ENZO FERRARA

Real Name: Enzo Ferrara

Identity/Class: Human warrior;
    possibly now a vampire (see comments)

Occupation: Possibly now a predator;
    former vampire-hunter and lecturer;
    former Jesuit priest and senior archivist of the Vatican's Library of Forbidden Books

Group Membership: Possibly the Vampires of Earth;
    unidentified group of vampire hunters (Benjamin Alomii, Blade/Eric Brooks, Divinity Drake/Aamshed, Lucas Telling-Stone, Noah van Helsing, Michiko Watanabe)

Affiliations: Mr. Gheorghiu, Mortuus Invitus (notably Vane);
    at least formerly the Roman Catholic Church and the Society of Jesus;
    indirectly Ion;  

Enemies: Dracula, vampires (notably the Adze, Charniputra, and the Yiki Onna)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Choir Boy (from Blade)

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly Noah van Helsing's base, location unrevealed; mobile;
    formerly the Vatican, Vatican City, Rome

First Appearance: Tomb of Dracula IV#1 (December, 2004)

Powers/Abilities: Intellectual and strategic, Enzo has a virtually encyclopedic knowledge of virtually every known vampire species on the planet, including their methods of operation, customs, and idiosyncrasies, as well as the most cutting-edge means of defense against them. 

    Enzo is additionally an expert in Catholicism, and significantly in forbidden occult tomes (see comments). He was considered one of the foremost authorities on magic, sorcery, and demonology.

    He typically carries wooden stakes as his primary weapons, although he has also wielded a crossbow. 

    He may or may not be able to perform a mystic spell to cause vampires to burst into flames (see comments).

    Enzo is also an experienced driver and jet airplane pilot.

    Enzo wears eyeglasses at all times, presumably indicating some degree of vision deficit, but his specific limitation(s) is/are not specified.

History:
(Tomb of Dracula IV#1 (fb) - BTS) - Enzo Ferrara became a Jesuit priest and served a ten-year stint at senior archivist of the Vatican's Library of Forbidden Books. 

(Tomb of Dracula IV#1 (fb) - BTS) - Enzo lectured to packed crowds (of presumably students) on what appeared to be organic chemistry.

(Tomb of Dracula IV#1 (fb) - BTS) - Lucas  became known as a spiritualist, elite guide, and world-class tracker, and he was considered -- at least by Noah van Helsing -- to be a one-man occult army. 

(Tomb of Dracula IV#2 (fb) - BTS / Tomb of Dracula IV#4 (fb) - BTS) - Deep in the bowels of the Vatican, Enzo -- apparently guided by the Sumerian sorceress Aamshed who had been forced to create the Ritual of Ascendance by ancient vampire lord Varnae but had twisted the ritual to prevent Varnae from utilizing it -- discovered a second century Greek commentary on Aamshed's lost text on the Ritual of Ascendance. The text commented that the vampire-lord's metamorphosis could be thwarted by the "smallest part of the greatest fire." 

    Working alongside fellow vampire-hunter Noah van Helsing (who kept secret that he was adopted), Enzo interpretted the greatest fire to refer to the sun, and they concluded that its smallest part was the uranium atom and that Dracula could be defeated by nuclear fission (see comments).

(Tomb of Dracula IV#1 (fb) - BTS / Tomb of Dracula IV#3 (fb) - BTS) - Alongside Michiko Watanabe, Enzo Ferrara, and Lucas Telling-Stone, Benjamin Alomii was recruited by fellow vampire-hunter Noah van Helsing , to destroy Dracula before he could complete the Ritual of Ascendance, which would grant Dracula god-like power.

(Tomb of Dracula IV#1 (fb) - BTS /Tomb of Dracula IV#4 (fb) - BTS) - Noah van Helsing's band of vampire hunters was joined by "Divinity Drake" -- allegedly a direct descendant of Dracula, but secretly the Sumerian sorceress Aamshed,  -- who secretly wished the others to bring her to Dracula so she could follow through on her plan to destroy him.

(Tomb of Dracula IV#1) - At an undisclosed location, Enzo attended Noah meeting alongside Benjamin, Lucas, and Michiko Watanabe. After reviewing each member's history and qualifications and noting that Enzo's expertise eclipsed his own, Noah discussed the Ritual of Ascendance. 

    As Dracula would be vulnerable in a chrysalis while undergoing the ritual, Noah announced that as they knew exactly where Dracula would be, they would have him at their mercy. 

    Interrupting after having tracked Divinity there (and arriving at the meeting shortly before her), Blade advised the other vampire-hunters that they were seriously underestimating Dracula's abilities as a strategist and assured them that Dracula would have gathered a massive vampire army to stop them. 

    Blade further advised Noah and his allies that Dracula was a much more dangerous threat than they could ever imagine.

(Tomb of Dracula IV#2) - During a training exercise, Enzo sparred against Lucas, each armed with battle staves.

    Later, Lucas was present alongside the other vampire-hunters as Noah detailed the Ritual of Ascendance and then discussed his plan was to carry a nuclear weapon into Dracula's crypt a mile below Castle Dracula, which would protect the surrounding environment and people from the nuclear explosion. 

    Enzo departed with Noah who advised the others that they would depart for Romania at 10 o'clock.

    As Noah detailed the "suitcase" bomb they would use, Enzo drove the by car to a private jet. Although Enzo could not see anything, Blade spotted what turned out to be a vampire standing on the road in the middle of a tunnel, after which the vampire-hunters were ambushed by a group of vampires, sent by Dracula, who at this phase of the ritual could sense their plans. After the vampires caused the vehicle to crash, Enzo, wielding a stake, followed Blade's lead in exiting and confronting the vampires.

    When a group of vampires surrounded him, Enzo cast a spell that caused the vampires to burst into flames, and they perished screaming (see comments).

    The vampire hunters were on the verge of being overwhelmed when they were rescued by the Mortuus Invitus, led by Vane. 

(Tomb of Dracula IV#2 - BTS / Tomb of Dracula IV#3) - Enzo subsequently flew Noah's group by plane toward Bucharest. However, as they crossed the Carpathian mountains and into darkness, the Dracula-sent Charniputra approached their plane.

(Tomb of Dracula IV#3) - As the Charniputra tore through the plane's hull, Blade dove out of the plane (without a parachute) and engaged the Charniputra, taking most of them out before passing out from the lack of oxygen.

(Tomb of Dracula IV#3 (fb)) - With the ship badly damaged, Enzo and the rest of Noah's crew at least had time to jump out and engage their parachutes before the ship crashed. 

(Tomb of Dracula IV#3 (fb) - BTS) - Ben rescued Blade and got him safely to the ground in Romania.

(Tomb of Dracula IV#3) - Blade subsequently led the group across the Carpathian mountains towards Castle Dracula. En route, Enzo noted that in order to complete his ritual, Dracula would have to merge with a living female, the union of which would produce a new breed of vampires who were immune to sunlight. 

    The discussion was interrupted when Ben spotted a transport, and the group convinced the driver, Mr. Gheorghiu, to give them a ride into town where they met with Noah's contact, Ion. However, a pair of Yiki Onna vampires then arrived and slew Ion. 
    Michiko sacrificed herself destroying the Yiki Onna, while Noah was captured and later brought before Dracula and slain. Enzo discovered Noah's disappearance and reported it to the rest of the group.

(Tomb of Dracula IV#4) - As a massive force of vampires descended on them, Enzo staked a vampire, but failed to realize it was one of the Adze, who could remain active for 10 minutes after being staked. Ben warned Enzo of the vampire's nature, but Enzo was nonetheless bitten and either slain or vampirized (see comments).

(Tomb of Dracula IV#4 - BTS) - After Divinity/Aamshed and Blade destroyed Dracula, at least temporarily, the energies Aamshed unleashed -- the six hundred thousand souls of those who had died at the hands of vampires since Aamshed had corrupted Varnae's spell -- rushed over them, destroying Dracula's vampire servants.

Comments: Created by Robert Rodi, Bruce Jones, Jamie Tolagson, Tom Palmer, and Jay Leisten.

    There was some confusion between Lucas Telling-Stone and Enzo Ferrara in Tomb of Dracula IV#1-4. 

• In Noah's introduction of everyone in Tomb of Dracula IV#1, while discussing Lucas, he shows a picture of the guy with the thicker hair and glasses. He goes on to note that Lucas is mute, but he can speak telepathically. He's the one with the magical powers, etc.. However, the character with glasses is then shown lecturing to a crowd -- odd for someone who is mute -- and wielding a cross against vampires.
• In Noah's introduction of everyone, while discussing Enzo, he shows a picture of the short-haired guy with the facial tattoos. He goes on to note that Enzo is the one with the encyclopedic knowledge of vampires. However, the character with the facial tattoos is shown using a magical spell to destroy a group of vampires
• After Noah discusses Enzo, the speech balloon containing the reply discussing Noah's expertise points to Lucas.
• In re-re-re-reviewing this story, I am certain that the text and images for Lucas and Enzo in #1 are reversed. 
• In subsequent issues, Blade calls the guy with the facial tattoos "sorcerer boy," he is shown using magic and telepathy, and he never speaks. 
• The guy with the thicker hair and glasses speaks just before dying in #4.
• In Tomb of Dracula IV#2, the character pictured as Enzo voices a spell that causes the vampires to burst into flames and perish screaming. 
• See the images to the right. In this close comparison as I write this profile, I wonder if they tried to make the correction at the last minute. 
• While the two images show the guy in virtually identical posture, outfit, weaponry, etc., their faces are a little different
• Slightly different hair
• The one on the left is definitely wearing glasses, the one on the right is not clearly wearing glasses...it looks more like the facial structure and tattoos when you blow up the image.
• The one on the right looks like it may have facial tattoos, like Lucas, rather than Enzo.
• Regardless, however, Lucas should not be speaking. However, perhaps he is projecting his thoughts
• Maybe Lucas was using his shapeshifting ability to mimic Enzo and keep the others off guard
• Perhaps Lucas taught Enzo the spell that caused vampires to burst into flames? Enzo was considered by Noah to be "an undisputed authority on magic," so perhaps he could perform some of these spells himself?
  
• Based on all of the above, I believe Enzo is the former priest with the knowledge (although he failed to appreciate one of the Adze vampire), thicker hair, and glasses, while Lucas is the mute sorcerer with the short hair and facial tattoos.
• The Vampire Hunters entry in Vampires: The Marvel Undead confirms the above assessment.
  

    According to Tomb of Dracula IV#1 and 2, the Ritual of Ascendance can take place every thousand years, and that Varnae attempted to use it around 0 AD and then again in 1000 AD. However, in Tomb of Dracula IV#4, Aamshed states that by foiling Varnae she kept humanity safe from the coming of the vampire lord for two thousand years. References from #1 and #2 were coming from copies of old texts, while the info from #4 comes straight from Aamshed directly.

    Why would Uranium be the smallest part of the sun? How about hydrogen? He still could have made a nuclear weapon connection, as I believe they can involve both fission and fusion. Certainly in the mid-20th century nuclear bombs were referred to as the H-bomb or hydrogen bomb. 

    All of the vampire hunters in this story were interesting and have long history of vampire-hunting, so it would be nice to see them in some flashbacks. That being said, Enzo's encyclopedic knowledge of vampire lore failed him as he did not recognize the Adze vampires or their ability to remain active for 10 minutes after being destroyed/staked.
    Given Enzo's 10-year involvement with the Vatican's Library of Forbidden Books, it would seem very likely that he had some experience with the Darkhold (although perhaps that most unholy of books was completely isolated from anyone other than its official custodian) and that he knew Giuseppe Montesi and possibly Vittorio Montesi .

    I don't know why they did not include his whole face in the picture when van Helsing went over his profile.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Enzo Ferrara should be distinguished from:

• FERRARA, DOMINIC - vampire, former NYPD detective--Bizarre Adventures#25/3
• FERRARA, Mr. - employed Tatiana Caban at fish market--NYX#4
• FERRARI, CONNIE - lawyer?, employer of Javier Ramirez, sister of David, former romantic interest of Steve Rogers--Captain America III#15
• FERRARI, DAVID - see ANSWER--[Captain America III#20],41
• other "Enzo" or "Ferraro" characters, groups, items, events, races, or places...

Appearances:
Tomb of Dracula IV#1 (December, 2004) - by Robert Rodi & Bruce Jones (story), Robert Rodi (script), Jamie Tolagson (pencils), Tom Palmer and Jay Leisten (inks), Warren Simons and John Miesegaes (editors)
Tomb of Dracula IV#2-4 (January-March, 2005) - by Robert Rodi & Bruce Jones (story), Robert Rodi (script), Jamie Tolagson (pencils), Tom Palmer and Scott Koblish (inks), Warren Simons and John Miesegaes (editors)

Mystic Arcana: The Book of Marvel Magic (2007) - David Sexton & Jeff Christiansen (head writers/coordinators), Madison Carter, Michael Hoskin, Eric J. Moreels, Ronald Byrd, Chad Anderson, Al Sjoerdsma, Mark O'English, Chris Biggs & Stuart Vandal (writers), Michael Short & Cory Levine (assistant editors), Mark D. Beazley (associate editor), Jeff Youngquist & Jennifer Grunwald (editors)

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: 02/26/2023
Last updated: 02/26/2023

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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