Van Helsing: The Main Characters, Ranked By Likability

SyFy took the story of Van Helsing to new heights in the 2016 fantasy/horror show, Van Helsing. Instead of the famed hunter, the show focused on his descendant, Vanessa Van Helsing (Kelly Overton), who wakes up from a coma to the world overrun by vampires and her daughter missing.

She becomes the world’s last line of defense, as her blood is the cure to vampirism. Vanessa makes the journey through the rubbled city to find her daughter and encounters some loyal teammates and ugly foes. The show is in its fifth season and there are some characters fans have rooted for and others they’ll gladly see meet their end.

12 Sam

At first, Sam (Christopher Heyerdahl) seemed like an inconspicuous character who was a survivor of the Rising. But fans soon came to dislike him when it was revealed that he was the serial killer in the first season. Sam’s method of killing was strangulation and he kept his victims’ right index finger as a trophy.

Sam would become the show’s most notorious villain when he was turned into a vampire and becomes an even worse murderer. He made every fans’ skin crawl. Seeking revenge, he goes after Vanessa and even becomes the Fourth Elder and more powerful.

11 Dracula

This rendition of Dracula is not well-liked by fans for many reasons. Vanessa has a lot on her plate when Dracula is awoken and is the ruler of all vampires.

Dracula escapes the Dark Realm after Sam is sacrificed. She’s hellbent on having control over the world and tries to poison the mind of Violet (Keeya King) for her own gain. To make matters worse, Dracula takes the identity of the President and sets her sights on domination.

10 Scab

Scab is the perfect name for this character, as he (Rowland Pidlubny) is a nuisance that fans want to pick off and get rid of. Scab was originally more of a slave and follower of another vampire, but when he is sent to negotiate with the Sisterhood about a treaty, he instead kills their leader and assumes the role.

Scab retained his eery and somewhat fearless persona until his death in the fourth season. He often showed little fear going after Vanessa, despite her abilities. He becomes more of a ruthless character after joining the Sisterhood but was a bit too cocky for his own good.

9 Ivory

Ivory (Jennifer Cheon) is not a charter to be messed with and was highly unliked. She is the leader of The Sisterhood, a group of bloodthirsty vampires who use a type of dark magic. Throughout the show, Ivory and the other sisters are heavily feared by other vampires.

Ivory is the one to introduce the Sisterhood’s first male member and often took charge of what the group did. She’s also extremely devoted to her cause when they revive the Oracle to help release Dracula. But Ivory does get some brownie points when she’s reverted to being human and allies herself with Vanessa.

8 Doc

Doc (Rukiya Bernard) loses many brownie points with fans over her selfishness and sense of self-preservation. Many describe Doc as the opposite of a protagonist. Fans are first introduced to her as a good doctor who’s turned human by Vanessa. But Doc is unable to cope with humanity, and she has a deep desire to become a vampire again.

As the show progressed, there are moments in her storyline where she’s an ally, as she helps analyze Vanessa’s blood to find a cure. Above all, she has a loyalty to ending the war of vampires.

7 Hansen

Hansen (Neal McDonough) becomes a more notable character in season four of the show. He’s introduced as a powerful man who looks to analyze and test all vampires or humans affected by Vanessa’s blood, but it’s later revealed that he was Jacob Van Helsing’s assistant and a vampire.

His story as a villain gets more complex when fans learn he plans to help raise the Dark One and is the father of Violet. He took part in testing Vanessa and her sister and used their eggs to harvest new Van Helsing twins. But at his death, it’s revealed that it was all a cover. Hansen worked from within to find a way to stop the Dark One and creates the ultimate weapon.

6 Flesh

Flesh (Vincent Gale) is an interesting character to see unfold on screen. He was the first vampire turned by Julius (Aleks Paunovic) and becomes a blood-hungry vampire with no remorse. When Flesh is sent to attack Vanessa, he’s turned human again. Fans felt sympathy for the character, as he’s riddled with guilt over what he’s done as a vampire.

Flesh tries to find some peace but is unable to. In one scene, he even tries to end his own life. Flesh proves to be a good guy with morals who wants to save anyone he can.

5 Violet & Jack

Violet and Jack (Nicole Munoz) became the main figures in the fourth season when it’s revealed that they are Van Helsing’s descendants. Jack got some praise, as she was a teenager who led a group of survivors and worked diligently to keep everyone safe. Violet lived with Hansen and was trained in combat by Julius.

As their story progressed, Violet stayed dedicated to the cause to help Vanessa stop the rise of the Dark One or destroy her. But when Dracula shows them a memory of their creation, Jack is more willing to believe Dracula. After leaving the Dark Realm, Jack is now susceptible and Dracula takes over her body.

4 Julius

Julius had one of the best character arcs in the show. He was a feared leader of a vampire faction who sent his followers to do his bidding. At first, fans disliked the character, as he had no morals and sought carnage and to capture Vanessa. But in a turn of events, Vanessa turns him human and Julius becomes dedicated to redeeming himself.

He allies with Vanessa to become her protector in a way and vows to protect anyone close to him. Julius is later tasked to train Violet and develops a bond with her. It’s safe to say that fans came to love the character.

3 Scarlett

Scarlett (Missy Peregrym) is credited as a special guest character in seasons 2 and 3, but she had a much bigger role to play that fans enjoyed. She was a lone-wolf survivor after the uprising who stayed alive due to her immense skills in combat and swordsmanship, and she was trained from a young age by her parents.

It’s later revealed that Scarlett is a Van Helsing and she joins forces with her sister to stop the rise of the Dark One. In season 2, Vanessa and Scarlett try to stop Sam and the Oracle, but there’s only one way to do so. Vanessa’s heart is turning dark and Scarlett sacrifices herself to give Vanessa the motivation to kill Sam.

2 Vanessa

The show’s main character comes in second place, as her story takes many different turns. Fans praised Vanessa for having the motivation to go into a vampire-infested world to find her daughter. But after realizing her blood is a cure, Vanessa sets out to help stop the vampires and fulfill her destiny.

Along the way, Vanessa helps all types of survivors. Vanessa’s story gets a bit complicated as she battles her inner darkness. In the end, Vanessa does whatever possible to stop Dracula alongside Violet and Jake. Not to mention, she’s a badass with incredible combat skills while still being able to show compassion.

1 Axel

Axel takes the cake for the most likable character. He’s introduced as a soldier who is tasked with protecting Vanessa in her comatose state and he has deep loyalty to Vaness and the cause. Axel has a tough exterior as a trained soldier, but he is a real softy at heart who seeks to save humanity.

His most impressive moments come when he’s turned but refuses to drink blood or harm a human. He holds off until the brink of death to find Vanessa for the cure. No matter what, Axel always found his way back to Vanessa and the others and always helped in any battle.

About The Author

Gabriela Silva
(478 Articles Published)

Gabriela Silva is a List writer for Screen Rant with experience in all things television, film and pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University with previous years experience interning for Cliché Magazine.

With her passion for movies, television and entertainment, she’s interviewed some great actors from Cress Williams of ‘Black Lightning’ to Tati Gabrielle from ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.’

Her love for entertainment reaches a broad range of interests from 90s thriller movies, guilty pleasure teen dramas, action-packed MCU movies to popular K-dramas. You’ll most likely find her binge-watching a new television show or movies on Netflix into the early morning.

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