Abraham Van Helsing (Bram Stoker)

Do-Gooder
Full Name	Abraham Van Helsing
Alias(es)	Van Helsing Doctor Van Helsing Professor Van Helsing
Origin	Dracula
Occupation	Vampire Hunter Professor Doctor Scientist Lawyer Minister Police Commissioner
Powers / Skills	Intelligence Apotropaic Magic Book Knowledge Gunmanship Hunting Skills Religious Knowledge
Hobby	Helping Others
Goals	Stop Dracula
Family	Wife Son (deceased)
Friends / Allies	Dr. John Seward (Van Helsing's pupil) Lord Arthur Holmwood Lucy Westenra Mina Harker John Harker Quincey Harker (John & Mina's son named after Quincey Morris) Quincey P. Morris (American Vampire Hunter) Mr. Swales Mr. Peter Hawkins Frankenstein's Monster Dr. Henry Jekyll
Enemies	Count Dracula The Brides of Dracula Lucy Westenra (vampire) Vampires Monsters R. M. Renfield
Type of Hero	Sophisticated Doctor

“	The strength of the vampire is that people will not believe in him.	„
	~ Professor Abraham van Helsing (Dracula 1931).

Professor Abraham Van Helsing is the tritagonist of the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. He was an elderly Dutch scholar who had delved into occult matters sufficiently to offer some assistance when the affliction of vampirism first appeared in England in the late 19th century. He was no action hero, and was reliant on the young wooers of Lucy Weston (Dr. Seward, Arthur Hamilton, and Quincey P. Morris) as well as the recovered Jonathan Harker, to carry out the more demanding physical tasks of vampire-hunting.

Biography

Abraham Van Helsing is a Dutch doctor, as well as the archenemy of Count Dracula. Previous to the story, Abraham's son had died, which caused his wife to have a mental breakdown which led them to become estranged (however remaining married). He enters the story when he is contacted by his former pupil Dr. John Seward for assistance treating Lucy Westenra, a woman whom Seward had courted but lost out to Arthur Holmwood, Lucy's fiancé. Van Helsing, who has a broad range of expertise, suspects that Lucy is the victim of a vampire. When Lucy dies and becomes a vampire herself, Van Helsing reveals his suspicions and he and Arthur track Lucy to her coffin and destroy her vampiric form so that her soul can be set free.

When Dracula later attempts to turn Mina Harker into a vampire, Mina is left with the psychic ability to track Dracula which motivates Van Helsing to lead the quest to Dracula's castle in his homeland of Transylvania where Dracula is destroyed by Mina's husband Jonathan Harker and Quincey Morris who accomplished the task following Van Helsing's instruction.

After Dracula's death, Van Helsing remained a family friend to the Harker family.

Portrayals

• The late Edward van Sloan portrayed Van Helsing in the older Universal Dracula cycle, where his tendency to make grotesque demands upon the younger men working with him was somewhat toned down.
• The late Peter Cushing portrayed Van Helsing in the later Hammer cycle, and began to be more directly involved in the combat with the Undead, this taken to near-ridiculous lengths when he demonstrated a knowledge of Kung Fu in The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires.
• Anthony Hopkins portrayed Van Helsing in the 1992 movie Bram Stoker's Dracula.
• The late Rutger Hauer portrayed Van Helsing in the movie Nadja.
• The late Christopher Plummer portrayed Van Helsing in Dracula 2000.
• The late David Warner portrayed Van Helsing in Penny Dreadful.

Abilities

Abraham is known to be the doctor who has knowledge about vampires and how to combat them and his former student is a friend of one of the victims, which in turn leads him into confrontation with Dracula. Likewise, he is the professor of medicine.

Many iterations of the character tend to be reimagined as a veteran monster hunter capable enough to deal supernatural threats as good as the likes of Blade and Winchester Brothers. However, overall combat abilities of Van Helsing's original iteration is subpar at best as his conflict against Dracula and his dark forces happens to be his first time in confronting supernatural threats outright, necessitating him to enlist assistance from his younger and more capable allies. That being said, his wisdom proved crucial for protagonists in stopping the Count.

Gallery

Abraham Van Helsing portrayed by Edward Van Sloan in the 1931 film.

Abraham Van Helsing portrayed by Peter Cushing in the 1958 film.

Abraham Van Helsing portrayed by Bernard Archard in the 1968 film.

Abraham Van Helsing portrayed by Herbert Lom in the 1970 film.

Abraham Van Helsing portrayed by Nigel Davenport in the 1973 film.

Abraham Van Helsing portrayed by Frank Finlay in the 1977 BBC miniseries.

Abraham Van Helsing portrayed by Laurence Olivier in the 1979 film.

Abraham Van Helsing portrayed by Walter Ladengast in the 1979 film, Nosferatu the Vampyre.

Abraham Van Helsing portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in the 1992 film.

Abraham Van Helsing portrayed by Mel Brooks in Dracula: Dead and Loving It.

Abraham Van Helsing portrayed by Rutger Hauer in the 2012 film, Dracula 3D.

Abraham Van Helsing as he appears in Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned by Toei Animation.

Abraham Van Helsing as he appears in Marvel Comic's 616 universe.

Abraham Van Helsing as he appears in the Dracula 2013 TV series.

Abraham Van Helsing portrayed by David Warner in the 2014 TV series, Penny Dreadful.

Abraham Van Helsing using his turn undead ability on Lucy as seen in the 1993 video game, Dracula Unleashed.

Abraham Van Helsing portrayed by John Arthur Olson in the 1993 video game, Dracula Unleashed.

Trivia

• Abraham Van Helsing is one of the select few characters within the Bram Stoker's Dracula novel who is physically described in one place by Mina Harker.
• Van Helsing inspired the Ravenloft hero Rudolph Van Richten.