Vampire (Blade)

The Pure-Blood Vampire leaders of The House of Erebus.

In Marvel Comics' Blade universe, Vampires (Homines Nocturnae) are a sub-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 "Pure-Bloods", while those beings who are turned by Drake or his descendants are merely byproducts of Vampirism.

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

The series is named for its hero, a Vampire-killer named Blade.

Overview

Vampirism in the Blade universe broadly shares many of the characteristics of Vampirism in wider folklore and popular culture, but also differs in certain details. 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 the folkloric description of Vampirism 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 modern Human society and live high-tech lives. The Blade Vampire races also possess their own language, which all Vampires speak. A majority of all Vampires also speak Human languages.

In the Blade universe, Vampirism is a supernatural virus transmitted through the Vampire's saliva nto the victim's bloodstream during a neck bite, made by the Vampire's fangs when feeding, or by dying with Vampire blood in one's system. It takes approximately 72 hours after infection for the virus to effect a mutation in the victim to become a Vampire, considered here as a new life form. This life form's blood cells cannot produce haemoglobin and so must feed on Human blood in order to be sustained and nourished. The diet of Humans 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 which can throw an adult male Human across the room; the impact of such blows are able 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, 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, and the Vampire recovers faster (even in some cases regeneration lost body parts). This process is accelerated by the consumption of Human blood.
• Superhuman Senses: Vampires can see in the dark and perceive the ultraviolet spectrum.

Vampires in Blade universe belong to different Tribes. Dependent on their Tribe, Vampires will additionally possess specific strengths and weaknesses. For example, the Reapers are able to scale almost any surface like spiders, or even standing perpendicular to the wall (as seen in Blade II). Additionally a Reaper's only weakness is exposure to sunlight or ultra-violet rays which can result in spontaneous combustion or turning into ash. This process is known by fans as 'ashing'.

The pure blood or non-pure blood status of a Vampire also affects their social standing and Vampiric abilities. In later versions, new strains such as the 'Reaper' strain also affect the Vampires' abilities and weaknesses.

Comics Info

Curse of the Mutants

In the Curse of the Mutants storyline, Dracula's son Xarus overthrows him by killing him and unites all of the Vampire Sects under him. These sects include the Claw Sect Vampires (a clan of vampire warriors), the Charniputra Sect Vampires, the Mystikos Sect Vampires (a clan of business vampires), the Nosferatu Sect Vampires, the Krieger Sect Vampires, the Atlantean Sect Vampires, the Moksha Sect Vampires (a clan of vampire seers), and the Siren Sect Vampires (a clan of vampire seductresses). Xarus' allies in the Mystikos Sect managed to invent a special device which can block the frequencies of light that are harmful to Vampires. Xarus decided to use this device to create a new, more dominant place in the world for vampires as he has each device handed out to his vampire allies. Upon attacking the fortress of the Krieger Sect Vampires, Xarus' allies eliminate the clan's elder leadership. He has the Claw Sect not declare itself for him, so it can hang back and be contacted by any would-be traitors seeking an alliance like his brother Janus Tepes and the peaceful Anchorite Sect. Following an attempted betrayal from the Siren Sect Vampires, Xarus foolishly allows its leader Alyssa to live and keep serving him. Alyssa secretly slips one of the light-deflecting pendants to Janus which enabled him to escape after the Claw Sect betrayed him to Xarus. While wearing a light-deflecting pendant, Xarus declares himself Lord of the Vampires in front of his vampire army.

This resulted in the X-Men and Blade banding together to fight the forces of Xarus. Blade objects to Cyclops' plan to resurrect Dracula which ends up happening. In the climax of the battle, Xarus is killed by Dracula who reclaims control of the vampire clans yet does not do anymore hostilities towards the mutant community.

Pure Blood and Non-Pure Blood (turned) vampires

Vampires are divided into two specific species categories, pure blood and non-pure blood, which carry specific connotations reflected in their society and hierarchy. Pure bloods are born as vampires, the offspring of two people who are already vampires. Non-pure blood, or 'turned', vampires have had a human existence before being turned into a vampire.

Pure bloods remain youthful during very long lives. For example, Charlotte, a pure blood 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 pure-blood vampire that looks like a full-grown adult is truly ancient.

This youthfulness is due to pure blood ability to biologically regenerate from birth, meaning that unless injured with silver, they will heal all injuries flawlessly. It is also implied that they can see in light levels considerably below that of human visibility. While all vampires are capable of having offspring both through reproduction and 'turning', the birth-rate between mating pure bloods is so low that it is practically non-existent.

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

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

Known Pure Bloods

Blade

• The House of Erebus Leaders — Twelve leaders who were used in the ritual to empower Deacon Frost and make him the vampire Blood god La Magra in the first film.
• Elder Member of House of Erebus — Killed by Mercury for insulting her.
• Gitano Dragonetti — Former head of the House of Erebus. Had his fangs forcibly removed (de-fanged), and then was killed by exposure to the sunrise.

Blade II

• Overlord Eli Damaskinos — An old 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 pure bloods that Eli Damaskinos and his familiar Karel Kounen trained to kill Blade until the Reaper threat. Most of them were slain in their attempt to neutralize a breed of vampires known as 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 in order to kill Lighthammer.
  • 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.

Blade: Trinity

• Drake (aka Dracula) — The first vampire, the oldest of the pure bloods. 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 killed by Blade.
• Overlord Rusk — A pure blood of the House of Chthon. Killed by Blade.
• Charlotte — A pure blood 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.

Reaper

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 gain 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 ability to withstand injury than normal Vampires.
• Total resistance to silver and garlic.
• Improved resistance to normal Vampire weaknesses, such as EDTA.

The only Reaper weaknesses are their intolerance to sunlight and/or ultraviolet rays, which causes them to combust almost instantly; as well as 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 blood that their bodies will start to consume themselves if they are unable to feed for a couple of hours, although 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.

A feeding tube with sharp teeth for penetration is used for feeding.

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 and gave the Reaper strain to him. Damaskinos is apparently estranged from both Nomak and Nomak's sister Nyssa, so Nomak becomes a renegade and sets out for revenge, in a campaign to transform others into Reapers.

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 superior Reaper powers, Nomak succeeds in killing Damaskinos and transmitting the Reaper strain to Nyssa. He was then killed in battle against Blade where Jared actually pushes the stake that he was stabbed with further into him.

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 fellows. Nomak also retains all of his higher brain functions, not only relying on his basic instincts to feed, but also being able to formulate plans and initiate both the English dialogue and the ancient Vampire language.

External links

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