Blade: Who Should Play the MCU’s Dracula?

Marvel

By Joshua Kristian McCoy

Published Jun 26, 2024

The Marvel Cinematic Universe seems to be having some trouble with Blade. What should have been a straightforward pitch and an excellent supernatural superhero movie has become a mess of lost opportunities and shifting goals. Nothing seems set in stone as yet another director steps away from the project. The only guarantee, at least for now, is Mahershala Ali in the starring role. Maybe fleshing out the cast with an iconic nemesis like Dracula could help the fanbase sink its teeth into this project.

The 2000s Blade trilogy tried their hand at Dracula, producing one of the weakest superhero movie villains of all time. Dominic Purcell of Prison Break and Legends of Tomorrow fame brings an unmistakable meathead energy to the first vampire that completely falls flat. Other than a unique twist in the film's final moments, Blade: Trinity's Dracula, nicknamed Drake for some reason, bears little resemblance to any worthwhile portrayal of the character. This leaves the MCU's take on Blade nowhere to go but up.

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Viggo Mortensen

Notable Roles:

Aragorn - The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Tony Lip - Green Book
Saul Tenser - Crimes of the Future

Viggo Mortensen is a stellar performer with a titanic body of work to show for his decades in the industry. He's something of a Renaissance man with books of poetry, paintings, photography, several albums, and a publishing company to his name. Raised in America, Argentina, and Denmark, Mortensen lives as fascinating a life off-screen as his characters often do on-screen. His Wikipedia states that he's 65, but with all he's accomplished, there's a reasonable case to be made that he may indeed be an immortal vampire. Mortensen brings a certain sophistication that might feel out of place in a Marvel movie, but it's exactly that worldly vibe that would make him perfect to portray Dracula. His vampire lord would be a negative reflection of the subtle, considered, and clever heroic role he played in The Lord of the Rings. Just like his predestined hero, Viggo Mortensen's legendary villain would be refreshingly unique.

Javier Bardem

Notable Roles

Stilgar in Dune
Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men
Raoul Silva in Skyfall

Javier Bardem is one of the finest character actors working today, if that term even fairly applies to him. He's inarguably a star, but he rarely takes the starring role in his projects. Bardem recently delivered one of the most memorable performances of 2024 so far, Stilgar in Dune: Part Two. Bardem has a reputation for playing big, bold characters full of internal contradictions. He routinely portrays iconic villains, including his Oscar-winning turn as Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. Bardem's Dracula could be quiet and understated, burying a quiet rage beneath him. He's naturally unnatural, able to convey a certain otherworldlyness that somehow sticks out against a wholly alien environment. Bardem would make Marvel's Dracula feel appropriately out of step with reality, like an abberration that remains despite never belonging.

Richard Armitage

Notable Roles:

Thorin Oakenshield - The Hobbit
Trevor Belmont - Castlevania
Dr. Matthew Nolan - Red Eye

There is some irony in the man who voiced Trevor Belmont becoming the new face of Dracula. That voice is one of Richard Armitage's best assets as a performer. He provides audiobook and television narration for a variety of projects. Anything delivered in his baritone suddenly becomes powerful and poignant. Armitage is a method actor with a long history of several excellent stage and screen performances. He often plays complicated characters, like Dr. Matthew Nolan in the ITV series Red Eye. He portrayed the villainous Francis Dolarhyde in Hannibal's third season, picking up the role from Ralph Fiennes. Armitage brings massive gravitas to every role, his stage training escalating every exchange. Armitage's Dracula provides a physical threat to match his spiritual menace.

Rhys Ifans

Notable Roles:

Otto Hightower - House of the Dragon
Kurt Connors/The Lizard - The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Xenophilius Lovegood - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1

Ser Otto Hightower is one of the most conniving, manipulative, and self-interested characters in House of the Dragon. In a world of similar figures, he still stands out as a schemer. That distinction comes almost exclusively from Rhys Ifans' stellar performance in the ongoing series. Ifans technically made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Spider-Man: No Way Home, where he reprised his role as the Lizard from The Amazing Spider-Man 2. He was a visitor from another dimension who never took his human form, leaving Ifans plenty of room to return in a more engaging role. Ifans' career has taken several interesting turns, including a standout performance in Rolland Emmerich's weird Shakespeare conspiracy movie, Anonymous. Ifans would be perfect for Dracula in pretty much any venue. He would bring some much-needed complexity to the role in a Marvel movie.

Luke Evans

Notable Roles:

Owen Shaw - Fast and Furious 6
Bard the Bowman - The Hobbit
Vlad III Țepeș/Dracula - Dracula Untold

Remember that time Luke Evans played Dracula? Probably not, since it was an ill-fated flop from the writers who would go on to create Morbius and Madame Web. Luke Evans was the best part of Dracula Untold. He brought pathos, physical presence, and real conflict to a historical iteration of Dracula. He also portrayed the character in a blatant superhero setting. If experience were the only factor, Evans is probably the best choice for this role. He's also probably the most likely candidate on this list to actually say yes. Evans' Dracula could resurrect one of his ill-fated roles and turn it into a success.

Marvel's Dracula could be one of the most consequential elements of future phases. Imagine Dracula as a new Loki for the MCU's Midnight Sons. If Blade ever gets off the ground, the good people over at Marvel Studios will have a lot riding on the key choice of who will play Dracula in the MCU.