MICHAEL DUGAN
MICHAEL DUGAN
Real Name: Michael Dugan
Identity/Class: Human vampire;
active circa 1952 (at least)
Occupation: Predator;
any other occupation is unrevealed
Group Membership: Vampires of Earth
Affiliations: None beyond his family
Enemies: Claude Dugan
Known Relatives: Betty Dugan (wife), Donald Dugan (son), Claude Dugan (brother, deceased)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Home in an unrevealed location (presumably the USA)
First Appearance: Suspense I#16 (March, 1952)
Powers/Abilities: As a vampire, Michael most likely had superhuman strength and required regular blood meals to survive.
Further,
feeding on a human victim would turn that victim into a
vampire, depending on the extent of the feeding and other
circumstances.
Those he vampirized may or may not have been subservient to him.
When fully fed, he could likely heal rapidly from non-fatal wounds.
He presumably had the standard
vampire vulnerabilities, including vulnerability to sunlight, religious icons, garlic, a wooden stake through the heart, and silver.
He had bat-like wings, perhaps 2'
long extending from his scapular (shoulderblade) region on his back.
These wings were not always visible, and he may be able to the shrink
and grow the wings at will. He may or may not have been able to grow
the wings large enough to carry him aloft in flight.
He may or may not have been able to transform fully into a bat and/or inti a wolf and/or mist.
History:
(Suspense I#16 (fb) - BTS / Vampires: The Marvel Undead) - The werewolves Betty and Michael Dugan were disappointed when their son, Donald, was born a werewolf.
Betty and Michael plotted to eventually feed on Michael's brother, Claude, and Claude apparently realized this. Although he apparently could not do anything to Betty and Michael, Claude instead plotted against his nephew, Donald.
(Suspense I#16 (fb)) <Months before the main story> - When his parents were planning to go out for the night, the 10-year-old Donald begged his father not to leave him alone, but Michael assured Donald that he was old enough for them to go out occasionally and that his uncle Claude would stay with him.
As Michael and Betty headed out, Claude told Donald more scary stories.
(Suspense I#16 (fb) - BTS) - After
Claude bade Donald good night, Donald, unable to sleep, sneaked out of
his room, after which Claude entered his room again and stabbed a large
knife into his bed. After Claude left, Donald returned to his room and
saw the knife.
(Suspense I#16 (fb) - BTS) - Feeling that his parents would not believe it if he told them that Claude had tried to kill him, Donald for some reason hid the knife and and prayed that his parents would never leave him alone with uncle Claude again (see comments).
Whether aware of what had happened
or for some other reason, Donald's parents did not leave him alone with
Claude. And whenever they did leave, they locked Donald in his room,
for which Claude had no key.
(Suspense I#16 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#13: Werewolves)
- On the night of a full moon, Michael and Betty went out to a movie,
and they apparently left Donald locked in his room but forgot to lock
his door from the outside.
(Suspense I#16 - BTS) - Claude confronted Donald in his room, telling the boy he hated his parents so much -- because they were always trying to eat him up -- that he had sworn to kill their only son. As the clock began to strike the first midnight chime, Claude grabbed Donald and raised his knife.
(Suspense I#16) - As Michael and Betty returned home, they heard the first bell. Having a feeling that something was wrong, Michael urged Betty to hurry.
(Suspense I#16 - BTS) - Savoring Donald's terror, Claude slowly lowered his knife as the chimes continued, planning to kill Donald after the final stroke, and then to kill his parents as well.
(Suspense I#16 (fb) - BTS) - After the final stroke of midnight, however, Donald turned into a werewolf and slew Claude, who screamed in agony before dying.
(Suspense I#16) - Hearing the cry, Michael and Betty rushed up the stairs of their house, with Michael crying out for Donald. After Michael broke down the door to Donald's room, both parents were disappointed that Donald had beaten them to Claude, and Betty told Donald that they had been saving Claude for themselves.
Donald apologized, but reminded his parents how hungry he got after the stroke of midnight.
Michael told Betty to leave Donald
alone, as he could not help it that he was ONLY a werewolf, instead of
a vampire like they were.
Comments: Created by unidentified writer and artist.
I cropped Betty
out of the picture showing Michael's wings, and one of her wings
overlaps his body...he doesn't actually have three wings, as far as we
know.
Obviously the fact that Donald
was a werewolf and his parents were vampires was the surprise ending
revealed in a the last panel. Claude does mention to Donald that his
parents were trying to eat him up, but it seemed like he was just
trying to scare Donald.
The story doesn't work as well if Donald knew his
parents were vampires and were trying to devour Claude or if Donald was
aware of his own werewolf nature and could have turned into a werewolf
at any time.
It's a little odd that the
parents would have gone out without telling Donald, or that they left
Donald at home with Claude when they knew they had to lock Donald's
door to protect him from Claude.
Maybe they hated Donald for being a
werewolf and were secretly leaving him in a dangerous situation in
hopes of getting rid of him?
Perhaps Michael and
Betty didn't leave Claude with Donald, but rather Claude knew that his
brother and sister-in-law were out, and he entered their house to slay
Donald.
I'm also not sure why it would
have been hard for Donald to convince his parents that Claude had tried
to kill him when there was a knife hole in his bed.
Ah, what's the difference, it was fun anyway!
Michael and Betty received a headshot in the Vampires: The Marvel Undead: Vampires appendix. It shows a little bit more of his face/head.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Michael Dugan should be distinguished from:
Vampires: The Marvel Undead (December, 2011) - Jeff Christiansen, Mike O'Sullivan, and Stuart Vandal (head writers/coordinators); Markus Raymond & Mike Fichera (assistant coordinators); Markus Raymond, Patrick Duke, Ronald Byrd, Roger Ott, Patrick Ryall, Sean McQuaid, Madison Carter, Kevin Garcia, Eduardo Freyre, & Seth Johnson (writers), James Emmett & Joe Hochstein (editorial assistants), Alex Starbuck & Nelson Ribeiro (assistant editors), Jennifer Grunwald & Mark D. Beazley (editors, special projects), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
First posted: 11/01/2024
Last updated: 11/01/2024
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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