Lucas Cross (father);
Jamal Afari (foster father)
History
You? You challenge me with blades? Let's see how this ends. They call me Blade for a reason.
- — Blade
- — Blade
Early Life
Eric Brooks, the man later known as Blade, was born in Soho, London, in 1929. 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 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 converted. In other words half-man, half-vampire. The vampire 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.
Training
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 helped 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 with. Finally Blade and Afari split up when Jamal willingly took the fall for murder when Blade accidentally killed a man (who was suffering from a deranged illness), which he mistook for being a vampire.
1968
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 "superiors" 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 would nearly succeed in destroying Dracula by driving a stake into his heart. It was during this battle, Blade's companion would tied 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
Blade pressed on, often fighting alongside a team led by Quincy Harker, the great vampire hunter. The company's members included[Rachel van Helsing and Frank Drake. Blade and the team battle Dracula and attempt to kill him and rescue Elizabeth Langley. Blade and the hunters chase Dracula across Europe. After being attacked by his mindless slaves they reach the mortuary, The team managed to outnumber him, and eventually Blade got close enough to the vampire lord to steak him through the heart, effectively killing Dracula. However his death was short-lived and he was resurrected by his minions. Blade attempts to once more slay Dracula. Dracula managed to overpower Blade, and feed upon the vampire hunter, before leaving him for dead. Quincy Harker comes across the body of Blade seeing that Blade has been bitten by Dracula, and assuming his ally to be dead, Quincy Harker got a stake out and prepared to ram it through Blade's heart. Before Quincy can strike, Blade suddenly revives and to Quincy's surprise, Blade has not changed into a vampire. Blade explained that through some twist of fate he is immune to vampire bites due to the fact his mother was bit by a vampire while Blade was being born. Blade vows to use his immunity to his advantage and not let it stop him from destroying all vampires. They travel to London and at Quincy's home he tried to convince Blade to stay and continue their quest to destroy Dracula. Blade declined the offer, feeling that he should get back on the case of the vampire responsible for killing his mother. Blade returned to the flat that he shared with Saffron to find that a vampire has broken in and was attempting to feed upon Saffron. Blade easily destroyed her attacker. A friend Trudy explained what happened and Blade agreed to help and agreed to go out looking for Dracula. Put on his vampire hunting gear, Blade went out into the night and was soon attacked by Dracula in his bat form. Dracula knocks him down into the street with a car speeding toward him. Blade battled Dracula across the city, their fight took them to a sporting goods store. Dracula was forced to retreat when Blade managed to partially impale the vampire lord in the chest with a broken ski pole, and then later with one of his wooden daggers. With the battle over, Scotland Yard lets Blade walk away from the scene, and he returns home to Saffron and Trudy rest and told them he would explain everything in the morning.
When Dracula travelled to Boston, Blade was also their tracking down the vampire who killed his mother. Blade attacked the Vampire but was easily stopped in his tracks by Dracula who demanded that Blade accompany him back to Harold's home to meet with Quincy Harker. Dracula explained he has nothing to do with the murders and that the coven is acting on their own. Blade had no interest in getting involved with their battle with Dr. Sun as he came to destroy the vampire who killed his mother. When Dr. Sun was about to kill Dracula Blade arrived and offered assistance in killing Dr. Sun. The two work together and destroy Dr. Sun. But after the fight Blade threatened Dracula telling him that if he does not help him find his mothers killer he would die by his hands. Dracula refused to be ordered around, leading to a battle between the two.
Hannibal King
Blade still looking for his mothers killer finds a clue in apartment. Blade attacked the occupant but the vampire was revealed to be Hannibal King, the vampire detective. Hannibal easily defeated Blade but due to their mutual missions they decided to work together. They waited in the killer of Blade's mother's apartment for his recent victim to rise as a vampire. When he awoke he explained he dug up a coffin had an exact copy of Blade. Blade and Hannibal King continue their hunt for the vampire, they wondered how he intends to take over the world with a duplicate of Blade. Blade and King went to London so Blade can visit Saffron.
Doppelgänger
Blade and King find the "Doppelgänger" and he reveals that he was created to destroy him. The two fight, but Blade stops when the two are beginning to fuse together upon physical contact. Hannibal King tried to rush to Blade's rescue, however he was too late to stop the merger from completing. With the vampire doppelgänger in full control of their unified body, it set it's sites on King. The Doppelgänger attacks King, and despite his savage fury, he is easily fought off by King who stabs the faux-Blade in the chest with one of his own wooden daggers, sending the imitator out a window allowing Hannibal to escape. King is still fleeing from the vampire doppelgänger of Blade and their fight crashes into Dracula's party. The vampire is among the crowd and he watches eagerly as this is all part of his on going plan. Furious of Blade's interruption of his party Dracula attacks and is shocked to find his long time vampire hunter foe is now a vampire himself. As the battle rages, Anton takes Domini, already visibly pregnant somewhere safe. Blade appears to have the upper hand when he stabs Dracula in the back with one of his wooden daggers. However, Dracula turns around, and mocking the fake Blade's inferior skill to the original impales the vampire doppelgänger in the chest with a stake killing him.
Nightstalkers
The agency discontinued after Drake left and Blade was committed to a psychiatric hospital following a battle with a temporarily resurrected Dracula. Doctor Strange later arranged the release of Blade so that he could join Drake and King in reforming Borderline Inc. as the Nightstalkers. The mother of all demons, Lilith, hired Blade's agency to kill Ghost Rider, the leather-clad, motorcycle-riding Spirit of Vengeance. After a protracted battle, Blade and company realized they had been duped. The team joined with Ghost Rider and Blaze against Lilith, battling her monstrous minion Meatmarket. Blade, Drake and King continued their partnership with Ghost Rider and Blaze. Along with Dr. Strange, Morbius the Living Vampire and the Darkhold Redeemers, they formed the Midnight Sons, a group dedicated to preserving the boundaries between our world and the dark realms. The Midnight Sons clashed with Lilith and her demonspawn, the Lilin, in a supernatural contest with Earth as the prize. The Midnight Sons proved victorious, destroying Lilith and her brood. Blade also rescued his close friend Safron Caulder from the Darkholders.
Blade's desire to destroy supernatural enemies led him to be tricked into using the Darkhold. As 'Switchblade' he attacked a number of supernatural beings and stole their power in the 'Midnight Massacre'. Eventually Blade was stopped and another page of the Darkhold was used to restore things back to normal.
The Nightstalkers also battled other threats, such as Hydra's D.O.A. (Department of Occult Armaments).
Upon the eventual weakening of the Montesi Formula, and the return of vampires, Blade encountered and staked a former ally, a now-vampiric Taj Nital. However, the team was unable to prevent its hated quarry, the vampire, from returning to the Earth realm. Blade, Drake and King, who again had become afflicted with vampirism, began their crusade anew to cleanse the world of all bloodsuckers. Blade and his partners clashed with dread lord Varnae-- supposedly the first vampire, the demon who had visited this hellish curse upon men. King and Drake were slain in a bloody and futile battle. The loss of his compatriots only strengthened Blade's resolve to rid the world of vampires, regardless of the circumstances of their creation. Following their victory, King was cured of his vampirism. Subsequently, he and King formed a private-investigation firm.
Dracula Returns
Deacon Frost teams up with Marie Laveau to take over Mafia crime in New Orleans as a staging area for greater conquests. Blade was alerted by Bible John, and the two fought Dracula and later Marie Laveau, who was attempting to resurrect Varnae. It appeared that King and Drake had somehow been merged into Dracula when he was resurrected, but the two have since been freed. Deacon captures Blade, Hannibal King, and Brother Voodoo to establish his rep among the undead in a power grab. The heroes free themselves from the trap and Blade battles Deacon Frost to a stalemate. Deacon escapes, and Blade vows to hunt him down.
Sins of the Father
The daughter of a vampire mafia Don manipulates Blade into attacking her father's estate with a story about seeking vengeance for being turned into one of the undead, but she and her husband really just want to eliminate the daywalker and remove her father in a power grab. After she and her husband kill her father, Blade slays the two of them.
Daywalker
In New Orleans Blade teamed with Brother Voodoo to stop Marie Laveau and Deacon Frost's plans to build an undead army. Later, Blade and Spider-Man encountered the vampire Henry Sage and learned of the development of the Daywalker formula, a version of the Sunlight Serum. Blade helped Spider-Man try to capture their former ally Morbius, who was under the control of a vampire known as the Hunger. During the battle Morbius bit Blade, but his blood enzymes were not enough to protect him from Morbius unique form of vampirism. Transforming him into a Daywalker, a vampire able to move about in the sunlight and lacking most of the vampire's traditional weaknesses. Blade was now driven by blood thirst, however, but he is able to hold it back with a serum.
Still in New Orleans he is contacted by Dominique Levant. She led the hunter in to the midst of a vampiric coup which involved Morbius the Living Vampire and the powerful Ulysses Sojourner. Sojourner sought to unify all vampires on the East Coast, but Blade was able to stop his plans.
Silvereye
Blade was also temporarily in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody due to the machinations of Silvereye as they sought to use him. Their plans for Blade failed. However, Darius Venginian's true agenda remains unknown.
Battling the Tryks
Blade encounters a new type of vampiric creature called a Tryk, which is fearless of vampires and hunts them. The queen of the Tryks is interested in a ceremony which will make Blade her king and an organization called the The Seven is introduced which strives after a policy of 'vampiric equilibrium'. They kill both vampires and the Tryks which prey upon them, but only enough to regulate the numbers of both types. They are upset with Blade's recent escalation of vampire killings, as they don't want an all-out was spilling over into the streets, so they authorize assassinating him. The seven reveal that the Queen Cilla of the Tryks wants Blade for her mate so that she can devour him and produce another queen. Blade goes on a date with his new girlfriend Susan and tells her that the vampires tricked him into slaying his former lover with a sword by drugging her and outfitting her with contact lenses and fake fangs. The vampires capture Fofo, Blade's weapons supplier, and place a tracking device on him so that he will lead them to Blade after they dump him in the river. The vampires get the drop on Blade and capture him.
The Tryk captures the Seven agents who were sent to kill Blade while Blade escapes from the vampires. The Tryk brings the agents to his queen after Blade receives some I.D. from the them which he traces back to their leader. The boy (since leaders of the Seven age backwards) makes Blade the offer of a sword to invade the queen's stronghold and slay them so he can submerge himself in the queen's baths and become fully human. After Blade has sex with Susan, he finds out that she has been the Tryk queen in disguise all along. Blade enters the queen's baths, but does not change so he realizes the leader of the Seven was manipulating him. Blade then destroys the Tryk lair, but the now-pregnant queen escapes.Realizing the Tryk numbers have been so thinned by Blade, the Seven countermands its previous directive to assassinate Blade and let him have a free hand in the field. Blade later helps a woman put to rest her husband who was killed by a vampire being pursued by Blade.
Meeting the Punisher
Blade found the Punisher hiding on a rooftop he was viewing a deal between vampires and some thugs. The Punisher emerged from the shadows the two drew their weapons, Blade eventually lowered his and told the Punisher, that if he shot him, the vampires below would know. Then the Punisher attached a silencer to his gun and shot Blade in the back, Blade remains unharmed and they argued. They turn their attention to the crime below. Blade admitted that he admired the Punisher but suddenly there was an explosion a few blocks away, the vampires think it is the thugs and try to eat them, but Blade and Punisher jumped from the roof to kill them all.
Lucas Cross
Blade came in to contact with Dracula again, and appeared to fully destroy the vampire once again, aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. Unknown to Blade, his wealthy father, Lucas Cross, was responsible for Dracula's resurrection. Lucas kidnapped his son and forced Blade to feed on a virgin girl; in an attempt to fulfil a prophecy. Blade escaped after biting through his own hand.
After taking on a time travel mission for Doctor Doom, Blade received from Doom an elixir that would purportedly cure a vampire of thirst for human blood but would also remove the bloodlust vampire hunters get for killing the undead. During the mission in the past, Blade fulfilled another part of the prophecy by freeing his imprisoned father. Blade's patented black, leather trench coat once belonged to Wolverine. Later, Blade would feed on a virgin after biting an evil vampire priest, Draconis. Blade travelled back home to England and fought Union Jack. Back in the US he helps Spider-Man battle the criminal Fracture. Blade then finally confronts his father. Blade gave Hannibal King the elixir brining back to life.
Vangard
Blade was recruited into the Vanguard, the name of a secret black-ops team of superheroes that carried out missions, including assassinations, on foreign soil. During one mission, Micromax was captured by Jaafar Yoosuf and was forced to tell him about Vanguard and their most powerful operative, Colonel America (Trenton Craft). Yoosuf used his powers of body-possession to cause police detective, Stacy Dolan to murder Craft. Her investigation leads to her own arrest, but survives a failed assassination attempt by Vanguard operative, Dominic Fortune. Dolan discovers the entire Vanguard team and convinces them that she is innocent by exposing Yoosuf, who is summarily killed by Blade. Craft arrives at their facility to reveal that his telekinetic powers allowed him to survive his murder and autopsy, but that he has to destroy Dolan and the entire roster to preserve the secret identity of Vanguard. The Vanguard members survive thanks to the intervention of Retcon whose powers allowed Craft to think he had killed them, but they are all forced to go into hiding.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Blade is later recruited by Director Coulson to form a group so as to keep supernatural threats in track. Brooks handpicks the members of the team: Frankenstein's Monster, Living Mummy, Man-Thing and Werewolf.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Human/Vampire Hybrid: Due to the fact that his mother was bitten by a vampire while giving birth to him, Blade was born with an immunity to the effects of vampire bites, the ability to "smell" supernatural creatures, a greatly prolonged lifespan, and sensitivity to bright light. However, after being bitten by Michael Morbius, The Living Vampire, Blade gained various superhuman physical capabilities similar to those of vampires. Yet Blade claimed to have been born a half-vampire and that Morbius' bite changed nothing, thus having his origin retconned.
- Superhumanly Acute Senses: Blade's sense of sight and hearing are heightened to levels comparable to those possessed by true vampires. He is capable of seeing objects with perfect clarity at much greater distances than an ordinary human. He retains this same level of clarity even in near-total darkness. Blade's hearing is similarly enhanced, allowing him to detect sounds that an ordinary human can't and to be able to hear sounds an ordinary human can, but at greater distances. Blade is also able to sense the presence of supernatural beings or forces, such as Shuma-Gorath, whereas an ordinary human would be oblivious to them.
- Superhuman Strength: Blade is supernaturally strong and is capable of lifting about 1 ton.
- Superhuman Speed: Blade is capable of running and moving at speeds greater than even the finest human athlete.
- Superhuman Agility: Blade's agility, balance and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete.
- Superhuman Stamina: Blade's musculature generates less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human. He can exert himself at peak capacity for several hours before fatigue begins to impair him.
- Superhuman Durability: Blade's Vampire/Human Hybrid tissue allows him to sustain physical trauma to a certain extent. He can withstand powerful energy blasts, exposure to temperature extremes, and great impact forces without being injured. He's been seen tanking a blast from Lilith herself and walks away with minor burns and injuries. This somewhat contributes to his healing factor, making him more resistant than a normal human.
- Regenerative Healing Factor: Blade, like full vampires, possesses an accelerated healing ability that allows him to heal mild to moderate injuries with much greater speed and efficiency than an ordinary human. Blade is capable of healing from severe slashes and puncture wounds within a matter of seconds to minutes depending on the severity of the wound. However, he is not able to regenerate missing limbs or organs.
- Prolonged Lifespan: Although not pure vampire, he does have the advantage of being an Hybrid. This includes a Pseudo-Immortality, greatly enhanced lifespan. Also no change of his appearance has been seen during his time on earth, besides losing his hair sometimes.
- Immunity To Vampire Vulnerabilities: True vampires have numerous and very particular supernatural vulnerabilities, most of which Blade is totally immune to. For instance, Blade is unaffected by direct exposure to sunlight, whereas most vampires are either rendered comatose during the daylight hours or are quickly incinerated when exposed directly to sunlight. Vampires are also highly allergic to silver, supposedly because of the metal's mystical purity. As a result, silver blades or bullets are capable of killing vampires. If not killed, and merely injured, it will take a vampire much longer to heal than if the injury had been inflicted by another material. Blade himself could be injured by a silver weapon, much as an ordinary human would, but his healing powers would be able to heal it as if it were an ordinary wound. Blade is also immune to the effects of religious icons, such as crucifixes, whereas vampires are rendered almost powerless when confronted by them.
Abilities
- Master Martial Artist: Blade is an expert in hand-to-hand combat being very skilled in multiple martial arts through his training with Jamal Afari and instruction under various private instructors. His main form of combat is an eclectic mix of Hapkido, Karate, Jujitsu, Kung Fu, Capoeira, and Jailhouse Boxing.
- Expert Marksman: He can throw most projectile weaponry with great aim and is well-versed in the use of firearms.
- Weapons Proficiency: Blade is practically proficient in every form of weaponry known to man. His particular specialty is the use of edged weapons, be they teakwood daggers or swords. Blade is a master in the use of small bladed weapons and can hurl knives with great accuracy. Blade also shows great skill with firearms, including both automatic and semi-automatic, which he often modifies to fire hollow-point, garlic-filled silver bullets. He is also a skilled jazz trumpeter.
- Multi-lingual: Blade is fluent in English, German, Romanian, Japanese. He might be fluent in other languages.
- Expert Vehicular driver: He is proficient in driving cars, motorcycles and various other vehicles when needed.
Strength level
- Blade is born as a Dhampir, This altered his skeletal and cardiac muscle system on an cellular level. His skeletal muscles are more dense, more efficient and faster, allowing him to produce short and fast burst of excessive force. Although this requires a lot of stamina, his cardiac muscle system has changed as well accordingly. The cardiac muscle system provides the skeletal muscle enough nutrition to allow his body to perform for several hours of maximum combat before fatigue begins to impair him. His hardened and thickened skeletal system support his superhuman strength somewhat contributing to his enhanced durability. He possesses the strength sufficient to lift about 1 ton.
Weaknesses
- Blade does possess one weakness common to all vampires: the need to ingest fresh blood in order to stay alive. However, rather than consume blood, he ingests or injects a specially designed serum that provides even better nourishment that blood would provide. If Blade doesn't drink the serum for an extended period of time, he will weaken and his self control will be stretched. He would be forced to attack a human and consume his or her blood if this period is more than a week. Blade does have a huge amount of blood-serum in his inventory and actually never runs out of energy. One serum is enough for 24 hours of extended combat or he can use it to quickly recover from grave wounds. Although he has a special meditation to maintain his self control, an extended period of time without consuming either blood or the serum will prove fatal.
Paraphernalia
Equipment: None known.
Transportation: Motorcycle
Weapons:
- Blade uses a small arsenal of weapons: teakwood daggers; Adamantium, acid-etched swords; Kevlar body armor; automatic and semi-automatic firearms converted for use with hollow-point, garlic-filled silver bullets; and a variety of portable, custom-designed weapons that employ silver, garlic, sunlight, ultraviolet rays and anti-coagulants.
- Blade's sword
Notes
- No special notes.
Trivia
- No trivia.
See Also
- Appearances of Eric Brooks (Earth-1010)
- Character Gallery: Eric Brooks (Earth-1010)
- Quotations by Eric Brooks (Earth-1010)
Discover and Discuss
- Search News for: Blade&searchx=Search Blade · Eric Brooks · Eric Brooks (Earth-1010)
Links and References
- None.