| “ | No no no. "Daywalker" -- "Deathwalkers" -- That's gonna get confusing real fast. Keep it simple. Say my name. | „ |
| ~ Blade |
| “ | So, how many times do I have to put you in the ground? | „ |
| ~ Blade in volume 5. |
Blade (real name Eric Brooks), also known as the Daywalker, is a fictional comic book character, Superhero, a half-vampire hybrid and a vampire hunter of the Marvel Universe.
He was created by Marv Wolfman, and the late Gene Colan, and first appeared in Tomb of Dracula #10 in July of 1973
He was portrayed by Wesley Snipes in the titular films, Sticky Fingaz in a titular tv series, and will played by Academy Award winning actor Mahershala Ali in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
History
Background
Eric Brooks became half-vampire after Deacon Frost feasted on his mother while he was still in the womb, allowing him to become a dhampir. After being trained by Jamal, Brooks took the title of "Blade" and decided to hunt down vampires to avenge his mothers death. Blade would later stop other supernatural threats with the aid of Quincy Harker, The Mighty Avengers, the X-Men, and The Midnight Sons.
Though Blade is crusading against forces that are a threat to humanity, he is also a loner by nature and does not take orders well. For this reason and also the nature of the foes he fights he often operates outside society, and rarely interacts with other superheroes.
Biography
Early Life
Eric Brooks, the man later known as Blade, was born in 1929 in Soho, London, England, United Kingdom. His father, Lucas Cross, a member of the secret society the Order of Tyrana, sent his pregnant wife Tara to England before he was taken prisoner in Latveria. There she took the name Vanessa Brooks and found shelter with brothel owner Madame Vanity, another member of the Order of Tyrana. Experiencing labor complications, Tara was forced to seek a doctor's assistance.
The doctor, Deacon Frost, was actually a 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 Dhampir - a being tainted by a vampire's kiss, but not converted. In other words half-man, half-vampire. Frost was driven away before he could slay the child, but Tara perished, leaving the orphaned Eric Brooks to be raised at Madame Vanity's brothel. Eric would met and be fostered by veteran vampire hunter Jamal Afari, who would teach the boy how to hunt and kill vampires.
Becoming Blade
Wanting revenge for his mother's death, he would take the mantle of Blade after his sharp weapons. Blade would separate from Afari after Jamal willingly took the fall for murder when Blade killed man, whom he believed was a vampire. After stalking the night for vampires, Blade became a part of a small band who were hunting Dracula - Musenda, Orji, Ogun, and Azu.
Blade went to Dracula and told him he represented a group of men who believed that vampires would rule the world, and would offer his and his associates assistance to carry on Dracula's bidding during the daytime. Dracula went with Blade to meet his associates, but realized it was a trap set to kill him. The group nearly succeeded in destroying Dracula, but he was soon resurrected by his servants, and exacted revenge by murdering the band (except for Blade and Musenda).
In 1972, the murder of a bat-like monster in New York got Blade's attention, and discovered Kaluu when looking for the corpse in a morgue. Blade attacked Kaluu (thinking he was vampire), but stopped when detective James Lucas, Constance Molina and Adam Brashear, realizing he was among allies. The group started investigating the murder when the Bear appeared, and presented herself as the killer of that creature, due to self-defense. The Bear explained that she was a result of a failed attempt of the Deathwalkers to extinguish humanity in 1908, and that they would try to do it again. With the mystery solved, the group formed the Mighty Avengers, and went to find the Deathwalkers. The team disbanded after stopping the Deathwalkers, and Blade recovered the Talisman of Kamar-Taj.
Gallery
Images
.png "Blade (MUA3).png (289 KB)")
Trivia
- Ranked 63rd greatest comic book character by IGN.
- UGO Newtworks placed Blade as one of the top heroes of entertainment.
- Ranked 4th on a listing of Marvel Comics' monster characters in 2015.
