Marvel Comics has an abundance of horror-themed characters, both hero and villain. But until recently, Marvel Studios has been reluctant to lean into their creepier characters for adaptation. But in the last couple of years, we’ve seen a shift. In October 2022, Marvel released their Werewolf by Night special presentation to much fan acclaim. This year, Agatha All Along leans into the Halloween horror vibes. And next year, Marvel Zombies hits Disney+. Well, we think it’s time Marvel Studios officially made this an annual affair. There should be a yearly horror-themed series or special on Disney+, utilizing their vast array of monster characters. And we think two comics in particular make for the perfect adaptations—The Tomb of Dracula and Ghost Rider. Below, we explain why these two should be our featured players.
Tomb of Dracula Was Marvel Comics’ Undead Opus
The Tomb of Dracula was unique in that its creative team was stable throughout its eight-year run. Marv Wolfman wrote all but seven issues with Gene Colan as the artist for the whole run. Over the course of their seventy issues, from 1972-1979, the series focused on a group of vampire hunters going after the Lord of the Vampires. Among those heroes were Rachel Van Helsing, Abraham Van Helsing’s granddaughter, and Quincy Harker, the son of Jonathan and Mina Harker from Bram Stoker’s original novel. Eventually, “good guy” vampire Hannibal King joined them, as did a new character named Blade. (You may be familiar with that guy). He originated in the pages of Tomb of Dracula.
Despite being set in the Marvel Universe, superheroes intruded into the events of the series only on very rare occasions. The series was dark and moody, maintaining that feeling without too much Marvel Universe intrusion. Dracula himself was arrogant and evil in the way Lee and Kirby’s Doctor Doom was with none of Doom’s redeeming qualities. And Tomb of Dracula simply had incredible art throughout by Colan. Visually, his Count evoked both Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee. But his cape had that extra flair, with a blood-red collar and a length that seemingly defied physics. (That cape later inspired how Todd McFarlane would draw his signature creation, Spawn). Tomb of Dracula had a certain amount of repetitiveness, to be sure. Every issue had to feature Dracula defeated, cursing his foes, and then plotting another scheme. But then, isn’t that just as predictable with heroes like Spider-Man, who constantly wins?
Marvel’s Dracula Is a Combination of Classic and Unique
We’ve had many Draculas on screen since Tomb of Dracula. We’ve had Gary Oldman in the ‘90s, creating a visual look unlike the versions we’d seen decades prior. The BBC/Netflix series Dracula also presented a modern version of the Count. And, of course, we’ve had a metric ton of parody versions, from Count Chocula to Hotel Transylvania. In fact, the parodies outnumber the serious takes at this point. So why not let Marvel Studios bring their specific version of Vlad the Impaler to life on screen? Imagine a limited series over Halloween season where the Nightstalkers have to stop Dracula from a global takeover? In the early days of Disney+, an R-rated vampire series would be out of the question. But these days, they’ve imported all the former Marvel Netflix shows and Deadpool films, so it doesn’t seem to be a factor anymore.
A Groovy ’70s-Set Tomb of Dracula Series Would Set It Apart From Other Adaptations
One cool thing Marvel Studios could do is set the series in period, during the ‘70s. After all, the ‘70s was a bit of a vampire heyday. It saw Dark Shadows continue in popularity, the publication of Salem’s Lot and Interview with the Vampire, and big-budget remakes of Dracula and Nosferatu hit theaters. Why not set in this groovy period, which saw so much vampire media? While we don’t think a Tomb of Dracula series could sustain more than one season, it would be a blast as a one-off event series during Halloween. And Dracula could himself appear in later projects, like future X-Men or Blade films. Tomb of Dracula deserves a proper MCU adaptation as much as any superhero or mutant.
Ghost Rider Should Skip a Movie Reboot and Become a Disney+ Series
Of course, Dracula and cohorts would not be the only Marvel horror characters who should make the jump to Disney+ for a spooky season series. Our next candidate is none other than Ghost Rider, a major Marvel character who has headlined his own comic series several times. Not to mention, he has featured in two live-action films, while appearing in the TV series Agents of SHIELD. If he’s not Marvel’s biggest horror hero, then he’s certainly their biggest original horror-themed character not based on a public domain character. A streaming series is ideal for him.
Ghost Rider Is Marvel’s Longest-Running Horror Hero
Ghost Rider first appeared in 1972, created by writer Mike Friedrich and artist Mike Ploog. Stan Lee originally thought Ghost Rider should be a villain, but once he saw Ploog’s design, he wisely realized this was a character who needed to be a hero with his own feature. The original Ghost Rider (there was a Western hero of the same name before) was Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcycle rider who makes a deal with the Devil (or Mephisto?) to save the soul of his dying father. Having made this demonic pact, they force him to become the Spirit of Vengeance, who must avenge the innocent for eternity.
More than fellow spooky Marvel titles of the time, Ghost Rider really rode the line (sorry) between superhero and horror comics. Because it scratched both itches, this iteration of Ghost Rider lasted a solid ten years, from 1973-1983. Yes, Ghost Rider was a demonic being, and he often fought other devilish creatures. But for every demon he fought, he also tussled with Spider-Man, or the Hulk. Speaking of the Hulk, Johnny Blaze tapped into the same tortured hero energy that worked so well for Bruce Banner. And at the end of the day, he’s also just a memorable image. The flaming skull head, riding a motorcycle engulfed in flames? It’s just something that works. He was born to be a million tattoos.
Ghost Rider Has All the Right Ingredients for an Incredible Series
We know both Ryan Gosling and Keanu Reeves have expressed interest in playing Ghost Rider in the past. They are big movie stars, so they might not want to do a series. But who knows? Stranger things have happened. We imagine something in the vein of the old Incredible Hulk TV series. Something where Johnny travels America, caught up in the lives of different strangers each week. And for the record, we’d make sure that this Ghost Rider was Johnny Blaze, and not any of his successors. Although Ghost Rider eventually bonded with Danny Ketch and Robbie Reyes, we’re gonna stick with Johnny Blaze for a streaming series, if only because he has the cleanest origin story. Not to mention the best civilian name. Here’s hoping the next few Halloween seasons give Marvel’s iconic horror icons their proper place in the MCU.
