MARIA MARIA
Identity/Class: Human vampire;
presumably citizen of Italy
Occupation: Predator
Group Membership: Vampires of Earth
Affiliations: None known (possibly the vampire who vampirized her, as well as those she vampirized)
Enemies: Giuseppe Montesi; unidentified tourist she targeted and presumably previous victims;
at least formerly the vampire that vampirized her
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: "Bloodsucker," "demon" (both from Giuseppe Montesi)
Base of Operations: Rome, Italy
First Appearance: Dracula Lives#6 (May, 1974)
Powers/Abilities: As a vampire, Maria had superhuman strength and required regular blood meals to survive.
Further,
feeding on a human victim would turned that victim into a
vampire, depending on the extent of the feeding and other
circumstances.
Those she vampirized may or may not have been subservient to her.
When fully fed, she could likely heal rapidly from non-fatal wounds.
She was certainly vulnerable to religious icons (such as the Judeo-Christian cross) and to the Montesi Formula. She presumably had the standard
vampire vulnerabilities, including garlic, a wooden stake through the heart, and silver.
She could mesmerize others with a gaze.
It is unrevealed whether he could transform into a bat or wolf or into mist.
Maria was apparently bilingual, speaking both Italian and English.
Height: Unrevealed (she looked just a little shorter than the male tourist, so perhaps 5'4" to 5'8")
Weight: Unrevealed (perhaps 120-130 lbs.)
Eyes: Presumably dark red (human eye color unrevealed, but also likely dark)
Hair: Dark (possibly black or dark brown)
History:
(Dracula Lives#6 (fb) - BTS)
– At some point, Maria was presumably bitten and fatally drained of blood by an unidentified vampire, after which she revived as a vampire herself.
(Dracula Lives#6 (fb) - BTS) – Maria knew of and recognized the appearance of the monk Giuseppe Montesi, part of a centuries old family line chosen by the Pope as custodian of the Darkhold and who had rediscovered and memorized the incantation to destroy vampires known as the “Montesi Formula”
(Dracula Lives#6 (fb) - BTS) – In Rome, Italy, Maria encountered a tourist who apparently believed her to be a mortal woman and sought to romance her.
(Dracula Lives#6)
– As they entered a dark passageway, the tourist noted that his hotel
was just around the...but then he got a good look at her eyes
(presumably red) and her fangs. Maria acknowledged that she was indeed
a vampire, and that her would-be victim was a dead man.
The tourist initially thought that this was a gag, not believing in
vampires, but then he noted her powerful grip and her dark, compelling
eyes...and he found himself unable to resist her. 
However, having observed this assault, Giuseppe Montesi then appeared, announced that Maria's hunt was ended, and ordered the bloodsucker to turn and face him. Immediately recognizing Montesi, Maria was agonized by his "accursed" cross.
Giuseppe then warned her that the cross was not the only weapon he wielded, and he told her to listen to the words from the Darkhold, words that called forth the power to banish her to oblivion. Giuseppe voiced the Montesi Formula, and Maria burst into flames, leaving behind only ashes.
(Dracula Lives#6 (fb) - BTS) – Having watched this assault from above, Dracula surmised that Montesi knew that to Dracula, he was the most dangerous man on Earth.
Comments: Created by Steve Gerber, Gene Colan, and Ernie Chug.
Maria can also be seen in the "Turn, bloodsucker" image in the Giuseppe Montesi profile.
Maria was likely revived by the prophecy fulfilled in Blade III#12 that brought back every vampire that had ever perished.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Maria should be distinguished from:
(Dracula Lives#6 (fb) - BTS) – In Rome, Italy, the tourist encountered the vampire Maria, whom he apparently believed her to be a mortal woman and sought to romance. (Dracula Lives#6) – As they entered a dark passageway, the tourist noted that his hotel was just around the...but then he got a good look at her eyes (presumably red) and her fangs. Maria acknowledged that she was indeed a vampire, and that her would-be victim was a dead man. The tourist initially thought that this was a gag, not believing in vampires, but then he noted her powerful grip and her dark, compelling eyes...and he found himself unable to resist her. However, having observed this assault, the monk Giuseppe Montesi then appeared, immobilizing Maria with his cross before voicing the Montesi formula that caused her to burn into ashes. When the victim noted his appreciation for Montesi's saving his life and asked how he could repay him, Giuseppe assured him that no payment was necessary and told him to go in the way of the lord.Note: Giuseppe Montesi addressed the near-victim as "my American friend." I don't think Giuseppe or the man knew each other, he was just being friendly. A frontal, mostly full body image of the tourist is seen in the ashes images at the bottom right of the main profile. His upper body is also shown in the main image. |
Appearances:
Dracula Lives#6 (May, 1974) - Steve Gerber (writer), Gene Colan (penciler), Ernie Chug (inker), Marv Wolfman (associate editor), Roy Thomas (editor)
First posted: 03/06/2022
Last updated: 03/06/2022
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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