Victor von Gerdenheim was first introduced in Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors (Vampire: The Night Warriors in Japan). He is based off of Frankenstein's monster from the classic horror film Frankenstein, which in turn was an adaptation of Mary Shelley's 1823 novel of the same name. In the game, Victor awakens to find his creator, Professor Von Gerdenheim. Another early creation of the Professor, Emily, also awakes, only to abruptly stop functioning some years later. Both Von Gerdenheim and Emily act as assist characters for Victor in Darkstalkers 3 (Vampire Savior in Japan).