Vampire (Blade)

The Pureblood vampire leaders of The House of Erebus.

In Marvel Comics' Blade universe, Vampires (Homines Nocturnae) are an offshoot of humanity descended from Drake (also known as Dracula or Dagon), an ancient Sumerian who was worshipped as a God. His progeny are known as "Purebloods", while those beings who are turned by Drake or his descendants are merely byproducts of vampirism.

This genealogy is the background to movies Blade, Blade II, and Blade: Trinity; and the Blade TV series.

The movies and series names are all in reference to the hero, a vampire-killer named Blade, who is half-vampire himself.

Overview

Vampirism in the Blade universe broadly shares many of the characteristics of vampirism in wider folklore and popular culture. A significant difference between Blade vampires and the folkloric depiction of vampires is the definition of vampirism as a biological condition and not just a supernatural affliction. Blade vampires are not affected by religious symbols such as crucifixes and holy water. Other attributes traditionally associated with vampires such as turning into mist or a bat, or living hermit-like lives, are not depicted in the Blade universe. Blade vampires are intricately involved in most aspects of modern human society. The Blade vampires also possess their own language, which all vampires speak.

In the Blade universe, vampirism is a supernatural virus injected through the vampire's saliva into the victim's bloodstream during a bite. It takes approximately 72 hours after infection for the virus to effect a mutation in the victim to become a vampire, this can occur even after death. Vampire blood cells cannot produce haemoglobin which is why vampires must feed on blood (preferably human) in order to be sustained and nourished. Ordinary food is edible to vampires, but provides little to no nutritional value. This need for human blood (or blood in general) is known as "The Thirst" and is considered a vampiric weakness.

This mutation endows the vampire with an improved metabolism and other biological functions that grant numerous improved or even superhuman capabilities. These are made possible via new specialized organs created during the mutation process.

Such capabilities include:

• Immortality: Living young for centuries before reaching seniorhood.
• Superhuman Strength: For example, the ability to leap large distances and to deliver powerful blows, ie able to throw an adult male human across the room with enough force to crack solid surfaces such as concrete.
• Superhuman Speed: For example, the ability to dodge bullets with accelerated vision and move faster than the eye can see.
• Superhuman Agility: Vampires move with great agility, flexibility, and reflexes. They are also able to scale sheer surfaces including walls and ceilings. Krista Starr (Blade: The Series), a newborn vampire, was able to jump from her window onto the roof of another building in a single bound.
• Healing Factor: Wounds tend only to slow the vampire down temporarily, healing quickly (in some cases regenerating entire body parts). This process is accelerated by the consumption of human blood.

It is uncommon, but not unheard of, for vampires to end their own lives, particularly when they have lived a very long time. This is usually done using the vampire weakness to sunshine. Exposure to sunlight or ultra-violet rays result in spontaneous combustion or a rapid breakdown into ashes. This process is known by fans as 'ashing'.^{[citation needed]}

Pureblood and Non-Pureblood (turned) vampires

Vampires are divided into two categories, pureblood and non-pureblood. Each carries specific class values reflected in their society and hierarchy. Purebloods are born as vampires, the offspring of two people who are already vampires; this happens very rarely. Non-purebloods, or 'turned' vampires, have had a human existence before becoming a vampire.

Purebloods remain youthful during very long lives. For example, Charlotte, a pureblood vampire of the House of Chthon in Blade: The Series, is about 300 years old and still maintains the youthful appearance of an adolescent girl. A pureblood vampire that looks like a full-grown adult is truly ancient, such as Eli Damaskinos in Blade II.

This youthfulness is due to the pureblood ability to biologically regenerate from birth, meaning that unless injured with silver, they will heal all injuries flawlessly and age at an incredibly slow pace. While all vampires are capable of having offspring both through reproduction and 'turning', the birth-rate between mating purebloods is so low that it is practically non-existent.

A pureblood vampire is unable to become a human again, due to the condition being fixed in their DNA. This is not the case with non-purebloods. In the first Blade film, a retrovirus is found that can return non-purebloods to their human state.

These differences result in a class system, according to pureblood or non-pureblood status. Purebloods derive their importance from the 'incorruptibility' of their lineage and tend to take positions of dominance, regarding themselves as superior. Non-purebloods are often in lower positions such as lackeys, minions or lieutenants. Non-pureblood reaction to this state of affairs is diverse; some accept the hierarchy as natural or even regard purebloods as gods, while others look upon purebloods with disdain.

Known Purebloods

Comics

• Drake (aka Dracula) — The first vampire, the oldest of the purebloods.

Blade II

• Overlord Eli Damaskinos — An ancient vampire lord with undetermined political power. He has the unusual physical traits of gray skin and greenish blood. He is killed by his mutated son, Jared Nomak.
  • Nyssa Damaskinos — Daughter of Eli Damaskinos and sister of Jared Nomak. Bitten by Nomak and 'ashes' in the sunlight at her request.
• Bloodpack — A group of purebloods that Eli Damaskinos and his familiar, Karel Kounen, originally trained to kill Blade, but used to deal with the Reaper threat. Most of them were slain in their attempt to neutralize the Reapers.
  • Rheinhardt — Member of the Bloodpack. Killed by Blade.
  • Chupa — A pugnacious member of the Bloodpack.
  • Asad — A well-mannered member of the Bloodpack.
  • Snowman — A mute swordsman and member of the Bloodpack.
  • Verlaine — A red-haired female member of the Bloodpack. She 'ashed' herself and her companion Lighthammer, after he became infected by the Reapers.
  • Lighthammer — A hulking, hammer-wielding member of the Bloodpack. He ended up falling victim to the Reapers. He was 'ashed' by Verlaine.
  • Priest — A Scottish-accented member of the Bloodpack. He fell victim to the Reapers and was 'ashed' when Blade let some sunlight into the area he was in.

Blade: Trinity

• Drake (aka Dracula) — The first vampire, the oldest of the purebloods. He was killed by Blade.

Blade: The Series

• House of Chthon Conclave Delegates — Representatives of the House of Chthon from the live-action series. They are all very old and powerful purebloods. They were all killed by Blade.
• Overlord Rusk — A pureblood of the House of Chthon. Killed by Blade.
• Charlotte — A pureblood of the House of Chthon. Was 'ashed' by Blade.
• Damek — The last remaining pureblood of the House of Armaya. Was 'ashed' by Marcus.
• Alex — House of Erebus. Considered something of a maverick by the other purebloods of Erebus, he spent his time trying to distance himself from the others of his House, who, according to him, were becoming increasingly conservative out of a growing fear of losing their grip. He was killed in a gruesome experiment to test the refined Aurora vaccine/Retroviral weapon.^{[citation needed]}

Reapers

Nomak
Luke Goss as Jared Nomak.
Publication information
Publisher	New Line Cinema
First appearance	Blade II
Created by	Guillermo Del Toro, David S. Goyer
In-story information
Team affiliations	Reapers
Abilities	Immortality Superhuman Strength Superhuman Speed Superhuman Agility Superhuman Endurance Superhuman Senses Night Vision Healing Factor Accelerated Metabolism Blood-Sucking Vampirism Bone-Armored Heart Immunity to all conventional vampire weaknesses except sunlight

Reapers appear for the first time in Blade II. The character Eli Damaskinos (played by Thomas Kretschmann), an ancient vampire elder, created this strain of the breed in a quest to eliminate the weaknesses of the vampire race via genetic sequencing. Carriers of the Reaper strain are known as 'Reapers'. Their heightened metabolism prompts them to feed more often, which causes the strain to spread rapidly. With the exception of the first Reaper, Jared Nomak (played by Luke Goss), they are incapable of human speech, communicating through snarls and growls, though they retain enough intelligence to follow Nomak's orders, attack in an organized way, and set traps for their enemies and prey.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Reapers have the following distinct advantages over other vampires:

• A thick case of bone, covering their heart in the front and back, making it near-impossible to be staked directly
• A 'three-way' jaw, where the left and right sides of the mouth have fangs that inject a neurotoxin to paralyze their victims while feeding. This jaw is easily concealed, allowing the Reaper to surprise the victim
• The ability to transfer the Reaper strain to victims through a bite
• The ability to turn even a dead victim into a Reaper
• A highly evolved 'thirst', which allows them feed on both Humans and normal vampires alike
• Even greater speed, strength, and healing factor
• Total resistance to silver and garlic
• Improved resistance to normal vampire weaknesses, such as EDTA

The only Reaper weaknesses are to sunlight/ultraviolet light (which causes them to combust almost instantly), and the constant pain caused by the virus in their systems which is only satiated by feeding daily. Impaling a Reaper through the heart is possible, but difficult due to the extra layer of hardened bone. Additionally, with the exception of Nomak, all other Reapers are so dependent on fresh blood that their bodies will start to consume themselves if they are unable to feed for a couple of hours; their bodies will still try and 'feed' even after their brains die.

Appearance

Reapers have a greenish complexion and little to no hair. They have a thin scar starting from the lower lip that ends at the base of the neck, this is where their 3 way jaw splits apart. While feeding there can be seen a feeding tube with sharp teeth for penetration.

Jared Nomak

Jared Nomak, the first Reaper, is the main antagonist of the film Blade II and is played by actor Luke Goss in a narrative that uses themes of family estrangement to develop conflict between different strains of vampire as well as vampire-killers. Nomak is the son of the vampire elder Eli Damaskinos, who created the Reaper strain and gave it to Jared. Nomak becomes estranged from both his father, and his sister, Nyssa, after being infected by the Reaper strain. Nomak turns into a renegade and sets out for revenge, transforming others into Reapers, including other vampires, along the way.

This effort is resisted by Damaskinos through an alliance with the hero of the series, Blade. Damaskinos offers his elite pack of killers (the 'Bloodpack'), originally trained to slay Blade, to hunt and kill Nomak and his Reapers. Nomak also initially offers an alliance to Blade, who refuses, and they battle.

It is later revealed that Damaskinos created the Reapers in an attempt to create a strain of vampire called Daywalkers, and that Nomak is the result of this failed attempt. This contributes to their estrangement.

Due to his powers being enhanced by the Reaper strain, Nomak succeeds in killing Damaskinos and transmitting the Reaper strain to Nyssa. He was then killed in battle against Blade when Nomak actually pushes the blade of a sword further into himself, puncturing his heart and causing his death.

Powers & Abilities

Nomak possesses the common powers of vampires and the Reapers. However in addition to this, perhaps as he is the first Reaper, Nomak seems to be in much more control of his 'thirst' than the other Reapers he turns, and his physiology allows him to go for longer periods between feedings than his progeny. Nomak also retains all of his higher brain functions, not relying on his basic instincts to feed, but also being able to formulate plans and also communicate in both English and the ancient vampire language.

External links

• Vampires at Marvel Wiki
  • List of Vampires at Marvel Wiki