Church of the Damned

The Church of the Damned is a fictional cult featured in comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is a part of the mainstream Marvel Universe and appeared in issues of Tomb of Dracula. The Church made its first appearance in Tomb of Dracula #45 in June, 1976.

Overview
The Church of the Damned was your typical Satanic cult type of affair, except that it was led by a vampire. Not just any vampire mind you, but the biggest, baddest blood-sucking mofo of all time, Dracula. The Church of the Damned committed itself to the traditional evil affairs of any type of Satanic cult, including worship, ritualism, human sacrifice and so on. The church was based out of Boston, Massachusetts and was also known as the Church of Satan and the Dark Church.

History
Dracula was not the founder of the church however. Its leadership was actually conducted by a man named Anton Lupeski, who indoctrinated a woman named Domini into the cult's ranks. Dracula learned about the church and found it as a useful vehicle in order to obtain loyal followers.

Anton Lupeski offered up Domini as a human sacrifice to Satan. Dracula, being the wily son of a gun that he is, disguised himself as the Devil and accepted Domini as his "Satanic" bride.

Lupeski eventually learned the truth about Dracula's ruse, but allowed it to continue since the vampire's presence actually served his own agenda. Lupeski conducted a ritual that allowed Domini to become pregnant with Dracula's child. The infant was named Janus.

Lupeski believed that Janus could serve as an Antichrist, and at this point, he began putting together a plan to betray Dracula and re-assert himself as leader of the church. To this end, he even allied himself with Dracula's most determined foes, Quincy Harker, Rachel van Helsing, and Frank Drake. They attacked Dracula and Lupeski shot at him. Dracula turned to mist however, and the bullet passed through him, striking Janus instead, killing him. Thrown into a fit of rage, Dracula crushed Lupeski's head with his bare hands.

With the deaths of Anton Lupeski and Janus, the Church of the Damned fell into disarray and disbanded soon after.

Members

 * Anton Lupeski
 * Dracula
 * Domini
 * Janus Tepes

Notes & Trivia

 * Whether the Church of the Damned was reconstituted following the original death of Dracula is unknown.

Appearances

 * 1) Tomb of Dracula 59