WOLFMAN on BLADE: “Suddenly, the character came full-blown. I knew exactly who he was, and what he looked like.”
Looking at the Dracula origins of vampire hunter Blade, exploring the best ways to catch up on Blade’s history, and looking forward to what to expect in the future.
“There was something about the Dracula book that I really loved working on,” Marv Wolfman says. “I would have written it forever, because I really loved it.”
One of the most popular Marvel Comics characters is—somewhat ironically—known better outside comic books than inside them. Vampire hunter Blade was created as a supporting character for the legendary comic book Tomb of Dracula. And while he has made appearances in the comics since then, Blade has done far more in bigger media like movies and TV—and will soon become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
In fact, despite Marvel’s huge list of popular characters that have since made the leap to pop culture—from Spider-Man and X-Men to Captain Marvel and Black Widow and so any more—it’s a bit surprising to consider that Blade was the first successful Marvel Comics adaptation that exploded on the big screen. (Yes, there were previous attempts, but almost none of them reached that level of Wow.)
In the article below, Monster Complex will take a look at the history of Blade—from his comic book debut to his media explosion—and beyond.
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Blade co-creator Marv Wolfman has written lots of great comics.
Comics legend Marv Wolfman is a writer whose legacy includes Marvel Comics’ Tomb of Dracula, for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade, and DC Comics’ The New Teen Titans and the Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series with George Pérez. Among the many characters Wolfman created or co-created are Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, Deathstroke, Tim Drake, Rose Wilson, Nova, Black Cat, Bullseye, Vigilante (Adrian Chase) and the Omega Men. (We talk about some of them here: 45 Important Black Comic Book Superheroes)
Wolfman started writing because of his love for comics—and many of the comic book characters that he has created or co-created have made it into other media. “Fact is,” Wolfman says on his official website, “I’ve been told that I’ve created more characters that have been adapted into movies, TV, toys, games and animation than any other comics writer except Stan Lee.”
If you watched the amazing Arrowverse TV crossover Crisis On Infinite Earths, then you saw Wolfman on screen meeting The Flash and Supergirl. The reason that Wolfman deserved a cameo was because he and artist George Perez were responsible for the shockingly powerful 1985 comic book event Crisis on Infinite Earths, which inspired the TV crossovers.
Of course, another big deal is that Wolfman co-created the vampire hunter Blade.
Over the history of the Marvel Comics universe, some of the biggest heroes are actually monsters. (We talk about a lot of them here: 25 Monsters Who Are Marvel Superheroes.)
One of the interesting facets behind the creation of Blade is that—for years—it was against the rules for comic books to include vampires. (Long story that involved a lot of stupid people and ridiculous prejudices from the government and members of the public.)
But in the early 1970s, the Comics Code Authority revised its rules a bit. Which opened the door through which Blade eventually came through.
“The [Comics Code Authority] finally decided they would allow classic monsters like Dracula and the werewolf and Frankenstein and those type of things,” Wolfman told The Vampire’s Castle. “They decided to do the Dracula book. I started with issue #7 and lasted for eight years.”
Tomb of Dracula was published by Marvel Comics from 1972 to 1979. The 70-issue series revolved around a team of vampire hunters fighting Count Dracula and other supernatural threats.
By the way, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola calls Tomb Of Dracula by Wolfman and Colan his “all-time favorite long-running horror comic.”
Most of the time, Count Dracula was the bad guy. But every once in a while, Dracula would help the vampire hunters against a common threat or battle other supernatural threats on his own.
And Dracula’s presence in Tomb of Dracula also meant that the classic vampire was now a member of the Marvel Comics universe—so he has sometimes been the bad guy for folks like Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, X-Men, Howard the Duck, Werewolf by Night, and even Robert E. Howard’s character Solomon Kane.
“There was something about the Dracula book that I really loved working on,” Wolfman says. “I would have written it forever, because I really loved it. The problem was that as comics go through cycles, the horror stuff started to sell fewer copies. Also, I wanted to leave Marvel at that time for various reasons. So, we worked out when I would be leaving, and I would bring the story to an end.”
Blade co-creator Gene Colan was an amazing comic book artist.
Gene Colan (1926-2011) was a great comic book artist best known for his work for Marvel Comics. In addition to his work on the comic book series Tomb of Dracula—where he co-created supernatural vampire hunter Blade—Colan is also remembered for his work on the superhero series Daredevil and the cult-hit Howard the Duck. He also co-created the Falcon (the first African-American superhero in mainstream comics) and Carol Danvers (who would become Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel).
His time over at DC Comics included great work on Batman, Wonder Woman, and the horror series Night Force.
Colan was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2005.
Blade started out in the Dracula comic book as a guy in the background.
Blade (Eric Cross Brooks)—drawing on his unique traits to be the perfect vampire hunter—is committed with ridding the world of all vampires. Debuting as a member of the supporting cast in the comic book Tomb of Dracula #10 (1973), he was co-created by Wolfman and artist Gene Colan.
Originally shown as a human immune to vampire bites, Blade was later refitted as to a dhampir—a creature that is a child of both a vampire and a human.
Blade also has a daughter, Brielle Brooks.
Wolfman also told The Vampire’s Castle about the origins that led specifically to Blade in Tomb of Dracula. When he was at DC Comics in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Wolfman and his writing partner were working on an early version of the Teen Titans comic book. (A much earlier version than the wonderful New Teen Titans that Wolfman would co-create and write in the 1980s.)
“We came up with a Black superhero, and we wrote it and it was drawn and everything. And for one reason or another the story was never published. There were all sorts of explanations, but I wasn’t there. All I know is that the story wasn’t published.”
Wolfman made a promise that the next character he created would be a Black person:
“I didn’t think that Black characters were represented at all in comics to any great degree. And I felt coming from New York City, a very urban environment, going to a school—and everybody who attends that high school is pretty much people who live within a few blocks of you, because that's the way it works. I went to school in Manhattan—New York’s High School of Art and Design—and it took people from all of New York. All the boroughs of New York. So, you saw people of all kinds there. And it didn’t sound strange to me to use a Black character—I never understood why they didn’t.”
So, he came up with Blade.
“It came to me literally in a second. I’m not joking. I had just gotten the Dracula assignment, and I wasn’t thinking about anything. But suddenly, the character came full-blown. I knew exactly who he was, and what he looked like. I knew everything about him and he took off.”
Sink your teeth into a vampiric volume that chronicles some of the greatest supernatural comics ever printed! The all-time classic Tomb of Dracula ushered in Marvel's glorious age of horror, while the black-and-white magazine Dracula Lives! delivered stories with real bite—and both featured legendary creators, including Gene Colan in his prime illustrating the Lord of Vampires!
The tomb has opened, and Dracula lives again! But his descendant, Frank Drake, joins vampire hunters including Rachel Van Helsing and Quincy Harker in a bid to return him to his grave! Will they drive a stake through Dracula's heart—or will that honor fall to Blade?
Plus tales of terror from across Dracula’s 500-year existence, featuring Hell-Crawlers, the Monster of the Moors, wizards, gargoyles, voodoo queens and more!
Collects Tomb of Dracula (1972) #1-15, Dracula Lives! #1-4 by Gerry Conway, Archie Goodwin, Gene Colan, Alan Weiss, Rich Buckler, Neal Adams, Gil Kane, Gardner Fox, and Marv Wolfman.
Open the tomb once again for tales filled with bloodsuckers, cultists and things risen from the grave! When Dracula attempts to feed on Jack Russell’s friend Topaz, it’s time for a vampire versus Werewolf by Night showdown—with the Darkhold as the prize!
Blade the vampire hunter closes in, but will the Lord of Darkness be burned by Doctor Sun?
It’s stakes on a plane when Drac’s flight is hijacked —and the Montesi Formula might spell doom for all vampires! Discover the beginnings of Dracula’s feud with the wizard Cagliostro and meet Lilith, his devastating daughter!
Plus: The lord of the vampires battles Spider-Man!
And tales from Dracula’s centuries-long life, including a clash with Frankenstein’s monster!
Collects Tomb Of Dracula (1972) #16-24, Werewolf By Night (1972) #15, Giant-Size Spider-Man #1, Giant-Size Chillers #1, Giant-Size Dracula #2, Frankenstein #7-9 and Dracula Lives #5-7 by Marv Wolfman, Len Wein, Chris Claremont, Gary Friedrich, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, Tony Isabella, Gene Colan, Mike Ploog, Ross Andru, Don Heck, Gil Kane, John Buscema, and Dick Giordano.
Step once more inside the Tomb of Dracula for more superior supernatural stories of the 1970s! First, the debut of Hannibal King—a detective with a vampiric secret! Then, Dracula is drawn into a struggle to control the powerful statue of the Chimera!
Flash back to Dracula’s first meeting with Blade the Vampire Hunter—and when Quincy Harker learns that the Lord of Darkness still lives, it’s time for a savage showdown that explores their full bitter rivalry!
But who else has targeted Dracula? As the saga unfolds, it draws in Rachel Van Helsing, Frank Drake…and Brother Voodoo! Plus, a New York policeman’s world is transformed by Dracula! And the Devil’s Heart, and many more terrors, await across the centuries in tales from the vampire’s past!
Collects Tomb of Dracula (1972) #25-35, Giant-Size Dracula #3-5, Dracula Lives #8-11 by Marv Wolfman, Chris Claremont, David Anthony Kraft, Doug Moench, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, Steve Gerber, Gene Colan, Don Heck, Tony DeZuniga, Dick Giordano, Gil Kane, Virgilio Virgil Redondo, and Bob Brown.
The Lord of the Undead invades America! And there Dracula must face the blade-handed Juno, agent of his nemesis Doctor Sun! Will vampire hunters Quincy Harker, Rachel Van Helsing and Frank Drake be Drac’s unlikely saviors?
To take down Sun once and for all, Drac must ally with his greatest enemy: Blade!
But when Wong becomes Dracula’s next victim, the Sorcerer Supreme will do everything possible to save his friend’s life—and end the vampire lord’s!
Plus: Who will be the bride of Dracula? Literary worlds collide as Drac encounters Robin Hood, Frankenstein’s Monster and more! Dracula battles…the Silver Surfer?! And there’ll be hell to pay when Blade calls in a favor from Daimon Hellstrom!
Collects Tomb of Dracula (1972) #36-54, Doctor Strange (1974) #14, Dracula Lives (1973) #12-13, material from Legion of Monsters (1975) #1 by Marv Wolfman, Steve Englehart, Doug Moench, Gerry Conway, Gene Colan, Syeve Gan, Tom Sutton, Steve Gan.
Dracula has sired a son! Why does baby Janus have golden skin, and what is his destiny? As Quincy Harker’s vampire hunters form an unholy alliance with Anton Lupeski’s Satanic cult, the net is closing in: Drac’s next meal could spell disaster. And when Dracula meets the devil himself, it’s a truly transformative encounter!
After centuries in the shadows, Dracula finally steps out into the sunlight. But if his humanity is restored, what does that mean to his enemies? And is this a bad time for his daughter, Lilith, to return? It’s all leading up to a final, fatal reckoning!
Plus Roy Thomas and Dick Giordano reunite to complete a gorgeous, gothic project decades in the making!
Collects Tomb of Dracula (1972) #55-70, Stoker’s Dracula (2004) #2-4; material from Marvel Preview (1975) #12, Savage Sword of Conan (1974) #26 by Marv Wolfman, Roy Thomas, Doug Moench, Don Glut, Gene Colan, Dick Giordano, Sonny Trinidad, and David Wenzel.
Vampire hunter Blade comics collections
Relive the adventures of Marvel’s half-vampire monster slayer—the man called Blade! In his deadly debut, Blade becomes immortal enemies with the biggest bloodsucker of all—Dracula himself! The stakes get higher when Blade's girlfriend is targeted by vampires! For Blade and Safron, love definitely hurts!
Then, Blade heads to New Orleans to take on the city's new crime boss—one that just happens to be the vampire that killed his mother! Deacon Frost isn't the only thing giving Blade the blues—there’s some bad Voodoo going down. Good thing Blade knows a Brother who can help with that!
Get ready for Blade’s sensational new series with four key stories that give you the lowdown on the Daywalker! Collects Tomb of Dracula (1972) #10, 24, 58; Blade: Crescent City Blues #1 by Marv Wolfman, Gene Colan, Christopher Golden, and Gil Kane.
A war is raging, and he has a job to do; for Blade the Vampire Hunter, there are no shades of gray! Now, for the first time ever, the House of Ideas reprints the best of Blade in bold black and white from its legendary '70s-era horror magazines—including VAMPIRE TALES and MARVEL PREVIEW!
Collects Vampire Tales #8-9, Marvel Preview #3, 6, Blade: Crescent City Blues #1, Marvel Shadows And Light #1 by Marv Wolfman, Gene Colan, Chris Claremont, and Tony DeZuniga.
Blade is back—and he’s slashing his way through all sorts of bloodsuckers! The Daywalker finds himself in the middle of an undead gang war when a vampiric Mafia Don’s daughter seeks vengeance for the sins of her father, and Blade is her weapon of choice!
Meanwhile, in New Orleans, Morbius the Living Vampire is drawn into a dark and deadly plot! But how does the covert branch of S.H.I.E.L.D. called Silvereye plan to deal with vampires and other creatures of the night, and where does our favorite vampire hunter fit in? As a deadly fiend awakens, Blade, Silvereye—and perhaps the world—will be made to fear the Reaper! It’s blood and chaos as only the Daywalker can bring it!
Collects Blade: Sins Of The Father, Blade (1998) #1-3 and Blade (1999) #1-6 and #1/2 by Marc Andreyko, Donald McGregor, Bart Sears, Gene Colan, Tom Derenick, Brian Hagen, Andy Smith, Christopher Golden, and Marv Wolfman.
A never before seen loom into Blade’s mysterios past! Featuring Spider-Man, Dracula, Dr. Doom, Wolverine... and Santa Claus? Collects Blade (2006) #1-6 by Marc Guggenheim, Howard Chaykin, and Marko Djurdjevic.
Hannibal King is back! And the fangs are sure to fly in this Lethal Weapon/Rush Hour-style team-up!
Next, it’s off to England as Blade seeks answers regarding his mysterious past—but all he’s gotten is trouble, so now somebody’s gonna pay! Guest staring Union Jack.
Plus: Not a hoax! Not an imaginary story! Blade... DIES!
Collects Blade (2006) #7-12 by Marc Guggenheim, Marko Djurdjevic, and Howard Chaykin.
Vampire hunter Blade in the movies, on TV, and in video games
The Blade franchise has transformed the vampire hunter from a simple comics character on the page to a vibrant, energetic, exciting thriller character in movies and TV. The original movies starred Wesley Snipes as Blade in the trilogy. The TV show starred Sticky Fingaz as Blade.
The original movies were directed by Stephen Norrington (whose directorial credits also include Death Machine and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), Guillermo del Toro (also responsible for the Hellboy movies, the Pacific Rim movies, and the Oscar winners The Shape of Water and Pinocchio), and David S. Goyer (who also wrote the Blade movies, and co-wrote some episodes of the TV show). These movies and the TV show were distributed by New Line Cinema from 1998 to 2006.
A new version of Blade starring Mahershala Ali is planned to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). That movie is currently planned to be released in 2024. (More info about this below.)
Vampire hunter Blade movies
The power of an immortal. The soul of a human. The heart of a hero. Sworn to defend humanity, although not entirely human. Born with the cunning and superhuman power of a vampire, but able to stalk by day as well as night.
Wesley Snipes stars in this action-packed thriller as the immortal vampire hunter Blade—a half-mortal, half-immortal charged with ridding the earth of a race of vampires in this action-packed blockbuster. Directed by Stephen Norrington. Written by David S. Goyer. Also starring Stephen Dorff and Kris Kristofferson.
“The movie was filmed half a mile from where I lived in Southern California,” Wolfman told The Vampire’s Castle. “I was there on the day that they were filming the bloodbath sequence—that’s the opening of the movie.”
Wolfman got to meet the crew—including director Norrington as well as star Snipes. Meeting Snipes was really interesting, Wolfman says, because the set was full of entertainment reporters who had been talking with the actor. “By the time I got there,” Wolfman says, “he probably had done 14 000 interviews and we’re starting to get tired.”
But when the director introduced the actor to Wolfman—explaining that he was one of the co-creators of Blade—Snipes was excited. Oh wow tell me all about it!
“You know, he suddenly came to life because I was not just a yet another reporter about to ask him yet more character questions. He wanted to know if Blade was always a Black character. He had never seen it before. I brought a copy with me to show, and he was just he was astonished by it because he had no idea. So, he was really thrilled by that.”
The sword-wielding warrior Blade returns to fight the Reapers, a new race of super vampires hell-bent on annihilating all other vampires before destroying the entire human race. Directed by Guillermo del Toro. Written by David S. Goyer. Starring Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Ron Perlman, Leonor Varela, and Norman Reedus.
The final battle begins and the trinity comes to an end! Blade is back and his enemies have grown in number since they resurrected their king, Dracula. Blade, now a wanted man by the FBI, must join forces with the Nightstalkers to face his most challenging enemy yet—Dracula. Directed by and written by David S. Goyer. Starring Wesley Snipes, Jessica Biel, and Ryan Reynolds.
Vampire hunter Blade on TV
Blade: The Series (2006): Blade is portrayed by Sticky Fingaz. Set after the events of Blade: Trinity, this version’s birth name is Eric Brooks and was born in Detroit. Additionally, his father is Robert Brooks, who raised him until he was 12, when elements of his vampiric nature became more apparent.
Blade appears in Marvel Anime: Blade, voiced by Akio Ōtsuka in the Japanese version and Harold Perrineau in the English dub, while his younger self is voiced by Junko Minagawa in the Japanese version and by Noah Bentley in the English dub.
Blade appears in Spider-Man, voiced by J.D. Hall. Blade was voiced by Terry Crews for the Ultimate Spider-Man two-part episode “Blade and the Howling Commandos,”and also for an appearance on Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Blade was in Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers, voiced by Hiroki Yasumoto in the Japanese version and Beau Billingslea in the English dub.
Vampire hunter Blade in Video games
Blade – based on Blade (2000)
Blade II – based on Blade II (2002)
Vampire hunter Blade coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Before the MCU decided to bring back Blade as part of the larger Marvel universe—meaning he can crossover with anyone and everyone—there had been previous attempts to bring Blade back the big screen.
In 2008, Blade director Stephen Norrington was trying to develop a prequel trilogy to Blade, until the film rights reverted back to Marvel Studios. In 2016, star of the Underworld film series Kate Beckinsale was tryin to work out crossing over the Underworld and Blade franchises, but it fell through because Marvel had already started thinking MCU.
Marvel announced the Blade reboot—bringing him into the Marvel universe—at San Diego Comic-Con 2019. They also announced Mahershala Ali being cast as Blade.
Originally planned as a 2023 movie, Blade was delayed to 2024 due to the change in the movie’s director. They’re now hoping to start shouting the new Blade movie in May 2023.
Producer Kevin Feige, the main guy behind Marvel’s cinematic universe, told JoBlo his fond memories of the original Blade movies—and why he’s excited about bringing Blade into the current Marvel movie universe: “My tenure at Marvel started 17 years ago, and there were two things that sort of launched the modern era. One was X-Men, which was the first thing that people said, ‘Oh, there’s life here.’
“But a few years before that, there was Blade. A character nobody had heard of at all, had only appeared in a few issues of Tomb of Dracula or something, turned into a big franchise.
“That was always a great lesson for me, where you go, ‘It doesn’t matter how well known the character is, it matters how cool the movie is.’ Which, many years later, would be the reason we do Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange.”
That time Blade (sort of) guested on What We Do In The Shadows
By the way, here’s a fun side note: There was a kind of Blade crossover with What We Do I the Shadows. In an episode that featured the Vampiric Council—a bunch of vampires in a big meeting holding a trial—all the guest vampires were played by famous actors who had played vampires in other movies.
(Technically—legally—they were not playing those other characters. But the joke was still right there on screen.)
And part of the collective was Wesley Snipes playing a version of Blade, Wesley the Daywalker / Wesley Sykes. The half-vampire Skyped the Council meeting to share his verdict. The Vampire Council holding the trial also included Tilda Swinton, Paul Reubens, Danny Trejo, and Evan Rachel Wood, plus the three main characters from the 2014 film, Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, and Jonathan Brugh.
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