The classic Doctor Strange spell that could end Marvel’s Blood Hunt – and why it won’t work

The first issue of Marvel’s Blood Hunt event teases the Montesi Formula as a solution to the vampire problem, but a previous event has already made it impossible.

Blood Hunt has kicked off May’s comics with a fang—I mean a bang—as vampires take over the Marvel Universe.

However, the event has already kicked off with a possible solution that it hearkens back to a classic Doctor Strange story. But while The Montesi Formula did succeed in its previous appearance, there’s already a written-in explanation for why it won’t work this time.

Warning, spoilers for Blood Hunt #1 follow.

How Doctor Strange used The Montesi Formula to kill vampires

The Montesi Formula itself is first formally mentioned in 1974’s Dracula Lives. The formula is a Darkhold incantation discovered by a priest, Giuseppe Montesi. Though Giuseppe is able to use the incantation to destroy a vampire in the story, he’s killed and the note he wrote it on is destroyed by Dracula himself.

It’s important to remember just how different Marvel’s landscape was in the ’70s. Vampires, werewolves, and creatures of the night were a fairly sizable chunk of their output, as the company had made its name on horror comics in its earliest days. As trends shifted, though, these books would introduce new heroes who are more familiar to readers today, like Blade and Moon Knight.

But the Marvel Comics era of vampires and Dracula as an existing character would come to a close in 1982. In a four-part Doctor Strange arc, the Sorceror Supreme discovers not only the Montesi Formula but that casting it while in possession of the Darkhold will create a spell powerful enough to remove the curse of vampirism from the plane of existence.

Doctor Strange #62 sees the Sorceror Supreme successfully cast that spell, and as a result, vampires are removed from the field for years. They wouldn’t return until 1990’s Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #18, when the Lord of Vampires, Varnae, is revived.

Soon after Varnae’s revival, vampires—including Dracula himself—start to exist throughout Marvel once again. Though they occasionally appear in books tied to the magical aspects of Marvel after their revival, they flourish in the mid-2010s when they encounter the X-Men during the Curse of the Mutants arc.

Why Blood Hunt can’t be stopped with The Montesi Formula

It is possible the Montesi Formula could be used to some degree to aid the heroes of the Marvel Universe in Blood Hunt, but it’s not a solution. That’s because of the Darkhold itself—or, specifically, the lack thereof.

Even Doctor Strange needed the actual Darkhold to cast the spell at a high enough level to eradicate the vampirism curse. However, the 2022 event The Darkhold saw the book itself destroyed, as the Scarlet Witch consumed it and its power to prevent the return of Chthon.

Since then, the Darkhold has been considered lost. Though Agatha Harkness attempted to recreate her own in 2023’s Contest of Chaos event, both Harkness and the living personification of the Darkhold she created have not been seen since.

Without the Darkhold, it seems impossible to use the Montesi Formula at its full power. As such, the best it could do would likely be to kill a few vampires in its immediate vicinity. Even that may be tough, though, considering the issue seemingly kicks off with Doctor Strange being impaled by Blade.

Blood Hunt #1 is available now for Marvel Comics. To keep up with the event, be sure to check out Dexerto’s Blood Hunt Reading Guide.

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