Warning: Spoilers for Blood Hunt #4 ahead!The mystery of Marvel’s Blood Hunt is finally laid bare as the miniseries’ fourth issue reveals the source behind the plot to darken the sun forever: the vampire lord Varnae. But Varnae’s history runs deeper than most realize, extending not just back to Marvel’s early days, but even before the infamous character of Dracula was ever created.

Blood Hunt #4 by Jed MacKay, Pepe Larraz, and Marte Gracia, opens with dire straits indeed: New York’s darkened skyline is blotted out by an accursed Atlantean temple; Doctor Strange and Clea are forced to turn to Doom for aid; and Black Panther remains at Blade’s twisted beck and call. With his plans at the cusp of fruition, “Blade” drops the ruse and reveals his true identity to a shocked T’Challa.

“[I am] the first vampire, my nomad spirit clothed in my fated vessel, the Daywalker’s skin. I am Varnae,” Blade’s body gloats, revealing that Blade’s age-old nemesis has been possessing him the whole time.

“Varnae” Is Literally The World’s First Modern Vampire

Varnae is a major part of Blade’s ongoing lore as the lord of all vampires. He’s the mastermind beind many of Blade’s early adventures, and even first attempted to possess the Daywalker in Blade: The Vampire Hunter (1994) #5. But Varnae’s history in the Marvel universe extends even further than this: the character first appears in Steve Perry and Steve Bissette’s “Tomb of Dracula: The Blood Bequest” from the horror anthology Bizarre Adventures (1981) #33, where he manipulates Dracula into becoming his eventual successor. Much of Varnae’s modern Marvel lore is retained from these early issues, including the nature of his coffin and his Atlantean roots.

But the name “Varnae” is itself a reference to an even older story: the 1845 penny dreadful Varney the Vampire, which codified many of the tropes that today make up the modern concept of the vampire. Not only did Varney the Vampire heavily influence Bram Stoker’s writing of Dracula (making the passing of the torch in Bizarre Adventures #33 all the more appropriate), the name “Varney” continues to show up in vampire stories as an Easter egg referencing a particularly ancient vampire, such as in the third season of Netflix’s Castlevania (2017).

Varnae Is The Result Of Marvel’s Deliberate Literary Influence

Varnae’s relevance extends beyond the current implications of the Blood Hunt event. Rather, the character’s name and very existence as Marvel’s proto-Vampire shows how early Marvel writers were inspired by older stories, seeding notions and references to them into their comics. It’s a fascinating reflection on how stories influence stories and how various tropes and elements – like the name “Varney” – are codified and passed down over time. Marvel’s Varnae may currently be poised to rule over an Earth of total night, but he – and almost all vampire media – owe it to a niche story nearly two centuries old.