History
Carmen was a gypsy woman living in an errant campment in the late 19th century. The granddaughter of fortune teller Marguerita (who was secretly a vampire), Carmen was courted by hunchbank Drako, whom she had repeatedly rejected. At one point, Drako tried to force himself on her, but she was rescued by Frankenstein's Monster, a misshapen wanderer. She initially rejected the hideous monster, but Marguerita saw the monster's strength, which she could use for her own purposes to resurrect Dracula, and his interest in Carmen - so, she forced her granddaughter to be nice to the Monster. Eventually, Carmen came to respect the Monster.[2]
Marguerita then manipulated events so that the Monster helped her resurrection of Dracula,[2] but in the process she revealed her vampirism to Carmen. Marguerita tried to kill Carmen to protect her secret, but the Monster protected Carmen by killing Marguerita and letting Dracula escape. He then went to look for Dracula, but he found the nearby villagers accusing the Monster and hampering his progress. Carmen was left behind, and she was then found by Dracula. Dracula killed and vampirized Carmen,[3] turning her into his bride.[4]
While looking for Dracula, the Monster found a much more effective Carmen. The vampiress managed to bite the Monster and damage his vocal cords, but the Monster reacted in time to kill her with a stake. However, as she had been nice to him, he refused to watch her die. The Monster then confronted and killed Dracula, and then he went to mourn his friend Carmen.[4]
It was then that they were found by a person who had been looking for the Monster: Vincent Frankenstein, descendant of the Monster's creator.[4][5] After a rough first impression, the Monster convinced Vincent and his servant Ivan to help him bury Carmen.[5]Attributes
Powers
Carmen possessed all of the traditional powers of a vampire.
- Fangs: Carmen possessed a pair of canine fangs, which she used to puncture a victim's jugular vein in order to draw blood.
- Immortality: So long as Carmen consumed blood on a regular basis, her body ceased to age.
- Invulnerability: Carmen's body was impervious to most injuries, however, a wooden stake impaled through her heart would destroy her.
- Vampirism: Carmen possessed the ability to transform other humans into vampires. By draining a body's blood near to the point of death, she could then replace it with a portion of her own vampiric blood. Three nights later, the victim would rise from the grave as one of the undead.
Weaknesses
- The Sun: The power of the sun means death to any vampire. Even the slightest exposure to ultraviolet radiation will cause a vampire's skin to blister and burn. Heavy exposure will destroy a vampire completely.
- Stakes: Driving a wooden stake into a vampire's heart will effectively kill them, but it is not a permanent resolution. Removal of the stake from the corpse will enable the vampire in question to slowly regenerate itself. Powerful vampires regenerate more quickly than lesser ones.
- The Cross: Carmen was also repulsed by religious symbols including the Christian cross. In the presence of a cross, she would retreat from the immediate area.
- Garlic: Vampires are likewise allergic to garlic. Although garlic isn't fatal to a vampire, its mere presence is enough to drive one away.
- Reflection: Carmen casted no reflection in a mirror or any other similar surfaces.
- Silver: As is also the case with werewolves, silver is one of the few elements that can harm a vampire. A sufficient quantity of silver will prove to be fatal to the vampire in question.
- Sleeping: Carmen had to sleep in a coffin filled with samples of Earth from her native land.
See Also
- 3 appearance(s) of Carmen Burnemissza (Earth-616)
- 1 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Carmen Burnemissza (Earth-616)
- 1 minor appearance(s) of Carmen Burnemissza (Earth-616)
- 2 image(s) of Carmen Burnemissza (Earth-616)