Will Dracula be a playable character in Marvel Rivals?

Marvel’s fantastic universe of heroes and villains contains a mixture of original characters, along with several inspired by mythology, and several of them, including Dracula, can be found in the popular hit Marvel Rivals.

Dracula exists in the Marvel universe alongside other mythological and literary figures, similarly to Norse gods Odin, Thor, Hela, and Loki, or Greek gods like Ares, or Zeus and his demigod son Hercules, though his existence may be a surprise to those who aren’t well-versed in Marvel just yet.

He has previously appeared in other Marvel video game’s such as Marvel’s Midnight Suns, Marvel Super Hero Squad Online, Marvel Avengers Alliance, and Marvel Avengers Academy. Dracula is now joining the multiverse of Marvel Rivals as part of Season One, now, too, and we’ve got you covered on what this means.

Here’s everything we know so far about Dracula and his appearance in Marvel Rivals.

Is Dracula a playable character in Marvel Rivals?

No, Dracula is not a playable character in Marvel Rivals, at least not yet. His presence on the Empire of Eternal Night map is similar to that of Doom 2099’s over-arching presence throughout the game, Knull on Klyntar, or Loki on Yggsgard.

But since Loki is playable in Marvel Rivals and still appears as a ghost-like NPC on the map, there’s no reason why Dracula may not be playable one day. However, he does not currently land on the list of data mined and leaked heroes (while the vampire-slayer Blade does), nor has he been data mined yet.

“Darkness engulfs New York as the Timestream Entanglement leaves Doctor Strange trapped in the Entangled Astral Plane, scattering the Darkhold pages,” Season One’s description reads. “Dracula and Doctor Doom disrupt the moon’s orbit, plunging the city into eternal night and unleashing an army of vampiric creatures. With the world on the brink, the Fantastic Four join forces with iconic Marvel heroes, standing together in the epic battle to break the mystical darkness with science.”

What this means for Dracula in the future, however, is still unknown.

Who is Dracula in Marvel Rivals?

In Marvel’s Earth-616 universe, Count Dracula, also known as Vlad Dracula or just Dracula, is similar to the Dracula you know from various other stories and pop culture incarnations. He is a powerful, centuries-old vampire and the lord of all vampires.

In Marvel comics, Dracula has been alive since the 1500s, when he was known as Vlad the Impaler. He was reborn by turning himself into a vampire and becoming the powerful Dracula that most would know, and has been a menace to the world ever since.

Dracula is equipped with a variety of powerful abilities such as superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, and reflex, immortality, regeneration, mind control, hypnosis, necromancy, and the ability to shapeshift. This long resume has made him a formidable enemy for characters such as everyone from Blade (and the Midnight Sons), to Storm and the X-Men, to Spider-Man, and even S.H.I.E.L.D.

In Marvel Rivals, Dracula hails from the same universe as the game’s Spider-Man and Cloak & Dagger, where he has taken over New York and turned it into his Empire of Eternal Night. More details about the game’s particular version of Dracula should be coming in future lore drops.

Why does Dracula owe Moon Knight money?

In Marvel Rivals, it’s currently unknown why Dracula owes Moon Knight money, as it is mentioned within Marc Spector’s lore tab in “The Dusk of the New Moon” entry within the game. But this may just be a reference to a well-known meme of an edited Moon Knight comic book panel.

The image below was originally posted back in 2018, and has since been re-posted without context several times. It’s not a real comic book panel, unfortunately (because it’s hilarious), but it appears that Marvel Rivals has made Dracula’s debts canon.

Yes, the idea of Moon Knight calling Dracula a “big fucking nerd” and owing him money for some reason is funny, but the panel has been fabricated. But since it’s now real, the reasoning behind the vampire lord owing money to mercenary Marc Spector and his multiple personalities money may soon be revealed.

This article will be updated with more information once it becomes available.