win over the Mother of Evil to earn his place back.

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Dracula tries very hard to put Vanessa in touch with the dark channels within her, which has not always worked in Vanessa’s favor. It goes without saying that the kind of future Dracula envisions with her is not a peaceful one, and his very vision involves turning ‘air into pestilence.’

Dorian Gray: Considered Himself Above Human Law

Unlike Dracula, Dorian was a human. But since he has successfully been able to defy nature vis-a-vis his age, he’s basically an ancient being. But it goes without saying that supernatural rules don’t apply to Dorian because he still lives on in his human form. But Dorian has displayed a remarkable indifference to laws of human ethics and doesn’t really believe in societal norms, and as the show progressed, his defiance to the civilized law began to grow more apparent.

“You think you know sin? You're still learning the language. I wrote the bloody book,” Dorian tells Justine. It suggests that Dorian is self-aware and acknowledges that he doesn’t go by the book and believes that he’s entitled to this freedom.

Dr. Sweet: Took The Human Life Of Mina

Dracula’s treatment of Vanessa’s closest friend Mina Murray is proof enough that he doesn’t actually care about Vanessa like he’ll have her believe. After Her marriage, Mina was seduced by Dracula to become his acolyte just so he would be able to use her to get to Vanessa in the future.

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It makes a lot of sense that Dracula would approach his problem tactically and strategize all possible ways to draw Vanessa to him, and never really considered how much Vanessa would be pained at Mina’s loss.

Dorian Gray: He Prioritizes His Desires Over Everything Else

The Penny Dreadful fandom has pointed out that the biggest difference between Dorian and Vanessa lies in their approach to desire. While Vanessa has stood firm in the face of culpable impulses and has, in fact, denied her true self just to pursue righteousness, Dorian is motivated by little else other than his desires.

This is not to say Dorian is easily led by his base urges, but he is used to getting what he wants and has enjoyed this for centuries.

Dr. Sweet: He Is A Master Manipulator

Some of the most interesting moments in Penny Dreadful are the ones when Dracula almost convinces Vanessa and the viewers that his vision is pure and righteous. Historically, The Devil is considered a master in the art of manipulation, and Dracula can talk his way out of almost any situation, and even convinced Vanessa that he never lied to her.

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“Have I lied? You met a man who marvels wide-eyed at the miracles of nature. So I am… you met a man who wanted to possess you for his own ends but, instead, he fell in love. That's the man I am, and the monster,” Dracula tells her. 

Dorian Gray: His Interest In Vanessa Is Superficial

Vanessa may be responsible for Dorian’s first heartbreak, but he was never truly in love with her. Dorian’s interest in Vanessa was quite superficial, it’s possible that he simply wanted to understand her better. Vanessa intrigued him and he could not figure out why exactly.

In Season 1, it’s possible that Dorian could sense Vanessa’s ties to the world of supernatural, and yet they never broached the subject. To put it simply, they both had secrets that they were not comfortable sharing with each other, except Vanessa never claimed to be in love with Dorian.

Dr. Sweet: Brings Out The Worst In Vanessa

Dracula’s vision for their future involves darkness, pestilence, and a kingdom of fear where humans will perish and the dead will feed freely. It’s safe to say that this is not an objective Vanessa agrees with.

Dracula puts Vanessa in touch with the dark energies within her, because he sees her as the Mother of Evil and desperately wants her to share his vision and work with him. But this brings out Vanessa’s worst self, which is also a side of herself that Vanessa has been running from because she doesn’t recognize it.

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