Marvel Rivals developer NetEase Games made an infamous Moon Knight meme canon as part of its Season 1 mid-season update.
Marc Spector’s history in the Marvel universe includes serious and not-so-serious stories. He’s a complex character who has appeared in comics and video games for decades and even managed to pop up on small screens in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ series Moon Knight in 2022. Although he’s evolved to take on many names through the years, it’s not his ties to the moon god Khonshu that he’s best known for. Instead, the one line of dialog thousands of fans associate him with involves the hero calling Dracula a “big f***ing nerd.”
Moon knight crashing out on Dracula over 5 dollars is the best piece of lore I’ve seen for a character in a long time pic.twitter.com/wAnwM6F89P
— Flare_G (@_Flare_G) February 24, 2025
This unofficial gag has circulated comic book spaces for a while, showing Moon Knight as he hunts down the vampire king in hopes of collecting the debt he’s owed. It’s one of the more well-known (and funnier) Marvel memes, and it’s also managed to trick a few unfamiliar fans into thinking Moon Knight truly does have a grudge against Dracula. Now, however, Marvel Rivals has made Moon Knight's debt-collecting side feel a little more real.
When the mid-season update dropped for Season 1 last week, Marvel Rivals players were treated to a new map — Empire of Eternal Night: Central Park — to help cap off its vampire-themed season. Like every other map included in the hero shooter, it’s packed with Marvel references, but those who play as Moon Knight on the stage have the chance to run into a specific treat.
The Duelist hero will sometimes allude to Dracula’s debt depending on where your team is at in a match. He’ll occasionally mention that it’s “time for Dracula to pay up” while pushing the Central Park payload, for example, but he’ll also go as far as to say “Dracula’s here? Good, that bloodsuckin’ nerd owes me big.” The NetEase team essentially goes as far as it possibly can without full-on quoting the meme, and we can’t believe it’s real.
He actually says more about Dracula and it's really great https://t.co/zUDqQYePh1 pic.twitter.com/6P9ovT5xMR
— Prince Caim 🦇 (@boltboutamon) February 23, 2025
Triggering Moon Knight’s meme voice lines isn’t easy, as it means you’ll need to at least have the character on your team while attacking at Central Park. Thankfully, there’s another reference to Dracula being flakey tucked away in Moon Knight’s in-game Lore tab. The Dusk of the New Moon Hero Story entry, which predates the most recent Marvel Rivals update, sees Marc confessing his grudge against Dracula during a conversation with Khonshu. When the moon god asks him what he knows of vampires, Moon Knight replies: “That they suck. And that Dracula owes me money.”
Marvel Rivals came out swinging with all four members of The Fantastic Four included as part of Season 1. Season 2 is rumored to include Blade as a playable character, with fans already speculating about who will be included next. For more on NetEase’s popular hero shooter, you can read about why some flying heroes have been pestering players following that mid-season update. You can also learn about how Marvel Rivals was nearly canceled before launch.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
