APOCALYPSE

Friday, October 23, 2026Earth-616 canonX-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula #1–4 (2006)

Today's Fact

Verified against three independent sources. Issues cited below.

APOCALYPSE BEHEADED DRACULA — WITH VAN HELSING AT HIS SIDE!
The Featured Fact

In 1897, the Lord of Vampires went hunting the first mutant’s family — and had to wake him up to do it. X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula #1–4 (2006), by Frank Tieri and Clayton Henry, reveals that Dracula spent that year slaughtering and vampirizing Clan Akkaba — Apocalypse’s own descendants — until the clan had no choice but to awaken En Sabah Nur from his slumber.

It was a grudge match centuries in the making: back in 1459, long before he was a vampire, Vlad Tepes and his forces had been wiped out in battle by Apocalypse and his Dark Riders. Now Dracula wanted payback. Apocalypse, bitten and weakening under the vampire’s influence, stormed Castle Dracula alongside the unlikeliest ally in Marvel history: Professor Abraham Van Helsing himself.

The finish is pure pulp: as Dracula gains the upper hand, Van Helsing throws holy water in his face — and Apocalypse seizes the moment, impaling Dracula through the heart and decapitating him. Then, too proud to follow a mortal’s “superstitious” rituals, Apocalypse refuses to stake and burn the remains — which is exactly why Dracula got better. Survival of the fittest, meet the one man too stubborn to finish the job properly.

Why It's Obscure

The first mutant vs. the first vampire sounds like a headline event. Instead it hid in a four-issue 2006 miniseries — and ended with Apocalypse doing Van Helsing’s job for him, then botching the cleanup.

1459
The first round — during the Crusades era, Vlad Tepes, not yet Dracula, loses in battle to Apocalypse and the Dark Riders. The humiliation festers for over four centuries.
1897
London — Dracula takes his revenge on Clan Akkaba, turning Apocalypse’s descendants into vampires. The clan awakens its sleeping god to fight back.
2006
X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula #1–4 (Tieri & Henry) — Apocalypse allies with Van Helsing, is bitten by Dracula, and still wins: impaled heart, severed head.
The catch
Apocalypse refused the final rites — no permanent stake, no burning. Dracula recovered, as Dracula does. Even a 5,000-year-old survivalist can skip the instructions.

Sources

Every claim above is verified against at least two of these independent sources.

Bullpen Bulletins

  1. X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula — WikipediaFour-issue 2006 limited series by Frank Tieri and Clayton Henry: centuries after Vlad Tepes lost to Apocalypse, Dracula seeks revenge in 19th-century London, turning Clan Akkaba into vampires; Apocalypse is awoken and battles him with Abraham Van Helsing at his side.
  2. X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula Vol 1 #4 — Marvel DatabaseIssue synopsis: Van Helsing throws holy water in Dracula’s face; Apocalypse stabs Dracula through the heart and decapitates him, then declines to finish the rites.
  3. Clan Akkaba (Earth-616) — Marvel DatabaseDracula’s vengeful campaign against Clan Akkaba in 1897; with help from Apocalypse and Van Helsing, Dracula was impaled and decapitated — and soon recovered because the rituals were skipped.