Blade (Marvel)
Blade is a male comic superhero who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Eric Brooks
He was the son of Lucas Cross who had been a member of a secret society known as the Order of Tyrana. Cross came to send his pregnant wife Tara to England before he was taken prisoner in Latveria. Whilst there, she came to take the name Vanessa Brooks and found shelter with brothel owner Madame Vanity who was another member of the Order of Tyrana. (Blade v4 #6) Experiencing labor complications, Tara was forced to seek a doctor's assistance. The doctor, Deacon Frost, was actually a ravenous vampire and feasted on the woman as she gave birth, passing on a series of enzymes that altered her baby. The enzymes entered the infant's bloodstream, transforming him into a being tainted by a vampire's kiss, but not turned into one of their kind. Thus, the new-born child inherited the traits of both species making him half-human and half-vampire. Frost was driven away before he could slay the child, but Tara perished thus leaving the orphaned Eric Brooks who came to be raised at Madame Vanity's brothel. (Blade v4 #1)
While he was growing up on the street of London, he ran into American veteran Vampire Slayer, Jamal Afari and saved him from being killed by vampires with a grudge against the old man. Afari soon learned about Eric and his origins and decided to take him under his wing, becoming his mentor and foster-father and helping him to control his powers. Afari taught Eric everything he knew about hunting, fighting, and killing vampires. Determined to avenge his mother's death, Eric fashioned himself into a vampire hunter like Afari while still a teenager and started calling himself Blade, after the sharp weapons with which he used to kill vampires. Finally, Blade and Afari split up when Jamal willingly took the fall for murder when Blade killed a deranged man whom he mistook for a vampire. (Marvel Preview v1 #3)
In 1943, he joined the Secret Invaders on a mission on the Irish Sea's, where he found and destroyed U-666, a Nazi U-Boat being possessed by Mephisto. They turned up late due to fighting the Vampire Luftwaffe. (Avengers v8 #57)
After stalking the night on his own for a number of years, Blade became a part of a small band of like-minded individuals hunting Dracula consisting of Musenda, Orji, Ogun, and Azu. Blade went to Dracula and told him he represented a group of men who believed that in another sixty years vampires would rule the world, and that realizing humanity had no chance against their "superior," Blade would offer his and his associates assistance to carry on Dracula's bidding during the daytime. Blade further enticed Dracula with this idea telling him that they had facilitated a plan that would speed up global conquest by vampires to only ten years. Intrigued, Dracula agreed to go with Blade to meet his associates. Dracula met these associates: Ogun, Azu, Musenda, and Orji. However, Dracula would soon find that this was all a trap and that they were really a group of vampire killers. They nearly succeeded in destroying Dracula by driving a stake into his heart. It was during this battle that Blade's companion would try out wooden knives of his own design and find that they work just as well as stakes. However, Dracula soon was resurrected by his servants and exacted revenge by murdering the band of vampire hunters, leaving only Musenda and Blade alive. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #30)
In 1972, he was in New York to investigate a strange death at the morgue which was when he encountered the mystic Kaluu who he mistook for a vampire and attacked him. They were then confronted by reporter Constance Molina, police officer James Lucas and scientist Adam Brashear with them joined by the Bear. She revealed to them of the threat posed by dark mystics called the Deathwalkers and people gathered form a team to stop this threat. (Mighty Avengers v2 #11)
Tomb of Dracula
Still a vampire hunter, Blade would often fight alongside a team led by Quincy Harker, also a great vampire hunter. The company's members included Rachel van Helsing and Frank Drake. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #10) Blade and the team battled Dracula and attempted to kill him and rescue Elizabeth Langley. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #12)
However, his death was short-lived and he was resurrected by his minions. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #14) Blade attempted to once more slay Dracula. Dracula managed to overpower Blade and fed upon the vampire hunter before leaving him for dead. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #17) Quincy Harker came across the body of Blade, and seeing that he had been bitten by Dracula, and him to be dead. Quincy Harker got a stake out and prepared to ram it through Blade's heart. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #18) Before Quincy could strike, Blade suddenly revived and to Quincy's surprise, Blade has not changed into a vampire. Blade explained that he was immune to vampire bites due to the fact that his mother was bitten by a vampire while Blade was being born. Blade vowed to use his immunity to his advantage. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #19)
They traveled to London, and at Quincy's home he tried to convince Blade to stay and continue their quest to destroy Dracula. Blade declined the offer, feeling that he should get back on the case of the vampire responsible for killing his mother. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #21) Blade returned to the flat that he shared with Safron to find that a vampire had broken in and was attempting to feed upon his girlfriend. Blade easily destroyed her attacker. A friend, Trudy, explained what happened and Blade agreed to go out looking for Dracula. After putting on his vampire hunting gear, Blade went out into the night and was soon attacked by Dracula in his bat form. Dracula knocked him down into the street with a car speeding toward him. Blade battled Dracula across the city, their fight took them to a sporting goods store. Dracula was forced to retreat when Blade managed to partially impale the vampire lord in the chest with a broken ski pole, and then later with one of his wooden daggers. With the battle over, Scotland Yard let Blade walk away from the scene, and he returned home to Safron and Trudy rest and told them he would explain everything in the morning. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #24)
When Dracula traveled to Boston, Blade was also there tracking down the vampire who killed his mother. Blade attacked the Vampire but was easily stopped in his tracks by Dracula who demanded that Blade accompany him back to Harold's home to meet with Quincy Harker. Dracula explained he has nothing to do with the murders and that the coven is acting on their own. Blade had no interest in getting involved in their battle with Dr. Sun as he came to destroy the vampire who killed his mother. When Dr. Sun was about to kill Dracula Blade arrived and offered assistance in killing Dr. Sun. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #41) The two work together and destroy Dr. Sun. But after the fight Blade threatened Dracula telling him that if he does not help him find his mother's killer he would die by his hands. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #42) Dracula refused to be ordered around, leading to a battle between the two. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #43)
Blade
Blade traveled to New Orleans to track down his longtime nemesis, the vampire Deacon Frost. Aboard a riverboat in the bayou, Blade encountered a vampire who was subsequently eviscerated during their conflict. While investigating the vampire infestation in the city, Blade learned that Frost had teamed up with the Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau. The two were working together to take over the city's mafia, intending to use New Orleans as a base for their larger conquests. As Frost sought to establish his reputation among the undead as the new Lord of Vampires, he captured Blade, the vampire hunter Hannibal King, and Brother Voodoo. However, the trio eventually freed themselves from their trap. Blade then engaged Frost in a brutal battle, which ultimately ended in a stalemate, with Frost escaping to continue his schemes and Blade vowing to hunt him down. The issue ended with Blade receiving a new client, signaling his continued mission to exterminate vampires. (Blade v2 #1)
Blade searched the swamps and back alleys of New Orleans for the vampire Aldes Yancey. Hired to find a man hypnotized by Yancey, Blade tracked his prey through the city using his knowledge of vampire lore, ultimately confronting and defeating Yancey to rescue the victim. (Blade v3 #1) Dominique Levant then sought Blade's help for her younger sister, Charisma Desiree. While they talk, they were attacked by a vampire named Yves St. Monroe, who has been eavesdropping on their conversation. Much to Blade's surprise, Dominique proved her capability by saving him from St. Monroe's vicious assault. Meanwhile, the self-made vampire Michael Morbius arrives to visit the Desiree family. He had come to ask Charisma's mother, Zinnea, about the whereabouts of her cousin, his former fiancée Martine, believing she and her daughter could be in danger. Despite threats from Charisma's father, Newton Desiree, Morbius promised to remain in the area to help with the potentially dangerous situation that Charisma was involved in. (Blade v3 #2)
Daywalker
Blade encountered a new type of vampiric creature called a Tryk, which was fearless of vampires and hunted them. (Blade v4 #1) The queen of the Tryks was interested in a ceremony which would make Blade her king and an organization called the The Seven was introduced which pursued a policy of 'vampiric equilibrium'. They killed both vampires and the Tryks which prey upon them, but only enough to regulate the numbers of both types. They were upset with Blade's recent escalation of vampire killings, as they did not want an all-out war spilling over into the streets, so they authorized assassinating him. (Blade v4 #2) The Seven revealed that the Queen Cilla of the Tryks wanted Blade for her mate so that she could devour him and produce another queen. Blade went on a date with his new girlfriend Susan and told her that the vampires tricked him into slaying his former lover with a sword by drugging her and outfitting her with contact lenses and fake fangs. The vampires captured Fofo, Blade's weapons supplier, and placed a tracking device on him so that he would lead them to Blade after they dump him in the river. The vampires got the drop on Blade and captured him. (Blade v4 #3) The Tryk captures the Seven agents who were sent to kill Blade while Blade escapes from the vampires. The Tryk brought the agents to his queen after Blade receives some I.D. from them which he traces back to their leader. The boy (since leaders of the Seven age backward) makes Blade the offer of a sword to invade the queen's stronghold and slay them so he can submerge himself in the queen's baths and become fully human. (Blade v4 #4) After Blade has sex with Susan, he finds out that she has been the Tryk queen in disguise all along. Blade enters the queen's baths but does not change, so he realizes the leader of the Seven was manipulating him. Blade then destroys the Tryk lair, but the now-pregnant queen escapes. Realizing the Tryk numbers have been so thinned by Blade, the Seven countermands its previous directive to assassinate Blade and let him have a free hand in the field. (Blade v4 #5) Blade later helps a woman put to rest her husband who was killed by a vampire being pursued by Blade. (Blade v4 #6)
Vampire Hunter
Blade came into contact with Dracula again, and appeared to fully destroy the vampire once again, aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Pericles V. (Blade v5 #1) After taking on a time travel mission for Doctor Doom, Blade received from Doom an elixir that would purportedly cure him of his thirst for human blood but would also remove the bloodlust he had killing the undead. During the mission in the past, Blade fulfilled part of a prophecy by freeing his imprisoned father. (Blade v5 #2)
Unknown to Blade, his wealthy father, Lucas Cross, was responsible for Dracula's resurrection. Lucas kidnapped his son and tried to force Blade to feed on a young virgin girl by starving him; in an attempt to fulfill the same prophecy that Blade had unwittingly begun. Blade escaped with the girl unharmed after biting through his own hand. (Blade v5 #6) Blade returned home to England seeking answers about his past and the prophecy. Shortly after arriving he used his S.H.I.E.L.D. connections to learn of vampires running illegal weaponry, and killed them while procuring the guns he was unable to bring into the country. The deaths of these vampires alerted a powerful vampire priest, Draconis, to Blades presence. Draconis attacked Blade and was able to defeat him as he had spent decades building up an immunity to vampiric weaknesses including being staked in the heart, specifically to defeat Blade in vengeance for his time spent in London killing vampires when he was young. (Blade v5 #7) Blade survived this encounter thanks to a talisman which made vampires immortal and was aware he couldn't take Draconis on alone, after gathering information on him, and called Hannibal King for help in taking him down. Blade fed upon Draconis to make killing him easier, thus feeding on virgin blood and unknowingly fulfilling the prophecy. (Blade v5 #8) While still in England, Blade dug up his mother's grave and within her casket marked 'Tara Cross' he found a confession she wrote about having been married to Lucas Cross as well as being a member of the Order of Tyrana from whom she had been forced to flee. From Maria Hill he learned that the Order were connected to the Knights of Pendragon of which he also learned Joseph Chapman, the current Union Jack, was a member as well as a vampire hunter. Chapman was already on Blade's trail and attempted to kill Hannibal for being a vampire. After getting Chapman to spot attacking them and speak with them instead, Blade learned more about the Order, including the fact that they were supposedly good people. (Blade v5 #9)
Curse of the Mutants
Brooks, found himself in a new and alarming situation. Blade, a seasoned veteran in the fight against the undead, had to adapt his long-established approach in light of a new crisis. He discovered that the vampire nation had a new, unified purpose, led by Dracula's son, Xarus, who sought to use San Francisco as a base for his operations. This new wave of vampires was a greater threat than any Blade had encountered before, as they had developed technology to walk in daylight, neutralizing Blade's unique 'Daywalker' advantage. With vampire slayers worldwide being killed and the threat escalating, Blade took matters into his own hands, forming an emergency assault team to strike at the vampire underground. His investigation into the death of the previous Lord of Vampires, Dracula, confirmed that Xarus had taken control. Upon learning that the X-Men were facing their own vampire threat, culminating in Jubilee being turned into a vampire, Blade arrived in San Francisco. He immediately voiced his strong disapproval of the X-Men's plan to resurrect Dracula, likening it to raising an old, dangerous enemy to fight a new one. Later, when confronted with a vampiric Jubilee, Blade attempted to stake her, believing it to be the only solution. However, he was stopped by Wolverine and was ultimately forced to leave, though he warned the X-Men that they would eventually have to make the hard choice to kill their friend. (X-Men: Curse of the Mutants - Blade v1 #1)
Blade and the X-Men have to battle wave after wave of attacking Vampires. (X-Men v3 #5) With Dracula in the Xarus tried ordering his minions to help him, but receives no support. Blade did not see eye-to-eye with Cyclops and charged at Dracula, only to knocked unconscious with an optic blast. Cyclops then reminded Dracula of their previous, unspoken agreement. After a short stare down, Dracula called Cyclops' bluff, but nonetheless, decided to end hostilities with mutants, even giving Jubilee back to them. Jubilee was put in isolation. Blade believed that the only solution was to put her out of her misery. Wolverine warned him not to, prompting the vampire hunter to leave. (X-Men v3 #6)
Avenger
Even though he escaped captivity after being drained a portion of his blood, and the Mighty Avengers located him, Blade couldn't prevent the Deathwalkers from finishing their ritual. The successfully-finished ceremony merged them together into the Deathwalker Prime, a creature with control over the four elements, thus power over the fifth: the spirit, which would be the key for it to destroy humankind. (Mighty Avengers v2 #13) However, the Mighty Avengers managed to get hold of the cup used in the ritual of merging, and using a similar procedure merged themselves into the Avenger Prime, which managed to destroy the Deathwalker Prime, mainly because unlike the Deathwalker, the different personas merged into it were truly spiritually bonded, while the personas composing the Deathwalker were fighting for control. (Mighty Avengers v2 #14)
Blade was shown to have been trapped in Manhattan when it was isolated by a Darkforce dome. Due to the vampire attacks at the time, Blade takes advantage of this by killing every attacking vampire to protect the humans. (Secret Empire: Brave New World v1 #5)
After Knull was defeated, the Vampire Nation were able to successfully lobby for recognition from the United Nation as a country within the Chernobyl exclusion zone as compensation for their help in fighting Knull. Blade chose to leave the Avengers and live in the Vampire Nation to keep the vampires in check with the full authority of the Avengers and the United Nations. (Avengers v8 #45)
One day, Blade woke up to discover that the entire world had changed to one where the Avengers did not exist and the Squadron Supreme was the world's premiere superhero team. Wanting to change the world back to its proper state, Blade sought to create the Avengers. After failing to convince Thor to join him, Blade recovered Captain America still frozen in ice and convinced him to help him. (Heroes Reborn v2 #2) They then began gathering the members of the Avengers, starting with Echo. (Heroes Reborn v2 #3)
Blood Hunt
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Blade was a tall black man with a heroic physique. His attire included a leather jacket and was notable for its bright colors, including green pants and a red jacket—a stark contrast to his later, more muted and gothic aesthetic. His hair was styled in a 1970s-era Afro, and his primary weapons were a collection of teak-bladed daggers. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #10)
He was shown to be cocksure, sometimes reckless confidence that bordered on arrogance. His intense hatred for all vampires was the driving force behind his actions, overshadowing any desire for companionship or cooperation with other hunters, like Quincy Harker's group. Though he was a capable fighter and dedicated to his cause, his fanaticism and single-mindedness meant he often acted alone, driven by a personal mission of vengeance. This attitude also led to a certain detachment from his fellow vampire hunters and a tendency to flaunt his skills, as demonstrated in his dramatic entrance aboard the ship where he confronted Dracula. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #10)
Despite that, Blade was a highly competent and self-sufficient vampire hunter who operated as a loner, though he was not averse to temporarily aligning himself with other hunters if it served his purposes. His defining trait was his fierce, unrelenting hatred of vampires, a consuming passion that fueled his quest for vengeance. When he first confronted Dracula on the cruise ship, he did so with a dramatic, showy confidence, leaping out of the water to reveal himself. He did not possess any supernatural abilities in this appearance, relying entirely on his physical prowess, tactical skills, and specialized wooden weapons to challenge a foe far beyond human capabilities. His brash approach and unwavering focus on his personal mission set him apart from the more traditional and cautious vampire hunters on the ship. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #10)
Blade’s defining characteristic was his uncompromising hatred of vampires. This obsession drove nearly all of his actions, and he often pursued his mission with a single-minded intensity that could alienate allies. Despite his hardened demeanor, Blade demonstrated a consistent sense of justice, choosing to protect innocents at any cost, even if it means placing himself in mortal danger. He tended to be terse and stoic, often speaking only when necessary, and places action above words. (Blade: The Vampire-Hunter v1 #1)
One of his associates was Tamlyn Hamato who was a sardonic Japanese arms dealer who made a name for herself in the criminal underworld by selling powerful occult weapons to the highest bidders on the black market. Tulip's life became heavily intertwined with the notorious vampire slayer Blade, as she personally supplied him with the myriad of armaments he uses against the creatures of the night before eventually becoming romantically involved with the Daywalker himself. (Blade v6 #2)
Powers and abilities
Originally born human, Blade was transformed into a dhampir that was a half-human and half-vampire after Deacon Frost bit his mother while she was giving birth. As a result, Blade gained immunity to vampirism, along with enhanced strength, agility, and heightened senses far beyond those of a normal man. (Tomb of Dracula v1 #10)
Blade had an incredibly pronounced sense of smell, easily able to discern what was human and what was not even from a good distance away. (Avengers v8 #35)
His hybrid physiology grants him both the ferocity of a vampire and the resilience of a human, making him uniquely suited to fight the undead. (Blade v5 #1)
Eric can take any kind of ingestible or even metaphysical ailments coursing in the system of another living being, or willingly introduced into his system and pass it along in the same way Vampire transfer their mitochondria pathogen that turns others into their thralls. (Avengers v8 #16) He used this ability to drain away the infection which remade Robbie Reyes into a more monstrous form of Ghost Rider. (Avengers v8 #20)
After drinking the blood of Dracula, Blade became better connected to his power, allowing him to unlock new abilities. (Blade v5 #6)
When in his mist form, Blade is capable of entering the bodies of multiple vampires and cause them to all explode at once. (Blade v5 #20)
Blade was capable of forcibly removing possessing entities from his own body, such as demons. He could also maintain control over his body while he was possessed. (Blade v5 #7)
He was capable of quickly identifying a demon by its attributes. (Blade v5 #4)
He knew one spell that allowed him to trap and contain vampires inside a mystical artifact. (Miles Morales: Spider-Man v2 #12)
Notes
- Blade was created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan where he made his first appearance in Tomb of Dracula v1 #10 (July, 1973).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In Spider-Man, Blade appeared in the 1990s animated television series starting in the episode "Neogenic Nightmare: Chapter 9: Blade the Vampire Hunter" where he was voiced by actor J. D. Hall.
- In Blade: The Series, Blade starred in the 2006 live-action television series where he was portrayed by actor Kirk "Sticky Fingaz" Jones.
- In Marvel Anime: Blade, Blade appeared in the setting of the anime television series where he was voiced by Japanese actor Akio Ōtsuka and by English actor Harold Perrineau in the dub. This version had to kill his vampire-converted mother in self-defense and was trained in vampire-hunting by Noah van Helsing and Tanba Yagyo. Blade's sword-style revolves mainly around his mastery of Yagu Shinkage-ryu, a kenjutsu art that can unleash powerful shockwaves or transparent wind blades from his sword swings, allowing him to blast or slice respectively his opponents from a distance. The Yagu Shinkage-ryu also has three principal Yagyu techniques. The first technique, "The First Blade: Residual Moon", draws a small circle with the tip of his sword, producing a perfectly tangible after-image of himself for diversions. The second technique, "The Second Blade: Phantom Moon", involves a high-speed spin, allowing Blade to launch an omnidirectional slash in rapid succession with such intensity that it sets his strike ablaze. The final technique, "The Third Blade: Chaotic Moon", launches several shadow blades around the opponent, hiding the user's attack path with little chance of being noticed.
Films
- In the Blade Trilogy, Blade made a number of appearances in the shared continuity setting.
- In Blade, Blade appeared in the setting of the live-action film where he was portrayed by actor Wesley Snipes.
- In Blade II, Blade appeared in the setting of the 2002 live-action film sequel where he was portrayed again by actor Wesley Snipes.
Video games
- In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Blade was an unlockable playable character in the action role playing video game where he was voiced by actor Khary Payton.
- In Ghost Rider, Blade was an unlockable character in the video game tie-in to the live-action film where he was voiced by actor Fred Tatasciore.
- In Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, Blade was a playable character in the video game where he was voiced by actor Khary Payton.
- In Marvel Contest of Champions, Blade appeared as an unlockable playable character in the setting of the mobile video game.
- In Marvel Rivals, Blade appeared as a playable character in the setting of the third person hero shooter where he was voiced by actor.
Appearances
- Tomb of Dracula v1: (1973)
- Blade:
- Mighty Avengers:
- Wolverines:
- Invincible Iron Man:
- Avengers v8:
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