Jamal Afari

Jamal Afari is a male comic character that features in Marvel Comics.

Biography

Jamal Afari

In his youth, Afari fought many vampires with Dracula being one of them. Over the years, Afari became a fine jazz horn player, but due to massive drug abuse he was sent to a hospital. In December he was allowed to leave hospital again. Shortly after his hospital stay on a cold December night a group of vampires attacked Afari. A 9-year-old Blade came to his aid and together they slew a few of the vampires and the rest ran away. After this incident Afari moved into Lady Vanity's brothel and taught Blade everything he knew about playing a jazz horn and vampires. He was like a father to Blade. (Marvel Preview v1 #3)

One day, Jamal tested Blade's skill to recognize from five expensive items the fake one. He reminded Blade how important it is to train, patrol, hunt and train even more. He told him that it was important to know what was valuable because when Blade was older he would have to finance his life with the wealth of his vampire victims because most of them were rich. Afari checked with the coroner after Blade had accidentally killed a man suffering from porphyria. The man's wife described Blade to the police and it was only a matter of time before they found him. Afari and Blade sat on a roof in London and talked about the incident. Blade thought that he deserved to be arrested, but Afari asked him to leave before the police found him. In his opinion Blade had learned another lesson, but prison wouldn't teach Blade any lessons. It would only deprive Blade of years and the world of a talented vampire hunter. Later that night Blade said his goodbyes to Afari and Lady Vanity and then ran away. (Blade v3 #3)

Afari was sure the vampires had forgotten him, but he was wrong. Afari disappeared and was gone for a whole week. Blade, Lady Vanity and his other friends were worried that he was on drugs again, but the reality was far worse. Dracula had found Afari and turned him into a vampire. (Marvel Preview v1 #3)

Dracula needed Afari because he knew the location of the amulet Dracula needed to fulfill an ancient prophecy and resurrected him with the Espil Shade spell, a spell that allowed Dracula to resurrect any vampire he had turned into a vampire and enhanced his control over them. Afari's willpower was still strong and he tricked Dracula and brought him as far away from the real location of the amulet as possible as he went with Dracula to the basement of a school in Manhattan, New York City. (Blade v3 #12) Spider-Man followed Afari into the basement of a school in Manhattan. There Afari met with Dracula and started digging for an amulet. Spider-Man attacked Afari and was bitten by him. (Blade v3 #10) Afari got away without anyone noticing him. (Blade v3 #1) Lucas Cross found Dracula and made a deal with him. Afari became a pawn in their game. Cross had his bodyguards drag out Afari in front of Blade and threatened to kill im if Blade didn't destroy the amulet and drop Dracula's remains on the saltet ground around Dracula's castle as it was said in the prophecy. Cross, who thought that the prophecy was about giving back vampires their soul, even brought Blade's partner King on his side and Afari had to watch Blade killing King. (Blade v3 #11) The bodyguards left Afari alone to attack Blade, who just knocked them out. Blade was then stabbed by Dracula with his own sword. Dracula then revealed how Cross made a deal with him and how Afari had tricked him. Dracula attacked Afari, who mocked him, but dropped him as soon as Blade attacked. He went back to kicking Jamal when he realized that he still needed Blade to fulfill the prophecy. Cross and Blade fought over the vial with a splinter from the stake containing Dracula's DNA and Cross dropped it. The prophecy was fulfilled, but it didn't have the effect Cross thought it would. Afari witnessed the return of the recently killed Hannibal King and Blade realized that the prophecy was about bringing back all dead vampires. In the end, Afari and Blade left together. (Blade v3 #12)

Notes

• Jamal Afari was created by Chris Claremont and Tony DeZuniga where he made his first appearance in Marvel Preview v1 #3 (September, 1975).

In other media

Video games

• In Marvel's Midnight Suns, Jamal Afari was referenced in the setting of the 2022 video game. He was said to had been the vampire hunter who found and raised young Eric Brooks. Later, he took Eric on as his apprentice and gave him the alias "Blade". Every Sunday he took young Eric to church. Once Vlad Dracula turned Jamal into a vampire and Blade had to kill his mentor.

Appearances

• Marvel Preview v1: (1975)

External Links

• Marvel Database Entry

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