In Marvel Universe lore, the name 'Avengers' was used several times before Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Wasp, and Ant-Man formed the best known version of the team to take on Loki, including a spy team formed in the '50s by Nick Fury, and a version in the '70s that included Blade. Interestingly, Blade's association with a team called the Avengers actually predates the modern incarnation of the team in Marvel Comics continuity. Though he's often worked primarily in the supernatural corner of the Marvel Universe alongside the Midnight Sons, Doctor Strange, Morbius, and other similar characters Blade also has a growing history with the Avengers in comic books, perfectly priming him to likely join some cinematic version of the team when Mahershala Ali's Blade makes his full MCU debut. With Hunger on the loose in New York, Spider-Man teams up with Blade to track down Morbius who initially debuted in the Marvel Universe as a Spider-Man villain.īut before Hunger can be defeated, Morbius manages to bite Blade with their two unique vampire physiologies interacting to empower Blade into his full 'Daywalker' persona, complete with fully activated vampire powers and none of their traditional weaknesses to things such as daylight, silver, crosses, and garlic.Īnd lest anyone think the idea of movies and comics bringing their stories closer in line to each other is a new phenomenon, the story in which Blade became the 'Daywalker' was told in 1998's Peter Parker: Spider-Man #8 (opens in new tab) - just about a year before the original Blade movie was released to theaters - and the issue in which his transformation was revealed, Blade: Vampire Hunter #1 (opens in new tab), came out in October 1999, just after the film's August 1999 theatrical release. Interestingly, Blade also spent some time with Daredevil's mentor, the enigmatic blind swordsman known as Stick, learning the ways of his namesake weapon.Īfter striking out on his own, Blade began teaming up with some other vampire hunters including Quincy Harker and Rachel Van Helsing, the descendants of Jonathan Harker and Abraham Van Helsing of Dracula fighting fame, and Hannibal King - a vampire who was turned by Deacon Frost, who became one of Blade's first vampire allies in the hunt for Frost.Įventually, Blade, King, and Frank Drake, the last living mortal descended from Dracula's bloodline, formed a vampire-slaying group known as the Nightstalkers, who eventually joined up with Doctor Strange, Morbius, and others to form the team the Midnight Sons. As a hunter of the supernatural (as well as an accomplished jazz musician who also taught Blade to play the trumpet with virtuoso skill) Afari sensed Blade's nature, and took the boy under his wing, teaching him both how to hunt vampires, and how to fight at the highest levels of hand-to-hand combat. (Image credit: Marvel Comics) (opens in new tab)īlade's training began at age 9 when he helped an older man named Jamal Afari fend off a gang of vampires. And weirdly enough, the comic book version of Blade is actually British, born in the Soho neighborhood of London. That last part is the reason that, despite having been born canonically in 1922 in the Marvel Universe, Blade still looks as youthful and strong as ever. In those days, Blade's origin and powers were a little bit different, though a later encounter with another Marvel vampire character you've all heard of by now (hint hint, more on that shortly) brought him closer to the version seen on screen.Īs in movies, Blade's life among vampires began when his mother was bitten by the vampire Deacon Frost while pregnant with him, leading Blade (then still simply Eric Brooks) to be born with a resistance to being turned into a vampire, a subtle ability to sense the presence of the supernatural, and an elongated, near-immortal lifespan. And yeah, as the title implies, Blade's vampire quarry in his very first outing was none other than Marvel's version of the classic literary character Count Dracula. Blade Runner tests the limits of this authenticity and artificiality, challenging the reader to differentiate between classic and flop, margin and mainstream, true cult and its replicants.Blade made his Marvel Comics debut back in 1973 in Marvel's classic horror title Tomb of Dracula #10 (opens in new tab). The film has also been called "design cult," thanks to Ridley Scott's brilliant creation of a Los Angeles in 2019, the graphics and props of which have been recreated by devoted fans. Some have dubbed the movie "classroom cult" for its participation in academic debates, while others have termed it "meta-cult," in line with the work of Umberto Eco. Blade Runner has become a network of variant texts and fan speculationsa franchise created around just one film. More than just a box office flop that resurrected itself in the midnight movie circuit, Blade Runner (1982) achieved extraordinary cult status through video, laserdisc, and a five-disc DVD collector's set.
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