Contains spoilers for “Agatha All Along” Episode 4 – “If I Can’t Reach You / Let My Song Teach You”

After introducing the character on “WandaVision,” “Agatha All Along” has brought the story of Marvel’s Agatha Harkness to the screen on Disney+. Furthermore, it seems that some creatures of the night have come along for the ride. Episode 3 confirms that the devilish Mephisto exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, potentially opening the door for spooky demonic shenanigans down the line. He isn’t the only monster whose existence has been established by the show, as Episode 4 brings vampires into the mix.

The moment in question occurs during the episode when Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone) recalls a story about a vampire biting her on the neck while showing off the mark. Granted, the comment is mentioned in passing and it’ll probably take a while before we see an event like “Blood Hunt” — an apocalyptic vampire saga for the ages — in the MCU. Still, Calderu’s story is enough to expand the universe’s lore and pave the way for more monstrosities to enter the fray.

Of course, it was only a matter of time until the MCU fully embraced these fanged fiends. There have been clues about their existence for a while now, and there are projects in the works that will put them front and center. With that in mind, let’s examine the history of Marvel’s vampires and figure out what this could mean for the MCU.

Vampires have graced the pages of Marvel Comics for decades, with the first, Count Vicaro, appearing in “Marvel Mystery Comics” #35 in 1942. However, vampires — among other creatures of the night — took a backseat afterward, as the comic book industry became heavily censored in the 1950s following the publication of Frederic Wertham’s “Seduction of the Innocent,” which convinced elected officials that horror and crime comics were turning kids into hoodlums. Fortunately, moral panics don’t last forever, and Marvel brought vampires back with a fang.

In the 1970s, Marvel put out “The Tomb of Dracula” and introduced Morbius to the universe. Vampires became a big deal in the 1980s following the debut of Varnae, aka Marvel’s first official vampire. He’s essentially the lord of all vamps, and the reason why these bloodsucking fiends exist at all. Varnae was created thanks to the Darkhold, a sacred text of arcane magic that’s featured on “Agatha All Along,” so we can blame that tome for all of the horrors these monsters have caused throughout the years. 

Not all vampires are bad in the Marvel lore, however, as evidenced by antiheroes like Blade and Morbius. Still, Varnae, Dracula, and the majority of them are — and this would make them perfect MCU villains. For a more in-depth look at these monsters, check out our explainer on the history of Marvel vampires.

It’s easy to overlook vampires in the MCU, as the franchise hasn’t explored them great detail. For the most part, they’ve been the subject of throwaway jokes that don’t confirm nor deny anything. For example, “Thor: Ragnarok” sees Korg (Taika Waititi) pick up a weapon with spikes attached to it and claim that it’d only be useful for killing vampires. Meanwhile, “Eternals” includes a scene where Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) tells a story about Karun (Harish Patel) believing he was a vampire back in the day. 

However, “Loki” Season 1 provides more concrete information, as Mobius M. Mobius (Owen Wilson) tells a story about pruning vampires from the Sacred Timeline in the past. Elsewhere, “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” boasts an appearance from Saracen, who’s one of the oldest vampires in the Marvel Universe, but the Disney+ series only implies that he’s a bloodsucker. Also, let’s not forget about “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which integrates Blade (Wesley Snipes) into the MCU to some degree, even if he’s from another timeline and engulfed in multiversal madness.

Still, look no further than the second post-credit scene in “Eternals” for confirmation that vampires exist in the Sacred Timeline. It features a cameo from another Blade (Mahershala Ali), who’s supposedly getting his own MCU movie. Sure, we only hear his voice, but it’s enough proof that the creatures have always been around, lurking in the shadows, waiting for their moment to strike.

“Werewolf by Night” is the MCU’s spookiest offering to date. The special is arguably more inspired by old-school Universal monster movies and spooky chamber mysteries than it is by traditional superhero fare, as evidenced by the collection of deceased monsters on display in the Bloodstone Manor. As such, it’s hardly surprising to find vampires in the manor’s cabinets of curiosities — but the creature you think is one actually isn’t.

While speaking to IGN, director Michael Giacchino revealed that he wanted a rogues’ gallery of different creatures, ranging from Bigfoot to mermaids to bloodsuckers. “There’s sort of a monster — a giant monster vampire up there, and he was sort of made up,” he said in relation to the fanged fiends. The filmmaker added that he went with monsters that looked cool, though he may also have further canonized vampires in the MCU as a result.

“Werewolf by Night” also features a bat-like creature that could be mistaken for a vampire, but don’t jump to conclusions. The director confirmed that the monster in question is Dr. Glitternight, a sorcerer known for summoning bat-demons, so we can rule out this baddie as a vamp.

As previously mentioned, Marvel vampires exist due to the Darkhold, and with “Agatha All Along” Season 1 making the Book of the Damned a focal point, there is potential for all kinds of horror. While the show confirms that vampires already exist in this universe, the text also has the means to create and summon more. If Kevin Feige and his team at Marvel Studios want to introduce Varnae, Dracula, and others to the mix, this could be their launch pad.

After all, it’s only a matter of time until the vamps appear full-force anyway. While the “Blade” movie has been rocked with behind-the-scenes issues, Marvel’s top executives claim the project is still alive, with Brad Winderbaum sharing some details about it with Entertainment Weekly at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con. “The horror on screen in ‘Agatha’ is going to be different than the horror on screen in ‘Marvel Zombies,’ is going to be different than the horror on-screen in ‘Blade’ … It really depends on the vision of the filmmaker on what horror cues you’re pulling from.”

Blade entering the franchise is guaranteed to result in more vampire-centric mayhem that could bring all of Marvel’s legendary fangsters into the fold. However, it’d be cool to see some before then, as who knows when the Daywalker’s next solo outing will escape from development hell.