Castlevania‘s Vlad Tepes Is One of the Most Fascinating Takes on Dracula Around

Dracula is one of the most iconic supernatural animal of all time — there is a reason we ’ve had endlessiterations and takeson him in the wake ofBram Stoker ’s legendary novel , fromtragic digit , to cold and calculating mastermind , to bloodthirsty freak andeverything in between . But for all its revel inblood and gore , Netflix ’s Castlevania takes its own Dracula to a fascinating place .

The Dracula we encounter in the opening of Castlevania is , as you ’d await any good version of Dracula to be , an ill soul , stalk about his rook isolate and with little time or patience for the foolish humans of Romania ’s Targoviste . He has no use for peasants who count toward faith and mysticism for guidance , until one day , a young doctor name Lisa contumaciously marches to his room access and entirely upends his view of humankind .

Together , the two explore Lisa ’s medicative research , combining their intellects as Dracula offers Lisa information about the world around her while she , in turn of events , educates him about the people who live in it . metre passes , and their relationship grows from educatee of each other to make love , culminating in their marriage . After year alone , this is a Dracula — or Vlad Tepes , to give him his true name — that , despite all our connotations of what Dracula is as a character , felicitous and subject .

Long live Sad Vlad.

Long live Sad Vlad.Image: Netflix

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Which is why you know that it absolutely can not last . finally , Targoviste ’s clergy fare for Lisa , cruelly casting her medicine as witchcraft and heresy rather than science for the good of her — and now Dracula’s — residential district . Before Dracula can interfere , Lisa is dredge from their place and burned at the stake , to the full devastation of her husband .

In a stunningly gruesome episode , Castlevania ’s Dracula becomes the behemoth we have arrive to expect : swearing vengeance upon Targoviste , he repay to the Ithiel Town a class later command storms of bloodline and swath of demons , appear in the sky as a flaming embodiment of his ire and wildness . He butchers every homo he can feel as punishment for Lisa ’s death and then casts his minions out far and wide — hispassion and hatredseemingly endless .

Lisa Tepes opens Dracula’s mind—and heart—to the world of humanity.Image: Netflix

But what ’s riveting is that , after this moment of nightmarish bloodshed , Dracula fades from Castlevania ’s first season whole . The show ’s Cuban sandwich , Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades — eventually bring together by Lisa and Vlad ’s Dhampir boy , Alucard — are leave alone to deal with the lingering bequest of this violent , excited outburst . When we finally meet Dracula again in theshow ’s sophomore season , he is radically changed . The Dracula of Castlevania ’s second season is not the bloodthirsty , vengeful , and affectional figure of tragedy we go out after that opening installment . He ’s withdrawn and brooding , but not in the way he was before he gather Lisa . This Dracula is innocent of any feeling on anything , and wholly break by it all .

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He is so utterly despondent , so wholly deplete by his loss , that he has shut himself off from any sort of emotion , be it wrath at his married woman ’s persecution or heartbreak for his loss . There ’s a full point in which he confides in one of his underlings , Hector , after a flashback to a anterior vengeful turn of ferocity , where Dracula but include that even his grasp for the detail of putting to death , the satisfaction he could take from ending lives , is long gone . He feel nothing . He is nothing . It ’s a sensational contrast from the powerful , horrifying lord of the night we check at the apex of his ira .

Image: Netflix

Lisa Tepes opens Dracula’s mind—and heart—to the world of humanity.Image: Netflix

This Dracula feels horrifying in some ways still , but only in the fact that he has been turned into the counterpoint of everything we ’d expect a Dracula character to be . He ’s curl up , defensive , small and sapless in his chair as he aimlessly stares at an ever - dwindling hearth — diminishing in forcefulness as he himself is diminish in his capacity to feel and wish about anything . And that is how he basically spend most of the time of year .

This serve as a twofold striking undertide to the show ’s discharge across its second outing . With Dracula so utterly deplete in a void , we ’re given the time for both our heroes and the existent scoundrel of the time of year , the squabbling Vampiric generals of Dracula ’s Army , to build up their own plans and explore their several emotional arc . But when the series reaches its climax and our heroesstorm Dracula ’s castle , capture upon the opportunity that a distracted Dracula has left his backstabbing servants in a state of disarray , Dracula ’s broken , emotionless self serves as the show ’s nifty gut clout .

When he first starts fight Alucard , Trevor , and Sypha , Dracula is more active than he has been since that opening move episode of Castlevania , but he is still on emotional automatic pilot . That his generals lie in actual pieces about his castle , that his forces are being held back by the heroes ’ advance , are of no concern to him . That yet another Belmont in a farseeing , decaying billet of Belmonts brook in front of him with a legendary lamia - killing morningstar inspires little but a here and now of despite . It ’s not until Draculabegins going hamon Alucard that he starts opening up again , open up himself up to the distress he felt at Lisa ’s loss . And it split up him all over again , sobbing to his long lost wife that he stands on the precipice of killing his son — their boy .

Image: Netflix

This is basically how Dracula spends most of season two.Image: Netflix

This Dracula is not some mighty overlord or cackling schemer . He ’s barely even a monster . He ’s a heartbroken , lonely serviceman , so altogether lost in his own grief that allowing his son to end his life , to terminate this state of consummate worked up catatonia , is a welcome respite . With the thrust of a bet , Dracula enroll one void to escape another .

Tragedy is built-in to how we understand vampires as a fantasy — the theme of the curse itself granting terrible power and terrible pains , the idea that these flesh are doom to wander eons alone , sustained only by bloodied moments of terror and fury . But Dracula himself as a figure is one that is , more often than not , portrayed as above that . tragical , yes … spectacular , absolutely . But as the acme of what we hump as the vampire , Dracula as a character often submit the calamity of the whammy and utilize it to fuel a huge exponent and knowledge beyond his opponent . His deeply held emotion are his intensity , as he channels them into audacious plans or supernatural fury , to overpower and overwhelm with that mediaeval rage .

Even in the Castlevania games , Dracula is a constant , almighty threat to line after cable of the Belmont family . Stakes , holy flames , generations of heroes , more whips than you could shake a party whip made entirely out of other , freestanding whiplash at — they can not allude the dread might of Dracula . He always has followers , always has plans , he always returns . Dracula endures , fueled by his hate , his warmth , his tragedy .

Image: Netflix

“My boy. I’m killing my boy. Lisa…I’m killing our boy.”Image: Netflix

So seldom does that tragedy , as it would any of us , just completely break him .

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In the end , that is what Castlevania finds great ruth in — Dracula ’s curse , his heartache , comes not from his vampiric side , but the shred of humanity he had get a line from Lisa Tepes . A whit so cruelly taken from him that it robs him of who he is wholly . After looping upon looping of Draculas that enjoy in their immortal , defiant power , to be given one that want nothing more than to turn tail it for good is a compelling matter to watch unfold .

Image: Netflix