Blade is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, he first appeared in The Tomb of Dracula #10 (cover dated July 1973). Originally introduced as a supporting character in the horror-themed series, Blade quickly became a popular figure and later led his own solo stories. His origin involves the death of his mother, a Black British woman attacked by the vampire Deacon Frost during childbirth; the vampire enzymes passed to the newborn Eric Brooks, making him a dhampir — half-human, half-vampire with all of the strengths and none of the typical vampiric weaknesses. Immune to vampire bites, possessing superhuman abilities, and able to walk in sunlight, he became known as 'The Daywalker.'
Over the decades, Blade has been depicted as a master martial artist and weapons expert dedicated to wiping out the vampire race. He has appeared in numerous ongoing series, limited series, and one-shots, and has been a member of teams such as the Nightstalkers, the Midnight Sons, and the Avengers. While early stories portrayed him as a skilled but otherwise human vampire hunter, later comics retroactively embraced his dhampir nature, aligning him more closely with his film and television adaptations. Today, Blade remains one of Marvel’s most iconic supernatural heroes, with a legacy that spans comics, animation, and live-action media.
