From Big Bads to sexy southern vampires, the small screen has graced us with some truly iconic members of the undead. With no shortage of supernatural abilities amongst them, these bloodsuckers ranged from heart strikingly romantic to seriously deadly predators, depending on the television show that they originated from.
So which of these fanged favorites would be considered to be the most powerful of all? Would it be the cutthroat Viking vampire Eric from True Blood, or The Originals Marcel Gerard, an upgraded original vampire whose enhanced powers put him at a lethal advantage? Which undead member is the absolute best of the best?
The Count (Sesame Street)
This "mysterious but friendly" purple puppet, who appears on the family-friendly PBS series is known for his obsession with counting. The Count is meant to be a parody of Bela Lugosi's Dracula as well as the popular vampire folklore that depicts creatures of the night as suffering from arithmomania. He first appeared in 1972 and originally started out as more sinister than the friendly figure he is today.
In the early days, the Count had hypnotic powers and was able to stun the other Muppets by waving his hands. As the show progressed, the Count lost more of his darker aspects as his evil laugh and his lighting strikes disappeared. Despite seeming to be completely non-threatening compared to other popular television vampires, the Count does appear to have one advantage that many other fanged foes do not, he is able to go outside and soak up the sunlight without coming to a dusty end.
Min Tae-Yeon (Vampire Prosecutor)
This well-respected prosecutor turned member of the undead uses his supernatural abilities for the greater good. As a vampire, Prosecutor Min helps catch murders for the Special Investigation Unit that he works for by using his powers. He is able to visualize where and how victims have died through the smell and taste of their blood (though drinking the blood of the dead is physically painful to him), ultimately bringing their killers to justice.
Physically, his vampire appearance isn't dramatically different; he has a small set of fangs and his eyes become blue. Prosecutor Min is also not vulnerable to certain stereotypical vampire weaknesses and is able to go into the daylight with negative or fatal effects.
Damon Salvatore (The Vampire Diaries)
The older Salvatore brother was known for being charming and resourceful; still, his heated temper is undoubtedly one of his worse weaknesses. As a 178-year-old vampire, Damon had powers that included super strength, speed, healing, and enhanced emotions (which allowed vampires to "turn off" their humanity). He was even able to walk in the sunlight thanks to his daylight jewelry containing lapis lazuli.
Despite initially antagonizing and causing mayhem in Mystical Falls after his return to free his sire, Damon eventually softened and fell for Elena Gilbert, eventually receiving the Cure for vampirism from his brother Stefan.
Tara Thornton (True Blood)
Despite only being a member of the undead for a short period of time, Tara Thornton's survivalist attitude carried over from her human life, making her newly acquired vampire powers seem that much more deadly. Her supernatural abilities included super strength, healing, speed, and glamouring.
Even as a human Tara proved to be a highly skilled cage fighter and, as a vampire, was able to throw her elder, Jessica, across the room in a fight. Her ultimate weakness would be her young age as well as her loyalty, as both her human and vampire lives were ended trying to protect someone she cared for.
Angel (Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Angel)
First appearing on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this member of the undead was both a hero and an antagonist (depending on the state of his soul). After helping his ex, Buffy Summers, fight the forces of darkness in Sunnydale, Angel headed off to LA, where he continued to fight the good fight on his own series, Angel.
His powers include enhanced strength, healing, and heightened senses. Despite his many triumphs, which included saving the world and being the only contestant to pass all three of the Trials, his ultimate weakness was the uncertain state of his cursed soul, which could be removed from one true moment of happiness. As the soulless Angelus, he becomes a vicious and dangerous killer.
Spike (Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Angel)
This former Big Bad turned white hat has a long history of bloodthirsty violence and destruction. Spike, (also known as William the Bloody) was sired in 1880 by the insane vampire Drusilla and became famous for killing two Vampire Slayers. Spike's weakness for romance led him to switch sides, fighting against the forces of darkness after falling in love with the Slayer, Buffy Summers.
Spike has all the standard supernatural abilities of a vampire in Buffyverse and is a highly-skilled fighter. Alongside Buffy, he's saved the world a number of times and managed to evade death, first reappearing as a ghost on Angel before later returning to corporeal form.
Marceline Abadeer (Adventure Time)
Marceline the Vampire Queen is a hybrid vampire/demon with a love for mischief and a strong sensitive side. She's over 1,000 years old and has a wide array of powers, including essence and soul absorption, flight, invisibility, and shapeshifting.
Unlike stereotypical vampiric lore, Marceline feeds off the color red rather than blood itself, (though she does drink blood occasionally due to its color). Her weaknesses include sunlight and the risk of going into "feral mode" if she does not consume enough of the color red. In terms of power, Marceline has definitely acquired some impressive abilities.
Kisa (From Dusk Till Dawn Series)
This highly skilled Culebra (a reptilian-like vampire creature) is over a thousand years old having been turned into a deadly immortal around 900 by Malvado, the leader of the Nine Lords. Aside from the standard powers of a Culebra which include super-strength, healing, and illusion casting, Kisa also has the ability to fly.
Though Culebra's are considered vulnerable to the stereotypical vampire weaknesses, (Kisa is an exception to the 'stake through the heart' method) Kisa has managed to survive for a significant period of time due to her advanced age and strong fighting skills. The fact that Kisa has managed to take down several Nine Lord leaders proves she is one of the most powerful vampires around.
Marcel (The Originals)
Originally adopted into the Mikaelson family, Marcellus Gerard was turned into a vampire by Niklaus Mikaelson in 1835 and later became an Upgraded Original Vampire; which made him physically stronger than even Original vampires, able to both kill and compel them with his enhanced abilities.
As the Beast Marcel's vampire powers included super strength, speed, healing, and telepathy. Though he still has some vulnerabilities like magic, Marcel is clearly one of the most powerful vampires in The Originals. Though he could be reckless at times, his determination combined with his upgraded vampire powers made him an unstoppable force.
Eric Northman (True Blood)
The charismatic Viking vampire Eric Northman is highly skilled at his ability to adapt and survive. He is over a thousand years old, and as an older vampire, his strength and powers are much more advanced. Eric rarely falls victim to his own temper and can be extremely persuasive when needed.
Aside from True Blood's standard vampire abilities, which include super speed, healing, and compulsion, Eric also has the ability to fly. His affection for those he holds in high regard has given him a number of loyal allies and undoubtedly contributed to his survival.