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A triple-celled platelet... which holds unspeakable power.

Singe describing the Corvinus strain.

The Corvinus Strain, the parent strain of the Vampire and Lycan Strains, is a recessive genetic anomaly that, when inherited in its active form, gives its carrier immortality and superhuman strength, while additionally possessing the capability for another stage of mutation when subjected to gene-fusion. Thus, the Corvinus Strain uniquely has the ability to sustain and harbor both viruses carried by Vampires and Lycans. This anomaly is the only known gene that is capable of combining properties from both the Vampire and Lycan strains that would otherwise destroy themselves on contact due to the incompatible components contained at their cellular level. This recessive strain is activated once it mutates with the genes of one or more other species. The only known post-mutation examples of the Corvinus Strain are the Vampire and Lycan Strains.

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Lucian overlooking the effects of the Corvinus Strain

When inherited in its dormant form, it gives no interaction with the host whatsoever; thus, giving no indication of its presence from a third-party perspective. Still, there remains the capability for the dormant strain to undergo another stage of mutation, but this could only be accomplished if the strain is drawn to its active form by an independent source. One such source is the Corvinus Strain in post-mutation form, that is to say, either the Vampire or Lycan Strain because of their dominance. A fusion with both post-mutation strains would produce very potent and same results as the active form, which would be regarded as a Hybrid. The dormant and active form of the strain seems to be two different mutations of the strain, as they react differently with the Vampire and Lycan strains, though it is possible they are the same.

Origin & Spread[]

Alexander Corvinus was a Hungarian warlord who ascended to power in the early seasons of the fifth century, just in time to watch his village be ravaged by an unknown plague, which caused the body's cell division to mutate past their genetic max. Alexander was the only survivor of this plague. His body contained a genetic mutation that altered the virus, thereby halting his cellular deterioration altogether, making him the first true Immortal, and thus the original carrier of the strain. With his wife, Helena, he fathered three children, two of whom inherited the Corvinus Strain in its active form, Marcus and William. Marcus was bitten by a rabid bat, causing his strain to mutate with the bat DNA due to the rabies, becoming the first Vampire while William was bitten by a rabid wolf, which caused his strain to mutate with the wolf DNA due to the rabies, making him the first Werewolf, a precursor to the Lycans. William became a savage, anthropomorphic wolf-beast, something that was attributed to his uncontrollable rage due to being unable to ever take human form again.

William went on a rampage, infecting whomever he bit. Even those killed by William soon came back to life as the effects of William's mutated Corvinus Strain proved powerful enough to reanimate the dead, turning them into the first generation of Werewolves. Those infected became raging monsters, causing legions of uncontrollable Werewolf monsters to be spawned across Hungary. To bring his brother under control, Marcus approached the dying warlord Viktor, promising him immortality as a Vampire in return for his army and military expertise in capturing William. His army was also turned, creating the Death Dealers. After many battles against William and his raging progeny, he was finally captured. Viktor, however, betrayed Marcus and ordered that William be locked away for all time in a special prison, the location of which was kept from Marcus.

The strain was also carried by the other descendants of Corvinus in its dormant form. The first person who inherited the Corvinus Strain in its dormant form was Alexander's unnamed third son. Through him, the Corvinus Strain was preserved in its pure form, and was eventually passed down to a man named Michael Corvin. Because of the simple ability of the Corvinus Strain to multiply from parent to offspring, anyone who is biologically related to Corvinus's third son is a possible carrier of the strain.

A Vampire named Selene absorbed the Corvinus Strain through direct ingestion of Alexander's blood, reinforcing the residual Corvinus Strain in her Vampire Strain, thus fusing the full strengths of both strains for the first time. Her strength and healing abilities were enhanced to a level equivalent to that of a Vampire-dominant Hybrid, even being able to withstand direct exposure to sunlight. A Vampire named David was mortally wounded and Selene was able to give her blood straight to his heart, using the healing power of the Corvinus Strain to save his life, also making him able to stand in the sunlight. Jacob Lane used Antigen technology to take Michael and Eve's blood and break it down to the Corvinus Strain. He then injected it into his son, who became partially immune to silver, healed instantly, and became much larger and stronger. He also started to inject himself with the Corvinus Strain, but was not as affected as his son due to fewer injections. Semira drank Selene's blood and became a Corvinus-Strain hybrid too. After Lena revived Selene, she gave her some of her blood, as a repayment for saving her life, and turning her into a Corvinus-Strain hybrid too.

Species Evolved With Corvinus Strain[]

Vampires and Lycans who ingest Alexander Corvinus' blood into their blood are not really hybrids, but an evolved species with powerful and deadly characteristics and abilities that are far greater than any other normal Vampire or Lycan:

Vampire-Corvinus Strain Evolved[]

They can walk in the sun!

Semira surprised, as she witness David and Selene withstanding daylight.

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Selene's white hybrid eyes

Selene is the first of this class of his species evolved, having been a Vampire when she was given the blood of Alexander Corvinus to make her strong enough to stand up against his sons, Marcus and William. She gained heightened strength and speed, as well as the ability to withstand sunlight. The pure Corvinus Strain also increased her healing factor, as she was able to take Marcus's wing talon directly through the chest and recover almost instantly. Her Vampire Strain also became more powerful, as she was able to endure a Lycan's bite and continue on fighting without any trouble. Selene later turned David into this type of Hybrid to save his life, as the Corvinus strain was able to bring him back, after being mauled and infected by a Lycan. Semira later drained a portion of Selene's blood and consumed it, transforming herself into this type of Vampire evolved in the process. Selene, presumably, later also turned Lena into this form, possibly as repayment for saving her life. There is no much physical change regarding to their transformations, except, maybe, in the color of their eyes, which are generally in similar shades to those common among vampires, but can become platinum/white while they are extremely high on adrenaline.

Lycan-Corvinus Strain Evolved[]

- Doctor, in terms of your test subject, he continues to demonstrate immunity to silver? - Absolutely. And additional inoculations, administrated only as a precaution, have triggered side effects we never imagined. Vast increase in strength, muscle mass, self-healing... stamina!

Jacob Lane describes Quint's enhanced powers.

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Quint's Uber-Lycan form

Quint Lane was likely the first of this kind, being the test subject of his own father and being constantly infused with the pure Corvinus Strain, which greatly increased his strength, size, healing factor and partially took away his deadly allergy to silver. His transformed appearance was still very similar to a Lycan, but much bigger, easily towering any other Hybrid or Werewolf/Lycan before him. Quint's father, Jacob Lane, also infused himself with the pure Corvinus Strain. He did not, however, have as many infusions as his son did, causing him to look somewhat more humanoid and not be as improved, although he was still powerful and deadly in combat.

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Marius' enhanced Lycan form

The latter Lycan Leader, Marius, was later revealed to be also a variation of a Lycan-Corvinus Strain Evolved, It was shown that he was drinking and injecting himself with the hybrid blood of Michael Corvin. This made him powerful enough to engage other evolved Immortals such as Selene in a straight fight, even while on his human form, managing to almost overpower her on few occasions. However, his transformation, while still powerful, was only temporarily and highly unstable, likely due to the Vampire Strain also present in Michael's blood, which was incompatible with Marius's own Lycan Strain, creating a enhanced but more human-like Lycan creature. Marius himself theorized that only the "pure" Corvinus Strain already fused with a Lycan Strain would make his Evolved powers stabilize and stay permanent, leading him on the quest to find and capture Eve for her unique blood.

Powers[]

  • Superhuman Strength: Vampires and Lycans who ingested Alexander Corvinus' blood are shown to have greater lethal force than a normal human, even against a normal vampire or lycan and even Vampire Elder. Selene, the first evolved vampire of her new generation, had been able to clash with the Hybrid Marcus and the Werewolf William and fight them both without any problem. She also used her new strength to slaughter, dismember humans, even break their necks and spines, before they had a chance to fight back, fight off many Lycans effortlessly and was even able to use her enhanced strength. to fight Quint Lane, an Evolved Lycan with even greater strength than an Evolved Vampire. The latter had the strength to attack numerous vampires and send them flying across a room, as happened in Thomas's Coven, and could push numerous machines, even break through a concrete wall. Marius, an Evolved Lycan, had such great strength to defeat and kill Selene, during their first fight and, during the duel at the Eastern Coven, he could attack and kill numerous vampires. However, Marius's evolved powers could not compete with Selene's new abilities, gifted to her from the Holy World of Vah'Dohr, thus allowing her to be far more lethal than any other Hybrid or Lycan or Evolved Vampire, as demonstrated when Selene literally pulled the plug. dorsal of Marius, before he had a chance to react. David was able to use her evolved strength to fight numerous Lycans and subsequently fight on par with Semira, an Evolved Vampire like him, only to be distracted by her new powers and allowing David to kill her.
  • Superhuman Speed: Evolved Vampires and Lycans have a faster speed than a normal human, even a Vampire or Lycan, allowing them to move from one place to another with far more ease than a normal eye can see. Selene's speed has increased tremendously, after being in Var Dohr's pool which gave her more lethal abilities, and she is able to move from place to place in a snap of her fingers, as if teleporting, to such an extent point that no normal or hybrid eye can see what's going on, as even Marius and David, two Evolved Vampires, were unable to see Selene until they found her in front of them. The first tried to fight with Selene, but her hers brought out the duel against him, allowing her to tear his spine, causing him to die instantly.
  • Superhuman Endurance: They can easily withstand gunshots, be stabbed and withstand high drops. They can also withstand blows, blows, and other injuries from other superhumanly strong beings, and still be able to fight back. They may also hold their breath for several minutes and remain calm in stressful or painful situations. Selene was able to withstand a stab from Marcus and take off Marcus' wing without any discomfort and was also able to recover from the blows taken by Quint Lane and continue to react with no discomfort or little effort. However, she had not been able to survive multiple hits from Marius, to such an extent that she died immediately, before being rescued by David and Lena, who resurrected her with the powers of the Sacred World of Var Dohr's Pool. David, after being resurrected by Selene as an Evolved Vampire, was able to heal at even greater speeds, thanks to the already natural physiology of the Vampire Elder and was even able to withstand multiple gunshots from Marius and the stabs of Semira and resuming to fight without any discomfort. However, David had not been able to heal from a piercing bullet fired by Gregor, however the wound healed within seconds after it was removed by Selene. Quint Lane and Marius were able to heal at even faster speeds than a Vampire and Lycan, enduring Selene's stabbing and shooting for moments without feeling any pain. However, their enhanced healings were only superficial, as demonstrated when, on Quint Lane, Selene was able to put a silver grenade inside it, taking advantage of her healing to seal it inside her body and causing him to explode his body and his internal organs and, on Marius, his accelerated recovery did not allow him to survive when Selene tore his spine with her bare hands, causing instant death.
  • Superhuman Agility: Evolved Vampires and Lycans have a higher level of agility than normal Lycans and vampires. They can transition from one movement to another effortlessly, effectively dodge attacks, easily swing from things, sprint, do somersaults and numerous other exercise, athletic and martial equipment with little effort, to such an extent that hardly a Human eye, Vampire or Lycan was able to see what happens.
  • Superhuman Healing: Evolved Vampires and Lycans' regenerative abilities are far more powerful than regular Vampires and Lycans, allowing them to heal quickly from wounds and giving them total invulnerability to common silver and ultraviolet light allergies. However, this advanced healing factor is useless in the event of dismemberment. Selene was able to heal from the injuries Marcus caused in an instant, unlike her when she was a normal vampire, who needed days to heal from a wound, as well as drink blood. She could even take shots from humans, like a shot in the stomach. However, if she hadn't been saved immediately by Lena and David, Marius' injuries resulted in instant death. David's healing factor was increased after his resurrection, allowing him to take more blows from the Lycans and even Marius himself, who fired more shots at him from his carbine, without any discomfort and could even endure the stabs of the spear and gods. knives from Semira. Quint Lane, Jacob Lane and Marius had a much higher healing factor than normal Lycans, allowing them to continue fighting without any discomfort. However, Selene was able to kill the former with a silver grenade, taking advantage of her instant healing to seal it and blow up his body and internal organs and the latter tore off his spine, causing his instant death and Eve is was able to kill Jacob Lane by ripping his throat out, instantly dying.
  • Superhuman Senses: The senses of sight, hearing, touch, and smell of Evolved Vampires and Lycans are obviously obvious and super / unnaturally sharper than other species. They can see clearly from a distance, see the faintest distinctions / follow things too fast for the natural eye, hear perfectly through dense walls, and even smell anything over great distances. Some may detect danger and / or sense the presence of others. However, their enhanced senses cannot detect the presence of someone very super fast, as demonstrated when David and Marius, an Evolved Vampire and Lycan with enhanced senses respectively, could not detect Selene until they found her in front of them.
  • Immunity to UV Light and Silver: Evolved Vampires and Lycans are completely immune to both ultraviolet light and silver in any form. Evolved Vampires have shown complete immunity to UV light and are able to stand in direct sunlight without being harmed and can withstand UV bullets without any discomfort. Evolved Lycans, however, only have some resistance to silver. Direct wounds from silver weapons heal almost instantly with little damage done to the evolved Lycan, but an explosive weapon, such as a silver nitrate grenade, detonated inside such a Hybrid could still kill one, the which implies that their immunity is only superficial and, as in Marius's case, a huge wound is impossible to heal, like when Selene tore the spine with her bare hands, dying instantly.
  • Sensory Synchronization: Evolved Vampire or Lycan who has a child with a hybrid of the two species, can see what he sees from the point of view of his son or daughter. Eve explains that when he is in close proximity to his mother or father of her, their brainwaves synchronize with each other and she sees what they see and they see what she sees, similar to a wireless network connection. This ability is apparently a random phenomenon rather than a controlled event. It is unknown if this power is exclusive to Eve, or if any pure-born Vampire / Hybrid Lycan would have this ability.
  • Resurrection: As an Evolved Vampire, Selene has shown the ability to resurrect the deceased David as a vampire of that form by applying her blood directly to his heart.
  • Immortality: All of Evolved Vampires and Lycans are immune to aging and disease and their lives can last for many thousands of years.

Trivia[]

  • Being a descendant of Alexander Corvinus carrying the dormant Corvinus Strain would allow the blending of Lycan and Vampire strains. Active Corvinus Strain, if consumed by a non-descendant, seems only capable of bonding to one of its mutation.  As shown in Underworld: Awakening, Selene, who is a Vampire and received the pure active Corvinus Strain from Alexander Corvinus did not change or receive Lycan traits after getting bitten by a transformed Lycan.
  • Immortals who are born with active Corvinus strain seem to form strong and special bonds with at least one of her or his blood-relatives.
    • In the case of Marcus and William; Marcus was able to sense William's presence near the village he had just rampaged through. Also, Marcus's love for his brother remained strong after centuries that he immediately sets out to free William upon learning of Viktor's death. William was able to recognize Marcus and restrained himself from attacking his brother despite his nature as a savage beast and centuries of imprisonment.
    • In the case of Eve, she forms a mental bond with her parents, Selene, and Michael and it allows her to see through their eyes, and vice versa.


See Also[]

v · e
Films Underworld - Underworld: Evolution - Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - Underworld: Awakening - Underworld: Blood Wars
Topics Death Dealer - Hybrid - Lycan - Vampire - Corvinus Strain - Human - Immortal - Werewolf - Vampire Elder
Novels Underworld - Underworld: Evolution - Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - Blood Enemy
Comics Underworld - Underworld: Evolution - Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - Underworld: Blood Wars - Underworld: Red in Tooth and Claw
Animation Underworld: Endless War
Soundtracks Underworld - Underworld: Evolution - Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - Underworld: Awakening
Scores Underworld - Underworld: Evolution - Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - Underworld: Awakening - Underworld: Blood Wars
Games Underworld: Bloodline - Underworld: The Eternal War - Underworld collectible card game
v · e
Characters
Major Characters
Selene - Michael Corvin - Kraven - Viktor - Erika - Lucian - Raze
Other Characters
Rigel - Nathaniel - Kahn - Amelia - Singe - Duncan - Trix - Adam Lockwood - Dmitri - Mason - Soren - Pierce - Taylor - Sonja - Samantha - Corvinus Clan - Marcus Corvinus - The Third Corvinus Son - Timea - Zsuzsa - Wolfgang
Weapons
Weaponry of Underworld - Ultraviolet ammunition - Silver Nitrate Bullets - Silver - Silver Bullets - Swords - Shurikens - AKM - AMD-65 Assault Rifle - Knives - Beretta 92FS - Heckler & Koch USP - Whips - Walther P99 - Death Dealer Uniform
Species
Vampire - Lycan - Hybrid - Immortal - Human
Locations
Ördögház - Lycan Den - Subway Station - Apartment 510 - Vampire Safe Houses - Budapest - Saint Istvan Hospital - Castle Corvinus
Terms
Corvinus Strain - Vampire Council - Death Dealer - Vampire Elder - The Chain - Blood Memories - Ziodex Industries - Old World Coven - New World Coven - Anti-Change Enzyme - Vampire-Lycan War
Archives
Items - Soundtrack - Original Score - Novel - Comic - Quotes - Videos - Images
v · e
Characters
Major Characters
Selene - Michael Corvin - Marcus Corvinus - Alexander Corvinus - William Corvinus - Kraven - Andreas Tanis
Cleaners
Samuel - Colin Langely - Greenway - Karl Hapka - Levin - Parks - French Cleaner - Lynx Gunner - Lynx Pilot
Other Characters
Lucian - Viktor - Amelia - Helena Corvinus - Cecilia - Grushenka - Olga - Selene's Father - Corvinus Clan - Radu - Istvan - Erika - Soren - Miklos - Drago - Leonid Florescu
Species
Vampire - Lycan - Hybrid - Werewolf - Immortal - Human
Weapons
Weaponry of Underworld: Evolution - Silver Bullets - Ultraviolet ammunition - Swords - Shurikens - Crossbow - Silver - Norinco Type 84 - Kimel AP-9 - Knives - Beretta 92FS - Whips - Remington 870 - Heckler & Koch G36K - Heckler & Koch MP5 - Heckler & Koch MP7A1 - Heckler & Koch UMP - Walther P99 - Death Dealer Uniform
Locations
Ördögház - William's Prison - Vampire Safe Houses - Monastery - Pier 17 - Sancta Helena - Budapest - Tavern - Warehouse - Mountain Village - Stable - Subway Station
Terms
Corvinus Strain - Death Dealer - Vampire Elder - Cleaners - Blood Memories - Budapest Coven - Thasarine - Vampire-Lycan War
Archives
Music - Quotes - Images - Soundtrack - Novel - Comic - Items - Score
v · e
Characters
Major Characters
Lucian - Sonja - Viktor - Raze - Andreas Tanis
Other Characters
Soren - Sabas - Orsova - Coloman - Kosta - Luka - Xristo - Sandor - Ivan - Ilona - Casmir Janosh - Covasha family - Malvina - Ulrik - Lucian's Mother
Weapons
Weaponry of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - Silver - Shurikens - Swords - Crossbow - Knives - Whips - Death Dealer Uniform
Species
Vampire - Lycan - Immortal - Human - Werewolf
Locations
Castle Corvinus - Elders' Ship
Terms
Corvinus Strain - Vampire Council - Death Dealer - Vampire Elder - The Chain - Blood Memories - Budapest Coven - Moon Collar - Vampire-Lycan War - Vampire-Werewolf War
Archives
Items - Soundtrack - Score - Novel - Comic - Quotes - Videos - Images
v · e
Characters
Major Characters
Selene - Eve - David - Jacob Lane - Quint Lane
Other Characters
Thomas - Lida - Alan - Michael Corvin - Detective Sebastian - Olivia - Edward Vronski - Officer Kolb - Corvinus Clan
Species
Vampire - Lycan - Hybrid - Immortal - Human
Weapons
Weaponry of Underworld: Awakening - Swords - Sleeping Gas - Silver Nitrate Bomb - Beretta 92FS - Whips - Shurikens - Silver - Silver Bullets - Death Dealer Uniform
Locations
Antigen Headquarters - Thomas's Coven - Cryogenic Chamber - Army Surplus Store - Pier 9 - Abandoned Building
Terms
Corvinus Strain - Death Dealer - Vampire Elder - Blood Memories - The Purges - Antigen - Infected Persons Unit - Vampire-Lycan War
Archives
Music - Quotes - Images - Soundtrack - Score
v · e
Characters
Major Characters
Selene - David - Marius - Thomas - Semira - Lena
Other Characters
Varga - Cassius - Michael Corvin - Vidar - Hajna - Istvan - Alexia - Gregor - Eve - Amelia
Species
Vampire - Lycan - Hybrid - Immortal - Human
Weapons
Weaponry of Underworld: Blood Wars - Swords - Beretta 92FS - Scorpion EVO 3 - Nightshade - Death Dealer Uniform
Locations
Nordic Coven - Eastern Coven
Terms
Var Dohr Cocooning Ritual - Corvinus Strain - Death Dealer - Vampire Elder - Vampire-Lycan War - Marius's Army
Archives
Music - Comic - Quotes - Images - Score
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