Videos by ComicBook.com
From that special event series to his appearances on Tomb of Dracula and his solo series, here is a look at Blade’s best stories in Marvel Comics.
10) Blood Hunt (2024)
In 2024, Marvel Comics created an event series based on Blade called Blood Hunt. However, this series did not have Blade as the hero, but instead, he became Marvel’s deadliest villain. The series started when the Darkforce Dimension empties onto Earth, blocking out the sun. Soon, the heroes learn that Blade is leading the vampires in an all-out attack on Earth. The twist is that Varnae, one of Blade’s most dangerous villains, had possessed the hero and set him against the Marvel Universe. This series crossed over with Avengers, Spider-Man, Moon Knight, Strange Academy comics with Doctor Strange, and more. While this made Blade a major player in Marvel Comics, the overall series was hit and miss, and it failed to live up to other recent event series.
9) Tomb of Dracula #10 (1973)
The first appearance of Blade in Marvel Comics came in Tomb of Dracula #10 in 1973. The comic book series itself was one of Marvel’s first horror comics after the Comics Code Authority relaxed its rules on horror, and the company decided to use Dracula himself in the book. Blade first appeared after Marv Wolfman joined the series and began exploring what direction would work best for the book. His introduction was great, with him showing up in his leather jacket and sunglasses and easily dispatching a pair of vampires with his wooden stakes. Blade is a great nemesis for Dracula here and proved from the start that he could go toe-to-toe with the world’s most powerful vampire. This also showed that Blade had no concern for other vampire hunters, preferring to work alone.
8) Tomb of Dracula #53 (1977)
Marv Wolfman chose not to let Blade return to Tomb of Dracula until he could figure out a way to make the character unique while not giving in to stereotypical writing. By the time Blade returned, he was stronger than ever and proved to be one of Dracula’s most persistent enemies. In Tomb of Dracula #53, Blade was dead, and Hannibal King went to Daimon Hellstrom to help bring him back. This succeeds in bringing Blade back from the dead and eliminating a doppleganger who had replaced him. With that done, Hannibal and Blade go after Deacon Frost, all three characters who would become famous in the Blade movies two decades later. It is a great story that also offers a nice look at how these characters appeared before entering the movie world.
7) Avengers (Vol. 8) #45 (2021)
In the 2020s, Blade was an official part of the Avengers. While he had worked with the team before (he was Ronin at one point in the New Avengers), here he was part of the main team with names like Black Panther, Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man, and Thor. However, his position with the team put him in an awkward situation after the King in Black storyline. With Knull defeated, Black Panther knew he had to deal with a new threat, this time from Dracula, who led his vampires to help the heroes defeat Knull. After the battle, Blade began killing the vampires who helped in the war, and this put the Avengers in a challenging situation. This issue was a brilliant look at how the Avengers handled it and how Blade became the sheriff of Dracula’s newly made sovereign nation.
6) Wolverine vs. Blade #1 (2019)
Wolverine vs. Blade was a 2019 one-shot special issue that saw the vampire hunter go head-to-head with the X-Men’s most dangerous member. One thing to note about this issue is that it is one of Marvel’s adult books, and it is very bloody and violent, opening with Blade and Wolverine slaughtering a temple full of vampire cultists. Six months later, both heroes are drawn back into the cult, where they discover the main enemy is Varkis, a messiah to the vampires, and a former mutant turned vampire. They also learn of a prophecy that involves the two heroes fighting each other to beat Varkis. The issue is a smart story with some nice Wolverine vs. Blade action and incredible artwork by Dave Wilkins.
