Earlier, we witnessed a desperate struggle between the forces of Dracula and a group led by Dr. Strange to take possession of the Darkhold, a bound book of writings that originated with the demon Chthon millennia ago--including the so-called Montesi formula, which details spells that would allow one to eradicate the specter of vampirism from the entire world. In a crucial moment, Strange was able to relocate the Darkhold to Castle Mordo in Transylvania, where he and his group of friends have finally reached it; but Dracula has followed, and is prepared to take any steps he must to retrieve it!
The stakes are high for each side of this conflict. If Strange succeeds, Dracula and his ilk across the entire planet will be destroyed--but should Dracula prevail, the lives of Strange and the others will be forfeit, and Dracula will reign supreme.
Come the dawn--who will hold the Darkhold?
Mystically sealing the castle while leaving only one avenue for Dracula to enter, Strange turns his attention to gaining from the Darkhold the information he needs, leaving Hannibal King, Blade, Frank Drake, and Strange's servant, Wong, to guard that point of entry and delay Dracula as long as possible. Yet the men have failed to take into account the mystic treatments that have made Dracula immune to the traditional methods of attacking a vampire, such as silver bullets or wooden stakes; even worse, Dracula's strength has been doubled and redoubled, which means that not even King, a vampire himself, will be effective against him.
And so, having breached the castle and its defenders in no more than a minute's time, Dracula senses his way to the Darkhold--and its defender.
As we return to our own reality, we see that Strange's actions are part of a carefully crafted plan that involves the others, who now prepare the early stages of the ritual which makes use of the Montesi formula--steps designed to give Strange the time he needs to strike, and return with Dracula for what will hopefully be the vampire's last moments of existence.
At last, the moment comes--and what begins with Dracula's obliteration will continue until every vampire on Earth meets the same fate.
Nor has Strange forgotten his friend, King, who has required special preparations to be put in place for this moment. And as Strange and the others tend to him, we see the effects of the Montesi formula ripple throughout the world, removing the blight of vampirism from the human race--even as one of those afflicted with that hellish existence fights to regain his mortality.
Regrettably, such efforts would come to naught just over ten years later, when vampires were returned to the M.U., King reverted to his former fanged self, and Dracula reappeared as well. But let's at least let King enjoy his moment here while it lasts, eh?
I loved this development in the Marvel Universe. A little vampire goes a long way in my personal fictional diet. And thanks to Anne Rice during this time, people who were vampire enthusiasts put the "fanatic" back into "fan". The bloodsuckers just needed a time out, as far as I was concerned.
ReplyDeleteIn the comic book way of doing things, waiting ten years is amazing. Ten issues is usually more like it. I had mellowed by then and didn't mind their return.
I'm having a memory flash of some story that demonstrated this Vampire Elimination Spell wasn't a one-shot blast but an ongoing condition/effect. Some creature with definite parasitic-vampiric tendencies seemingly won the day and stepped thru a portal to Earth...and discovered Earth might as well be the surface of the sun as far as vampires were concerned.
Or am I just imagining this scene? Anyone?