King of the Vampires

KING OF THE VAMPIRES

Real Name: Unrevealed

Class: Vampire

Occupation: Vampire king

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: London, England, formerly Tanzania, Africa, circa 2000,000 BC, ancient Rome, Europe WWI Era

First Appearance: Hell blazer #50 (February, 1992)

Powers: The King of the Vampires was immortal, subsisting on the blood of mortals. His bite could turn mortals into vampires, and he possessed superhuman speed, strength and durability. His main weakness was sunlight, which could burn him to ash. He could influence the minds of others, and transform into the shape of a wolf or a bat.

History: (Hell blazer #50 (fb)) - <millennia ago> The King was the first of his kind, a vampire, a demonic immortal that fed off the blood of humans. Where he came from, or how he came to be were mysteries untold. He watched modern man evolve in the African savanna, and when the first man was an adult he slaughtered him, drinking his blood. He marked his role as the hunter and predator that would feed off all humanity.

(Hell blazer #50 (fb)) - The King had his heyday in the Rome of Caesar, where decadence flowed from the empire to all continents. The King found it easy to prey on the bloated rich, and found the dissolute Romans could not resist his temptations of pleasure fests followed by slaughter. He remembers countless nights of wine, lovers and blood.

(Hell blazer #50 (fb)) - <July, 1916> WWI raged in Europe, and the King traveled to the from lines to feast. He adored having so many dying victims to choose from, and reveled in seeing humans causing each other such misery.

(Hell blazer #50) - The King set up his kingdom beep in the bowels of the earth, a places called Hades. He and his vampires made brief, but longed-for trips to the surface to feed on humanity. The King of the Vampires dreamed of a day when he’d drain the blood of the last life on Earth. He planned to stand triumphant over his prey, and seek the blood of distant worlds. The King consolidated his power in London, assembling the outcasts, the demonic and the undead to serve as his children. He contacted the mystic John Constantine, and requested a chat with him about magic, and a chance to show him that he belonged in his little band of evil. He asked John about his contemporaries the Demon, Dr. Fate, the Phantom Stranger, and the others. John thought they were garishly-clad fools playing superhero. John said he was an everyman who practiced magic, but they were all taken in by the hype of their own powers, and as men of mystery were a laugh. He was also bitter that their lives seemed so easy while he could barely handle day to day existence. John disliked that the King instantly tried to get chummy with him, and made it clear they were not friends. He had to repeat this sentiment after the King caught an officer who wandered in on their gathering and gruesomely dispatched him. The King lovingly went over the pleasures of life as a vampire, and told John he’d love to make him one. John refused, and cast aside the King’s plea that they were similar. The King was powerful, but he was also unconscionable. The King offered him a job as his spy on the magical community, so he could make his own dark plans and know if the forces of good were planning retaliation. John told him where to go, and the King threatened to kill him. John said he’d never help anyone like the King, because that would make him an arrogant jerk too. He debased the life of a vampire, and the King demanded he give a convincing example of why being mortal was better, threatening to end him if he couldn’t.. John said he enjoyed sunrises and the warm lips of someone who honestly loved him. The King cursed him, and told him to leave. The downhearted King, no longer feeling bloodlust, slinked back to his caves.

Comments: Created by Garth Ennis & William Simpson.