Blade (Marvel)

Blade in Avengers v8 #42.

Blade is a male comic superhero who features in Marvel Comics.

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)

Mighty Avengers

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)

Overview

Powers and abilities

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)

Notes

• Blade was created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan where he made his first appearance in Tomb of Dracula v1 #10 (July, 1973).

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.

Appearances

• Tomb of Dracula v1: (1973)
• Blade:
• Mighty Avengers:
• Wolverines:
• Invincible Iron Man:
• Avengers v8:

External Link

• Marvel Database Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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